The world thrives on fear: politics, religion, relationships - fear of punishment, missing out, rejection, ridicule, isolation, and being unloved, accepted, or understood.
The two primary fears that drive the parenting journey are:
Fear of harm to our children
Fear of not being a good enough parent
Fear is an inherent part of the human experience. And it is not a bad thing in itself. Fear brings to our attention the need to take care of ourselves, it is a survival instinct.
When we are unaware of our fears and allow them to drive our choices, we end up in pain and unhappiness. When fear takes over, we feel helpless and powerless and we try to control whatever we can.
When we are anxious as parents, we try to control our children and that creates friction in the parent child relationship.
What we want as parents is a happy, healthy, deep bond with our children. We want them to be happy and grow up to be mature, wise adults with the right values and priorities.
The best way to teach this is by modelling this ourselves, because our children may not always listen to us, but they are always watching us.