There is the old adage of “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”. I suppose by THAT definition it is a mental health issue. As a parent, the pit in my stomach every day I have to hear about another parent who will not get to see and hug their kid that night, and the anxiety I feel about dropping my kids off at school becomes oppressive.

First of all, not those. I love a story with a happy ending. In fact, chances are if I read a book or watch a movie with an ambiguous or an unhappy ending, I will feel disappointed. While I recognize that sometimes that may make sense from a plot perspective or may even prove the point the writer of the story is trying to convey, I still will feel what I am going to feel.

I have grappled with writing this for a long time. There is a part of me that does not want to open myself up to personal attacks or to people who want to criticize and attack. So, let me preface this with saying those who do specifically want to criticize and attack and make personal statements are simply proving my point and are exactly the thing I am highlighting and calling out here. The need to angrily express YOUR opinion on someone else’s post is part of the problem, because rather than discourse, discussion and respect it comes down to being the louder, angrier, and full of venom, spite and personal attacks individual. So, for those who are compelled to do that, just recognize you are proving my point for me, thank you.

Obi-Wan is, to my mind, the most consequential Jedi in the time period taking place from the prequels to the original movies in my opinion. To quickly touch on that point, he trained both Anakin and Luke, who are the primary characters across those six movies and the assorted series that take place in that timeframe. He may not have been the most powerful Jedi, the most accomplished or decorated, but he was the most consistent and I would go so far as to say the most loyal to his word. So, with that stated, we can look at why I think he can serve as the model for what parenting should look like.