Childhood IS Life

I did not find this myself, it was shared by my friend over at Pondering Parenting...

Childhood is not preparation for life; childhood is life. A child isn't getting ready to live; a child is living. No child will miss the zest and joy of loving unless these are denied by adults who have convinced themselves that childhood is a period of preparation. How much heartache we would save ourselves if we would recognize children as partners with adults in the process of living, rather than always viewing them as apprentices. How much we could teach each other; we have the experience and they have the freshness. How full both our lives could be.

~~John A Taylor

I've been mulling over some things I want to post here about my (ever-developing) philosophy of parenting. This quote seems like such an excellent way to kick all that off...