Of course, it was too good to be true. When University of Michigan professor Scott Hershovitz heard his young son screaming for a “philosopher,” he should have known there was some mistake.

“Hank, Hank!” Scott (who wrote a delightful parenting/philosophy book Nasty, Brutish and Short) cried back, “I am a philosopher, what do you need?” “You are not a philosopher,” Hank told his father. “There’s something stuck in my teeth!”

No child thinks they need a philosopher. Few adults do either. Yet we—whatever our age—have problems, don’t we? Problems that require a flosser…or a bit of wisdom.

In the ancient world, one might actually have sought out a philosopher. Zeno, upon washing up in Athens, heard a story about Socrates and supposedly asked, “Where can I find a man like that?” That’s what philosophy is supposed to be about. That’s what philosophers are. Marcus Aurelius writes in Meditations about fighting to be that person—not a “pen and ink philosopher,” but a problem solver, a good role model, a person of virtue.

And what enterprise demands philosophy more than parenting? It requires us to be wise, to be just, to be disciplined, to be brave. It demands that we be rational…even on no sleep. It demands that we see the big picture. It behooves us to love learning and study (so we can benefit from the discoveries of parents who came before us).

Philosophy–Stoicism anyway–is practical and usable. It’s a lifelong pursuit. It’s something that challenges you…and helps you rise to the challenges of life. It’s something that makes you dependable, a resource for others. It gives you meaning and purpose and joy. It’s not just abstract questions but counsel, direction, purpose, duty.