It happens so often that you hardly even notice it anymore. Your kids said they weren’t hungry and now of course they are. You told them to go to the bathroom before you left (they ignored you), and now they want you to pull the car over so they can pee. You knew they’d like this movie, you knew they’d have fun, you knew that other kid was trouble.

It makes sense too. You only have a couple decades experience. You were just like them when you were a kid. You’ve tried all these things before! So it becomes almost natural, this power you have as their parent and this authority you have as the older, wiser one.

But like all power…it corrupts.

You get used to forcing. You don’t listen. You don’t let them make their own mistakes. What you do is you become overbearing, you become someone they resent even though you are right. And by the way, you’re not as right as you think you are. It’s like the Yusef/Cat Stevens’ song we talked about–you think it’s them you know, but it’s really you. You’re projecting. Your power makes you lazy. Your power makes you entitled.

Every situation is unique. You don’t always know. You should be wary of the false confidence that comes from being smarter and more experienced than a three year old…because they’re getting older and more experienced every day too. They’re changing and becoming more themselves every day too. If you want them to stay in your life when you’re older, if you want your relationship to stay good, you can’t let this power corrupt and come between you.