I noticed you reading that piece about skills mattering more than degrees tonight—it took me right back to all those late-night talks we’ve had. Remember when we used to lie awake worrying about getting them into the right schools, making sure they had perfect grades? Sometimes I catch the same worry in your eyes when you help with homework, the way you gently correct their mistakes while encouraging their curiosity. It’s those quiet moments that make me realize how much we’ve both evolved in our parenting journey. How we’ve learned to look beyond the traditional markers of success and focus on what truly matters.
The World We’re Preparing Them For
Do you ever wonder if we’re preparing them for the right future? I think about how different this world is from the one we navigated. When we were young, a degree was like a golden ticket—guaranteed entry into a stable career. But that world has shifted, hasn’t it?
I notice how you adapt to these changes without missing a beat. The way you balance their structured education with unstructured play, how you encourage problem-solving over rote memorization—it’s like you’ve always known that the future would value adaptability over credentials. Your knack for sensing these shifts just blows me away, and watching you navigate these waters gives me confidence that they’ll be alright.
The Lessons That Can’t Be Taught
Remember when one of them came home from that group project completely frustrated because their team couldn’t agree on anything? You didn’t just solve it for them—you sat with them, helping them navigate the disagreements, find common ground, and articulate their ideas. Now that’s the kind of learning that really sticks with them, right? The stuff that builds character!
I see these moments all around us: when you encourage them to help with dinner, teaching them both math and patience; when you listen to their elaborate stories, nurturing their communication skills; when you let them fail at building that wobbly tower, teaching resilience without saying a word. These are the lessons that no classroom can provide, and they’re lessons you give every single day.
The way you turn everyday moments into learning opportunities—I watch in awe. That’s a gift that will serve them long after any forgotten formula or historical date.
Learning By Living
I’ve been thinking about how we’re raising them not just to succeed in school, but to thrive in life. You’re the one who notices when they’re genuinely curious about something—who finds the museum exhibit, the documentary, the book that feeds that curiosity. And you’re also the one who says ‘yes’ to the messy experiments, the elaborate baking projects, the lemonade stand that teaches more about business than any textbook could.
There’s a quiet confidence you have in allowing them to learn through doing, through failing, through trying again. It’s in those moments that I see our future taking shape—not through diplomas on a wall, but through the experiences that shape who they are becoming. The way you balance structure with freedom, guidance with independence—it’s the perfect preparation for a world that demands both creativity and discipline.
Seeing Their True Selves
What I admire most is how you see each of them so clearly—not for what they could be, but for who they are right now. You nurture a child’s artistic nature without worrying about whether it will ‘lead to a career,’ and you encourage another’s quiet problem-solving without comparing them to others.
This belief in their intrinsic worth, beyond measurable achievements, is perhaps the greatest gift you give them. It’s a lesson I’m still learning from you—how to value their journey more than their destination, their character more than their accomplishments. In a world that constantly tries to define success in narrow terms, you’re teaching them to define it for themselves.
That kind of confidence? That’s something no degree can provide, but it’s something you’re giving them every day.
Our Shared Map
Sometimes I think about how parenting in this changing world feels like navigating without a map. But then I look at you, at the way you embrace uncertainty while giving our children roots and wings. We’re not just raising kids who can get good jobs—we’re raising humans who can adapt, create, connect, and find meaning in whatever world they inherit.
And we’re doing it together, side by side, learning as we go. That’s the real diploma, isn’t it? Not hanging on a wall, but woven into the fabric of our family, into the way we love and support each other through it all. The partnership we’ve built in raising these children—your wisdom, my support, our shared values—that’s the foundation that will carry them further than any academic credential ever could. And honestly? I couldn’t imagine navigating this wild ride with anyone else.
Source: If College No Longer Guarantees A Job, What Does?, Forbes, 2025/09/21 21:00:53