Parenting is perhaps the most important job we have in our

Merlin Olsen, a man known both for his strength on the field and his tenderness in family life, once declared: “Parenting is perhaps the most important job we have in our lives.” These words, though simple, carry the weight of eternal truth. For kingdoms may rise, empires may fall, wealth may be gathered, and fame may vanish into dust—but the children we raise, the souls we shape, endure beyond us. Parenting is not a task among others; it is the very foundation upon which the future of humanity is built.

The origin of this wisdom rests in Olsen’s own life. Though celebrated as a football player and admired as an actor and commentator, he measured his truest calling not by applause nor trophies, but by his role as a father. His words reflect a recognition that worldly achievements, no matter how grand, pale in comparison to the sacred labor of guiding a child. In the quiet hours of the home, in the hidden sacrifices of love, lies a work far more consequential than any public career. Parenting, in his eyes, was not secondary but supreme.

History affirms this truth again and again. Consider Marcus Tullius Cicero, who declared that “the life of the commonwealth depends on the character of its citizens.” But where is character formed, if not in the home? Or recall John Adams, who though he labored to found a nation, still wrote to his wife Abigail that the true destiny of America would rest not on laws alone, but on the raising of virtuous sons and daughters. The story of nations is written first in the cradle, for the leaders of tomorrow are shaped by the unseen labors of parents today.

Olsen’s words also shine with humility. He does not call parenting the most glamorous job, nor the easiest, but the most important. It is work without titles, without medals, often without recognition. Yet it is the labor that sustains the world. To feed a child, to teach them kindness, to guide them through discipline, to comfort them in sorrow—these are the quiet acts that echo across generations. They are invisible victories, but they are victories nonetheless, greater than any battlefield triumph or crown won by conquest.

At the same time, his statement is a rebuke to the distractions of modern life. Many chase wealth, career, or fame, neglecting the little ones entrusted to their care. Yet Olsen reminds us that no achievement can compensate for failure at home. To ignore this calling is to weaken not only one’s family but the very fabric of society. For what good is it to conquer the world if one loses one’s children? What profit is there in success if it leaves behind a legacy of neglect?

The lesson here is clear and resounding: treat parenting with the reverence you would give to the highest office, the holiest duty. Approach it with discipline, with patience, with love that does not falter. Invest in your children not only with food and shelter, but with wisdom, courage, and virtue. For every word you speak, every action you take, becomes the soil in which their lives grow. This is no small task—it is the greatest task entrusted to any human being.

Therefore, let Merlin Olsen’s words be remembered across the generations: “Parenting is perhaps the most important job we have in our lives.” Let them guide us to see beyond the fleeting pursuits of power and wealth, to the enduring work of raising souls. For the truest monuments are not carved of stone nor written in books—they walk in flesh and blood, bearing the imprint of the love and wisdom given to them. And if we do this work well, then through our children, our light will shine long after we are gone.