I think you’re conflating the concept of an opportunity cost with a sacrifice. There is a lot of joy in parenting, and not getting to hang out with friends because you have to take care of your child isn’t a sacrifice, it’s the cost of having a child. Not every single thing you give up is a sacrifice.
Yes I suppose you could apply that to anything and say sacrifice doesn’t exist for anything. But since we are discussing it, I don’t think we are in the mindspace you are proposing.
Nah, sacrifice in regards to your children is absolutely a mindset thing. You can cognitively restructure your thinking in this case.
If you look at your children and think “wow, I’m not getting anything out of this” I can promise you that your children feel this and will become very distant to you when they grow older. They know when you just think they’re a burden.
This is true for any sort of sacrifice. Volunteering, saving people from burning buildings, giving your last dollar to someone more in need.
To be clear, I look at my children in the way you describe. I don’t hold “my sacrifices” over their heads, it was a decision I made happily and don’t regret. Same as when I donate money, help someone on the street, etc. But IMO just because it’s a decision (even made happily) doesn’t mean it’s not a sacrifice at the same time.
I think you’re conflating the concept of an opportunity cost with a sacrifice. There is a lot of joy in parenting, and not getting to hang out with friends because you have to take care of your child isn’t a sacrifice, it’s the cost of having a child. Not every single thing you give up is a sacrifice.
Yes I suppose you could apply that to anything and say sacrifice doesn’t exist for anything. But since we are discussing it, I don’t think we are in the mindspace you are proposing.
Nah, sacrifice in regards to your children is absolutely a mindset thing. You can cognitively restructure your thinking in this case.
If you look at your children and think “wow, I’m not getting anything out of this” I can promise you that your children feel this and will become very distant to you when they grow older. They know when you just think they’re a burden.
This is true for any sort of sacrifice. Volunteering, saving people from burning buildings, giving your last dollar to someone more in need.
To be clear, I look at my children in the way you describe. I don’t hold “my sacrifices” over their heads, it was a decision I made happily and don’t regret. Same as when I donate money, help someone on the street, etc. But IMO just because it’s a decision (even made happily) doesn’t mean it’s not a sacrifice at the same time.