While parents exert an enormous influence over their children’s lives—from encouraging schoolwork and sports to modelling core values—they are not the only influencers once a child begins interacting with the world at large.

 

Most parents strive to give their children the best start possible, and it is also important to recognize that children possess their own unique temperaments, personalities, and goals. Rather than pushing a child down a specific path, a parent's role is to provide an interface with the world that prepares them for independence and the ability to pursue their own chosen direction.

 

In a rapidly changing world, the fundamental needs for child development remain stable: safety, structure, support, and love.