How Can I Not Burden My Children?

In this week’s video, I highlight on this beautiful quote by Carl Jung:

We want so much for our kids – yet we can get sucked into the excitement of living out our own unfulfilled dreams (like being captain of the soccer team or getting the lead role in the play you love).  And although we are focused on what we think is best for the kids, do we stop and really see what lights up their eyes?  When we think of family, does it involve individual passions for all family members, or is the focus on the one star child or the good intentions of the parents?

Check out the video, and leave your thoughts below!

So, we have a chalkboard wall in our kitchen, and I love to put inspirational quotes and things that get our family motivated and excited.
I was trying to think of a new quote to put up there, and my dad suggested on that I thought was pretty powerful, and I wanted to share it with you.
It’s by Carl Jung, and it says “The greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of the parents.”
How powerful is that! Think about that for a moment. How often do we live our lives vicariously through our children? We want to give them the dreams and aspirations that we didn’t accomplish in our own lives.
We pass down this wishing and wanting for what we could have had that we didn’t do.
Or, we spend our whole lives waiting for that “one day” where we work work work with our heads down in hopes that one day we’ll be able to go on that trip. One day we’ll have more time to spend with our family. One day, we will have a day for ourselves to rest and relax and recover.
Make sure that you don’t spend your life unlived. Look at what is super important to you – look at what your priorities are. With your family, with yourself….think about what you can do to live fully.
Live fully today. And tomorrow, and the next! And make sure the gift that you give your children is the example of a fully lived, fully embraced life.
Namaste