What’s your purpose as a parent?

Your baby is coming! Or maybe it’s here…

You have calculated the date, assembled the nursery, booked the birthing venue, washed and pressed the costumes for all players, arranged for cameo appearances by professional birth attendants and possibly even organised the catering by way of stocking the freezer, but have you thought at all about what you intend to intend as a parent? What is your purpose? How do you define your role?

Have you come to parenting with a list of I wills: “I will support my children’s dreams, I will teach them discipline, I will encourage their individuality”; or a list of I won’ts: “I won’t yell at my children, I won’t stand for any nonsense; I won’t change my life to suit them”.

Perhaps you have embraced the way your parents did it and you hope to do as well. Perhaps you have ricocheted away from your parents and their choices and you want to do it all differently.

Welcome to Parent 2 Parent, a blog that explores some of the intentions you could choose as a parent.

Have your say in this poll, what do you see as your first purpose as a parent? After you vote you will see how others voted.