Of the unorganized cavalcade of thoughts that stream through my head during runs and idle hours I notice with some frequency thoughts of the prospect of my one day becoming a father.  It is an exciting, daunting, and weighing prospect.  My molecular biology professor at Davidson told our class that mastering the basics of biology was like building a toolbelt and furnishing the tools necessary to tackle the advanced problems of biology.  I think this analogy is better applied to parenting.

Where parents fail they fail in three ways.  Either they (1) neglect to provide a toolbelt, (2) provide a toolbelt with a limiting selection of tools, or (3) perhaps the most common, intend to provide a toolbelt but never get around to it.  So everywhere kids are walking around with shabby toolbelts, no toolbelts, toolbelts overloaded with the shittiest of tools, etc.

Parents should strive to provide the best possible toolbelt they can for each of their children and then advise them to select their own tools.  The toolbelt should be strong, sturdy, accessible, reliable, warm, a good shape, it should be something they enjoy wearing.  If you provide a great toolbelt, one you can be proud of and know will last, you don't have to worry about which tools you'll find your children lugging around - a choice of theirs anyway.