I wish the answer to this question were simple, but it's pretty complicated. First, parents were raised by parents who may not have known how to lead them on the right path. Also, being a parent doesn't mean you automatically become an expert; as parents, we learn as we go and through trial and error. Unfortunately, there's so much that goes into raising kids. Challenging circumstances can make parenting one of the hardest things to do. Some parents are just trying to keep their kids afloat. Other parents are more concerned with getting their kids into an Ivy League school, and others overschedule kids to keep them busy. We forget the most crucial part: raising our kids to be equipped for the future. I find different types of parents to be: 1. Living through hardship- as long as they get their kids to go to school, that's all they can manage on top of everything else. 2. Academic- focused on ensuring their kid gets into an Ivy League school. They are overbooked with tutors, doing hours of homework and studying. 3. Sports- focused on getting their kids to be the next Lebron James or other professional athlete. These kids train seven days a week, travel sports, rec sports, personal trainers, etc. 4. Multiple Activities-Putting their kids in every after-school activity they can manage. These kids can never hang out with friends because they have piano lessons, soccer, tutoring, golf, and boy/girl scouts. These parents think signing them up for all the activities is what they should be doing. There are many other types, but I'll stop there to get to my point. The problem is that none of the above focuses on developing their kid's INNER skills. My question used to be why, but as I've done a lot of personal development, I realized the answer is simple. Like everything, we measure our accomplishments using a shiny object syndrome. We think being a good parent is measured through things we can see. Straight A's, star quarterback, child who can speak four languages, or watching our kids go to school. The most important thing we can do as parents is help our kids develop emotional intelligence, kindness, empathy, character, teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship, and resilience. However, the solution is more complex, and a big part goes back to the beginning of this answer- parents were raised by parents who were raised by parents, which goes back many generations. Collectively, as parents, we have the power to create the next generation of parents who can lead kids on the right path. How do we do that? We have schools for academics, sports for athletes, and churches for religion, but what do we have to equip our kids for the future?