Parenting as a path of self-development

Imagine that your child gives you a stone one day. What significance do you attach to it?

It is a talisman that is meant to protect me.
It is a quiet symbol of reproach – the burden I have caused.
It is the beginning of a new chapter, like when someone lays the cornerstone.
It's just a stone, but it taught me to see things differently.
It is a hidden riddle, the meaning of which I will learn later.

If your parenthood were a musical instrument, what would it be?

An old, out-of-tune piano in an abandoned house.
String harp, on which the wind plays.
Percussion instruments that set the rhythm for everyone else.
A flute with a soft tone that not everyone hears.
Electronic synthesizer - I am continuously discovering new possibilities.

A child leads you to a place that is foreign to you. How do you react?

I carefully watch every step he takes, but I keep my distance.
I'm asking what he wants to look for here – maybe he knows something I don't.
I take it as a game and let myself be carried away.
I will start to think about what I could have forgotten here.
I get scared, but I still follow him.

Parenting has left you with invisible colors in your hands. What do you paint with them?

The walls of the house that I will build.
My own face, to remind myself who I am.
The sky – I want something to remain after me.
Footprints on the road, so that others can learn.
I only paint at night when no one is watching.

When talking to a child, you discover that they know something you have forgotten. How do you feel?

Embarrassed – I should have known that myself.
Humbly – life is a lesson in both directions.
Confused – I'm not sure what that means.
With astonishment – as if I were hearing myself from the past.
With respect – this is his/her world, not mine.

Which image best represents your experience with parenting?

A river that carves its own course.
A mirror that shows more than just a reflection.
A house with locked rooms that open gradually.
A tree that grows crooked but still upwards.
A labyrinth in which I do not get lost, but search.

Your child does something that you consider a mistake. What is the first thing that comes to your mind?

I have to teach him/her properly.
It's part of the journey – I've experienced it too.
How much does that say about me?
What message might be in that?
Why did it actually upset me?

What doors has parenthood opened inside you?

Those that led to long-forgotten memories.
Those for whom there was anger that I did not admit.
Those who showed me how to love unconditionally.
Those that led me to greater discipline and strength.
Those I had no idea existed at all.

At what moment did you feel the most "alive" as a parent?

When I had to make a decision in uncertainty.
When I was a child, I watched you sleep – in silence.
When I laughed with him for no reason.
When I acknowledged my mistake.
When I felt like everything I knew was falling apart.

If you could describe your parenthood as a dream, what would it be like?

Wandering through the forest, where a small light guides me.
Sailing on the sea, where I occasionally can't see the shore.
A quiet conversation with a shadow that feels familiar to me.
Creating a sculpture from clay that constantly changes shape.
Game in a house with infinite rooms.

Submit answers