This report really scares me. A chilling lesson that parenting is so much more than just being physically present or being the biological parent.

It reminds me of a friend who was discussing whether to continue work or not after having a child. Her take was that when kids are small, they don’t really need you around, whereas when they are bigger they need you more. Hence she felt that quitting after the kids grow up made more sense.

I wanted to tell her so badly then that kids need you when they are small, that’s when the relationship and trust is built, that’s when the foundation is laid. When they are bigger, they will not need you. And they will never come back to you if you weren’t there when they needed you initially.

I don’t mean to say that if you’re working, it automatically means that you are a bad parent. Of course not!

Imho, the difference between a parent who is just bodily there and a parent who is all there – mind, body, heart, and soul – is huge. We can never underestimate the impact the parent has on a kid. Honestly, there ought to be parenting entrance exams, no? 🙂