> This kind of attitude towards children baffles me. It was always very clear where the authority lay in my family, and it certainly was not in my childish hand

> This kind of attitude towards children baffles me. It was always very clear where the authority lay in my family, and it certainly was not in my childish hands. The author here wasn’t talking about authority, she’s saying that the goal of parenting is ultimately to raise another human being. You can try to be the best parent you can be, but in the end, it’s not about you.