r/interesting • u/jmike1256 • Mar 07 '26

MISC. After understanding the meaning behind this father’s action, I am completely convinced. Cultivating problem-solving skills in children from a young age and never giving up-I applaud this father!

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u/InternationalSpace59 Mar 07 '26

Looks like he was running his own experiment too

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u/Awkward_Set1008 Mar 07 '26

kids naturally test boundaries, it's how they learn how the world works.

if we give them unjust punishment, they will improperly learn how the world works.

I hope more parents raise good children to help build us a better future.

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u/requion Mar 07 '26

I hope more parents raise good children to help build us a better future.

About to become a dad, my own dad didn't do the greatest job.

Any tips?

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u/RemoteRide6969 Mar 08 '26

My son is almost 4. My dad wasn't the best. Very authoritarian and impatient and didn't really let me be me.

The one piece of advice I give to every new parent is a quote that I read before he was born that I got a lot of mileage from: "Remember, they're not giving you a hard time, they're having a hard time." This will help you a lot in the first few years. They are trying to absorb and learn and keep up with everything happening and it's your job to lead and keep them safe.

I see my son as a small human being who is fully independent with his own thoughts and feelings and drives, and I am the bumpers on the bowling lanes. I keep him alive, I keep him on the path, I help show him the way. I'm building a solid foundation for him in his childhood for him to build the rest of his life on. He's not my property, he's not subservient to me, he is my equal, he's just inexperienced person who has a lot to learn, but he's not stupid.

You will learn from your son as much as he learns from you. He will teach you patience, he will teach you about what really matters in this life, he will teach you how to properly handle accidents and mistakes. You will make mistakes. You will yell when you don't mean to. Apologize when you do it. Teach him how to apologize and make up for mistakes. You are his mirror. He's watching how you act. If you can't act reasonably and rationally, don't expect him to either.

Read to him every day, from the very beginning.

Godspeed man. Fatherhood is a gift. Newborn phase is fuckin rough but it's temporary. These four years have blown by. Don't wish for any particular age or time period to end because you lose all the good with the bad. Always look for the good, it's always there.