Modern parents want to nurture so skillfully that Mother Nature

George Will’s words strike with both admiration and warning: “Modern parents want to nurture so skillfully that Mother Nature will gasp in admiration at the marvels their parenting produces from the soft clay of children.” Within this saying lies the timeless image of humanity’s eternal striving—to mold life itself with such precision that even the forces of creation would pause in wonder. Yet in these words, too, there lies a shadow of pride, a caution that in seeking to outdo Mother Nature, we may forget her quiet and steady hand that has shaped children for millennia.

From the earliest days, parents have been sculptors, and children the soft clay placed in their keeping. But the ancients knew that clay, though pliant, holds its own mystery. The potter may guide the vessel’s form, yet the fire of the kiln and the qualities of the earth within the clay decide its strength. So too with children: parents may shape, guide, and polish, but there remains within each child an essence that is not theirs to command. Will’s words remind us that in the modern age, where knowledge and methods abound, parents strive with ever greater ambition, hoping to create marvels that will shine brighter than the natural unfolding of growth.

Consider the story of Leopold Mozart, father to the immortal Wolfgang Amadeus. Leopold, himself a composer, dedicated himself to molding his son with rigorous lessons and ceaseless guidance. From the soft clay of childhood, he produced a genius whose music still stirs souls centuries later. Was this not a triumph so great that Mother Nature herself seemed astonished? And yet, within this triumph lay tension and sorrow, for Wolfgang’s spirit, though brilliant, bore the weight of a father’s unyielding vision. Here we see both the power and peril of the parental sculptor’s hand.

It is natural for parents to dream of shaping children who will surpass them, radiant with strength, wisdom, and grace. This desire is born from love, but it may also be shadowed by pride. For who among mortals can rival Mother Nature, who has written within the child’s heart the rhythms of laughter, curiosity, and resilience? To strive for perfection is noble; to demand it without humility is folly. The river carves valleys not by force alone, but by patience, and so must parents temper ambition with trust in the natural flow of growth.

Yet we must not dismiss the yearning that Will describes. There is greatness in the parent who sees their child as a work of art, worthy of care, refinement, and devotion. It is this yearning that has given the world scholars, leaders, and artists whose brilliance changed the course of history. The balance lies not in crushing ambition, nor in careless neglect, but in walking the narrow path between—guiding firmly, yet allowing the child’s inner nature to breathe.

The lesson here is clear: the parent is not a god, but a steward. They may shape the clay, but they do not own its essence. The marvels of parenting come not from forcing the child into a statue of the parent’s desire, but from cultivating the soil in which the child’s own spirit may grow. Let parents strive, but let them also step back, for sometimes the most wondrous marvels arise not from design but from freedom.

Practically, this means nurturing with both intention and humility. Teach discipline, but also allow play. Encourage learning, but honor curiosity’s unpredictable path. Set boundaries, but also grant room for error and resilience. Above all, remember that your role is not to impress Mother Nature, but to walk beside her, as a gardener walks beside the sun and the rain, tending but not controlling the life that blooms.

So let these words of George Will remind us: in the art of parenting, ambition and humility must dance together. To shape the soft clay of children is indeed a holy task, but the true marvel lies not in bending them to our image, but in helping them unfold into their own. Only then will even Mother Nature smile—not in shock at our boldness, but in joy at our harmony with her eternal design.