Stepping Stones

As I grow older, I’m constantly confronted with the lessons and guidance I received from my parents. Even the smallest moments bring back something profound that my mother or father once said.

I remember when my mother caught me cursing up a storm around the age of 8. She gently scolded me about using profanity. Now, if I find myself on a rant with even a splash of vulgarity, I hear her voice reminding me to speak with decency and dignity.

Then there's my father, who taught me that gambling is the equivalent of trying to gain something for nothing. That lesson always surfaces when I think about betting on a basketball game.

These are just a few of the smaller messages I absorbed growing up — there are many, many more.

As I reflect not just on my parents, but on the essence of those lessons and the roles they’ve played in my life, I’ve come to a steady realization: my parents were stepping stones. They were a point of departure toward empowerment.

It might sound counterintuitive to call your parents “stepping stones,” since most people hold their parents in the highest regard. And believe me — I think the world of mine. I would never minimize their lives or their impact.

But as I consider their parenting style, I now see that their purpose was to set me on the right path, to empower me to act freely in alignment with universal principles like oneness, cause and effect, and attraction.

They worked to build and shape me not just to survive the obstacles life would throw at me, but to transcend even the hidden limitations, including the limitation of depending on them.

Our parents are our first providers. They give us food, clothing, and shelter. Ideally, we grow to trust them to protect us and sacrifice for us. If that goes well, we become capable of expressing the best version of ourselves through their influence.

But how many parents are willing to send their children into the world with full faith that they can find fulfillment and govern themselves? Can our children face trials without fearing failure or immediately reaching back for support?

I believe the deepest goal of parenthood is to raise a child into adulthood with self-determination — into someone who can manifest prosperity, abundance, and steady resolve through all stages of life.

If parents are the master builders of our mental, emotional, cultural, and financial foundations, then surely their goal should be this: to build something that stands strong, even when they walk away.

Parenthood isn’t just about raising good children. It’s about raising children who can stand on their own, no matter what struggles come their way.