What Does Being a Parent Mean to You?

GREAT question! For me, it's raising an outstanding citizen of society who also functions on their own views/likes/opinions while keeping an open mind to others. I want my kids to learn the value of THEMSELVES, as well as learn the value of a dollar. To instill principles that will last them a lifetime, like respect, love, and loyalty. To be proud of their accomplishments, big and small. I want them to have book AND street smarts. I want them to be polite and cordial and have the ability to take on any situation they face. I want them to be strong, but flexible. Mostly, I want them to express their creativity and put their minds to good use. I want to teach them how to live a happy, healthy lifestyle... and I want them to be able to stand on their own 2 feet. I want them to maintain as much innocence as possible for as long as possible, and not sweat the small stuff.

I have sooo many more aspirations for my children, but those are just a starting point :)

My goals as a parent:
*To equip my daughter with the skills to no longer need me to take care of her - at first, it was things like feeding and dressing herself, using the potty, and as she grew, cleaning up after herself, time and money management, sex/relationship education.

*To be someone my daughter knew she could depend on to have her back if something bad happened, from car breakdowns to boyfriend breakups.

*To have my daughter grow up to be the kind of person I would want in my lif even if I weren't related to her.

Being a parent means the world to me. Teaching your kids to be who they are and take pride in themselves is what I try to instill. Not being afraid to speak their mind and stand up for themselves. Not being afraid to be different and step outside of the box. To communicate openly with me. My door, and heart is always open to them whenever they need it. So as long as they take heed to the path that I'm trying to lead them on, then I know that my job as a parent was done very well. Being a parent means the world to me.

Wow. That's a pretty deep question.

I'm paraphrasing here, and I wish I could remember who originally said it, but it goes along with what I feel: "You can have as many re-inventions of your own childhood as you can afford to. But treat your kids like they only get one." So, give them a good one.

Also, I have seen it pointed out, that we aren't raising children, not really. We are raising children INTO adults. So, while we are letting them have a good childhood, we need to help them learn the things that they are going to need. Which to me, means not just teaching them, but also teaching them why or how. And that teaching extends to not just factually, but socially and emotionally as well.

And, at the same time, love and security. Kisses and hugs every day. And being there.

My big goal, is to rock my great-grandchildren to sleep, and then lay them down in their own beds. I'll have to take care of myself, to be able to travel to wherever they are. I'll have to maintain a good relationship with my children and future grandchildren, so that they'll want me there. And that's the painful bit, isn't it? We won't know if we've done it right or not, until they're grown.

Here's hoping we do it right.

To me parenting is so deep and amazing because once you have a child you have changed the course of history and even more than that, eternity. It is an amazing thing that seems so ordinary day to day. I think being a parent means you take the responsibility to train your child to grow into the person they are destined to become. You are responsible to give them the tools to learn how to make good decisions and to shield them from danger by disciplining them when they make bad ones. I think you are responsible to know your child and help them become all that they can be. Friendship is nice and a great thing as they get older but as children they need leadership, love and to have their needs cared for. As teens they need help navigating new emotional waters and then I think you get this awesome payoff of a friend when they are grown. That is how I feel about my mom, now that I am grown we are great friends, but when I was a child I was very certain who the mom was! Good question :D

That my children are their own spirits and it's my job to lead by example what I've learned about being a kind, nurturing, moral, silly, strong, confident, albeit imperfect person. And that dancing, cooking, learning new things, getting dirty outside, and planting things are really really fun. Honestly I feel that I just get the privilege of watching over them while they are little and also look forward to the transition when they get older from caregiver to friend.

Oh my, this could be a really long answer...don't worry I would keep it short.
First of all, my idea of parenting have change and continued changing as I grow and as my kids grow.
I sometimes get very confused of my point as a mother, it is a hard job.
I think overall, my parenting goes to make independent kids with good self esteem, being open to changes and not close minded/respectful to different kind of people and as happy as possible, of course this last one is not always possible when you are trying to discipline them, lol.
I do question my self about how good or how much try to "fit" them in a society.
My mom once told me that she was afraid to teach me to be a perfect kid because the world wasn't perfect, what she mean is that she would teach me to never fight, to treat others the way I wanted to be treated and kind of give the other cheek, which would be great in a world where everybody would teach that to their kids, but in the real world people teach different things to the kids, so I mush rather teach my kids skills of problem solving and respect for others while keeping respect for theme selfs.
In a world with so many people, so many ideas, so many believes I want them to be able to be all those, but I would be satisfied if they can be healthy, respectful (as possible) and happy.

Being a parent means gradually putting yourself out of a job.
(My Mom told me that and I tell it to my son.)
You start with an infant who is helpless and when you are finished that child should be a well adjusted independent adult who is capable of raising a family of their own. Raising a child to be dependent upon you always and forever is rather sick.
Being a parent means making the tough decisions. That means doing what you feel is best for the child whether he likes it or not. The child might love the idea of eating candy, ice cream, cookies and doughnuts all day every day or over dosing on tv/video games. A good parent will say "Nice daydream, but it's not going to happen. Finish eating your spinach and go read a book.".
Being friendly with your child is nice - icing on the cake - but it's not a requirement and if it gets in your way of making those tough decisions in the best interest of your child - it's got to go. Being a mother is WAY more important than being a friend.
You might be very close with your child but I don't think you can be best friends with them. You are of different generations and although there is a passing down of values - you can't be on the same level as a future spouse.
It damages everything if you try.
When the baby bird is grown, they need to fly. Sometimes they need a push from the nest, but they'll never reach their full potential if they are forever under your wing.
Fitting in to society? Broadly. Going along with the crowd to get along all the time means being led by mob rule. I want my son to think independently enough so if the lemmings hurl themselves off cliffs he can stand up and say "No thanks - that's not for me.". You do not become a leader by following a crowd.

