In conclusion, I think it’s important to emphasize that a calm and relaxed parent is likely to be more capable of raising healthy children than a parent who is constantly nervous and anxious or obsessing over how they are doing.
However, if being “relaxed and calm” translates in practice into not caring enough and forgiving oneself too readily for “being human and making mistakes” — which means that the parent just lets things slide and doesn’t take them seriously enough or learn from them — then I think it’s very important to reevaluate one’s priorities.
It’s wonderful to stay calm and relaxed regardless of what happens if the priority is enjoying a relaxed life, but if we understand that our priority is raising healthy children to serve Hashem, then we’ll realize that it is absolutely vital to take this job very seriously and be on our toes with the willingness to invest whatever it will take — whether it’s time, energy, money, thought, patience, or whatever else — to bring out the best in our children.
Be’ezras Hashem, when we invest what it takes to raise healthy children we will see success and be able to be truly relaxed and calm when we enjoy the fruits of our labor and appreciate the nachas for many happy and healthy years to come.
