101 Benefits of Having Kids...

There comes a time in the life of every parent when you wonder why on earth you did such a crazy thing as having children and if there’s any way you can shove them back up where they came from. You can pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about, but you do. And that’s why I’ve compiled this list of the 101 benefits of having children. Pull it out whenever you want to commit familicide, pass it on to a friend who is about to have a nervous breakdown, or just use it to remind yourself that while the days may be long, the years are short and there are things worth remembering!

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1. They teach you to slow down
2. They help you to look at life afresh
3. The help you to reexamine your priorities
4. They force you to work on your relationships (or move on from relationships that don’t work
5. They help you to learn the art of communication by showing you over and over what does and doesn’t work
6. They help you to gain an understanding of the human mind
7. They say funny things and they make you laugh
8. They help you to meet new people – some of whom become friends for life
9. They get you out of your comfort zone and into the zone of high growth
10. They give you a chance to give back
11. They give you the opportunity to be the one in the know; the teacher
12. They show you how much you don’t know and entice you to learn
13. They help you to learn how to ask for help
14. You learn things about yourself that you didn’t know before
15. You get to see how resilient you really are
16. They help you to break through old, limiting belief systems (like the need for 8 hours sleep every night)
17. They bring your family closer
18. You end up visiting places you wouldn’t go to otherwise
19. You get to retake your entire schooling (and actually learn the stuff this time round!)
20. You improve your general knowledge
21. They help you to break old obsessions (like having a tidy home)
22. They push you beyond what you thought you could handle and you see that you can survive
23. They force you to earn more and thus up your career game
24. They force you to learn how to budget and how much you can do without
25. They teach you time management and to be organized
26. They teach you what it means to be human
27. They help you to connect with other human beings
28. They give you a sense of purpose
29. They teach you what love really means
30. They teach you that you can’t be unconditionally loving all day every day
31. They help you to break other unrealistic expectations that you have on yourself and the world
32. They break your illusions about always being nice / kind / patient / gentle
33. They show you the greater dynamics of life
34. They get you out of bed earlier and up and going with your day
35. They get you into good routines
36. They show you how much support is around when challenge hits
37. They love you for who you are
38. They teach you to love yourself for who you are
39. They bring you closer to your spirituality
40. They mirror your unresolved stuff back to you and help you to love your disowned parts
41. They bring balance to your life
42. They teach you to eat better and to learn about nutrition
43. They are an incentive to live a healthier life
44. They encourage you to drink, smoke, indulge less
45. You feel needed
46. They give you a chance to contribute to the future
47. You get to pass your wisdom on to the future through them
48. They expose you to new ways of thinking
49. They expose you to and teach you about new technologies
50. They help you to stay current
51. They bring you into the present
52. They force you to face and heal your old wounds
53. They highlight your inconsistencies
54. They help you to be more assertive
55. They take you beyond caring what other people think
56. They unite you with other parents
57. They unite you with the animal kingdom
58. They teach you how to have fun again
59. They point out the beauty of nature
60. They get you to actually stop and smell the roses
61. They get you outdoors and exercising
62. They teach you to play again
63. They entice you to question old traditions
64. When you see how you’ve become your parents you get an opportunity to forgive them
65. They give you a sense of strength, survival and accomplishment
66. You see that you can survive any pain (childbirth for example!)
67. You learn to put yourself first
68. You learn to think beyond yourself
69. They help you to become aware of and address some local societal issues
70. They help you to question societal norms (like schooling)
71. They help you to face your own mortality
72. They bring other kids and animals into your life
73. They keep you on your toes
74. They help you learn problem solving skills
75. They help you learn to trust your instincts
76. They help you to follow your dreams
77. They help you to think outside the box
78. They show you the transience of life and help you to take it less seriously
79. They help you not to cling to the changeable
80. You learn to sleep when and where you can
81. They help you learn to choose your battles
82. They teach you how to let go of the insignificant
83. They teach you to speak up
84. You learn to go beyond appearance (your own and others)
85. They teach you non-judgement
86. They show you how to follow your values
87. They wake you up to living your truth
88. They bring a sense of urgency (so you don’t waste time)
89. They teach you patience (and the necessity of forgiving yourself when you lose it)
90. You get to experience your connection to something greater than yourself
91. You see your own greatness and magnificence reflected back at you
92. They connect you to the future
93. They help you let go of the past
94. They take you beyond the ordinary to the extraordinary
95. They show you the beauty and wonder in every moment
96. They show you how to fully experience your emotions and move on
97. They show you that you are loved no matter what you go through or express
98. They break you out of your mind noise and into the present
99. They make you accountable
100. They teach you the value of responsibility
101. They wake you up to your own divinity

Still struggling to find the happy side? Check out my coaching options where I can help you to shift your perceptions permanently!