Are you a good parent?
These three simple questions might help you figure that out. (It’s also interesting to ask yourself the same questions about your own parents.)
I’d add one more question, based on something Cathy once said to me about how she views her purpose as a parent, and which has always stuck with me: Do I make the most of opportunities to prepare my child for surviving without me?
At the time, it sucked that my brother and I had to do a lot of our own laundry, cooking, etc from a pretty early age, but now I’m glad we did - and wish my parents had extended that do-it-your-damn-self attitude to other areas of life (especially the endless admin that goes into being an adult, such as filling out stupid forms, organising paperwork, and figuring out boring but important stuff like which insurance policy to choose).
Our fear of confronting our own mortality prevents most of us from having Cathy’s wisdom. Just as CEOs put off succession planning, parents sometimes have a hard time letting go, even though a separation is inevitable.