What most people forget – whatever age they are – is how much their parents are actually worth. We’re not talking in terms of money, but more about the fact that most children will never fully realise how much their parents have done for them, no matter how appreciative they are.
It’s very easy to think of your parents as dull grown-ups who have always been just that, but in reality they were once teenagers, children, and yes, even babies. And instead of being constantly praised for the great achievements they’ve made in their lives (and the huge amount of strain put upon them by their progeny), parents are usually just accepted as ‘part of the furniture’.
Yet parents are teachers, carers, nutritionists, drivers, landlords, cleaners, counsellors, consciences, sports coaches, money lenders, money givers, house movers, bodyguards, stylists, speech therapists and personal life coaches.
Parenting is a constant, twenty-four hour responsibility to govern and protect another person’s life. It is even more intense than a job because it doesn’t stop at 5 p.m. on a Friday – there’s no such thing as a carefree weekend for parents. At least a Childcare Voucher Scheme can provide an easy way to remove some of the worries around childcare cost.
But that’s not what this blog is about: it’s about paying attention, and being appreciative of the people who have helped you get to an age where you can use a computer, read this blog, and understand what we’re talking about. Even though appreciating parents may not be a totally new idea, we just wanted to take a moment to remind ourselves of why every parent deserves to be rewarded.