It means you and the individual who is your child will (hopefully) have the longest relationship that you have with anyone ever. To support maintaining that relationship, you accept who your child is - which may or may not be similar to who you are. You pick up the cues over the stages of life in what your child needs from you (and you hope that at some point, certainly not while they are children) that your child will pick up the cues of what you need, too. As a young parent, we tend to focus on nuturing and teaching but at a surprisingly young age, we need to start listening and learning who they are and make room for the idea that even though we might teach them "right from wrong", there is an amazinging wide scope in "fitting in". So I guess being a parent means to me that you are willing and able to evolve with the changing nature of long, long relationship, you accept the individual child for who they are and you have a love for them that transcends time and circumstance.

Being a parent means to me..
1.Taking my children to church and teaching them about god.

2. Being consistent with my parenting style
3. Helping them succeed with school. I help go over my younger sons homework. I dont give him the answers but I make sure he understands what is being taught.
4. Teaching them treat people you want to be treated.
5.I am first the parent and everything that entails including discipline. We also do silly things together and lots of family things. First I am the parent. I am not always going to have my kids agreeement on some of my decisions. Although I like being their friend. I dont care if they get mad I will not give or waver.
6.Teaching my children to be compassiate for others
7. doing volunteer work with my kids ( we dont do that enough together)
8. make sure they up the level for school
9. that I allow our house to be the fun house and let the kids hang there.
10. we expect certain family obligations from them..like cleaning their rooms, doing dishes, vacuum under kitchen table..
11. Remembering to use their manners
12. teaching eye contact is important when someone is talking to you. You are telling the other person you value them.
13. be truthful have intergrity
14. sometimes it just means asking god to send you some patience
15. listening and not just ordering them around.

To me it means raising them with unconditional love. Showing them that can be anything they want to be, and i will help them do it. To teach them how to be responsible, accountable, and loving people. To encourage their hopes and dreams. To show them how special and important they are. To let them know that mom and dad will ALWAYS be there for them, even when they make mistakes.
Being a parent is the biggest responsibility in the world. There is no harder, important, or special job!!! I am so blessed to have my kids. They owe me nothing. I owe them everything :)

Well it means everything to me.

But to stick with your questions, to me the ultimate goal of parenting is to raise good, productive adults who bring more to the world than they take, serve God and one another, and make the world a better place because they were in it. How they go about doing that, and to what extent they can, is up to them (and God). When I was a kid, part of our nightly prayers were for us kids to "be a good girl (or boy) and do what we're told" and when I started praying with my kids, I had a really hard time with that. So I changed that to a petition for God to help them be "responsible, honest and make good decisions" and really, if they can manage to do that, then I've done my job.

So those are my goals, and to meet those goals, I hope that I have shown, and they really know, that I love them unconditionally, that I expect them to do their best but will be there when they fall down - and we all do, that I will always do everything in my power to ensure their health and safety, that they get one childhood and during that childhood they come first, and I will do everything in their power to provide them with the opportunities to develop their interests and skills and realize their own dreams.

To me, being a parent is about unconditional love, pure and simple. It is about raising children to be happy, productive members of society. It is about imparting our heritage and history and values to them, so they will live on long after we are gone. Yes, it means always being there for them, as a parent, not a best friend. It is a connection stronger than any other I've ever experienced in my life. It is an awesome blessing and responsibility. To me, there is no sweeter sound in the whole world as when I am called "Mom".

Being a Parent is the most amazing thing in the world. I'd never give up my daughter for anything. She has made my life complete. Its also a huge responsibility I will not take lightly. I want to install in my daughter pride in who she is and confident in all she does regardless of the other children and adults out there that will try to push her down and are not as nice. I use to try to bring a nice sweet girl until I realized that you cannot in this world because kids and adults take advantage of this

Teaching them self worth and their inherent value, teaching them not just how to survive but how to succeed and thrive, teaching them how to think through situations and not just parrot whoever is the authority figure or cool guy in class. Teaching them how to look beyond themselves and see the world, good and bad, and to think of others also. Loving them at all times and being not only a guide to the morals and discipline we feel is needed, or the fun and memory building outlets that will give them joy and develop creativity, but also being a safe zone where they can come to us with problems and guidance, or a hug and shoulder to lean on. I'm not their friend, but we share a closeness and good times as well as the not so good, not so fun times. A friend can come and go, and make mistakes along with you. I think a parent's role changes as needed, where a friend is "just" a friend. Sometimes we are care givers, teachers, friends, coaches, cheerleaders, disciplinarians, preachers, pretty much whatever is needed and appropriate at that time. A hefty job, but an honorable one!

I think the main job of parenting is to teach independence and goodness to your child, so that the child will grow into a person that will serve her fellow man and God.

I like that my children like me at this time but I do not strive to be their best friend. I would like for them to grow up and want to confide in me and call and talk to me everyday but it is more important to me that I be the kind of parent that guides them and teaches them the practical rules that will guide them so that they can be capable, emotionally mature adults someday.

We do have a lot of fun together though and we do have a really good family dynamic going on. I don't hesitate to set down rules and establish discipline where and when needed. I'm also the kind of parent who talks to my kids and listens to them, tells them "I'm sorry" when I make a mistake (usually jumping to conclusions), and who is teaching them to talk things out and stand up for themselves as well in a non-confrontational, agressive way.

That's just some of what being a parent means to me.