We parents, in this time in history and in this American culture, care very much about our children's overall life satisfaction. This, in itself, is one of the things for which I am grateful--it hasn't always been this way. In most time periods and places, parents might be too busy worrying about whether half of their children might even survive until their (probably short) adulthoods. Many of our ancestors were so concerned with meeting basic physical needs and making sure all the little hands had a job to do on the farm that they didn't have much opportunity to even consider the remote possibility of a child growing up to enjoy many decades of fulfilled happiness and contentment.
Here and now, happiness over a long lifespan is a top goal for most parents. I am grateful simply to be alive in a time and place that allows us to share this common goal. I am grateful for the challenge of setting a foundation for my child of fulfillment that can last up to a hundred years, lon…