What I've learned from all the years of personal growth and raising a family, is that love, especially with children, is about being responsive to their needs.

What I've learned from all the years of personal growth and raising a family, is that love, especially with children, is about being responsive to their needs. All too often I see parents impose their definition of "love"/"care"/etc onto the children, and expect them to take it. Or, blame the children for not "learning" this "proper" version of love/care. This is complete BS. We cannot expect children to do what adults are supposed to do. Which brings me to another point that I've come to believe, which is that, people shouldn't have kids without having first dealt with their own egos and grown significantly through it. Otherwise, we end up power-struggling with our children and take away the only thing they need most, ie genuine love and affection from the parents. A lot to unpack, but that's the gist of it.