Parents were invented to make children happy by giving them

In the playful yet piercing words of Ogden Nash, master of wit and paradox, we are given a truth wrapped in jest: “Parents were invented to make children happy by giving them something to ignore.” At first it reads as lighthearted satire, yet beneath its cleverness lies an enduring wisdom about the bond between generations. Nash reveals, with a smile, that part of the dance of life is the tension between parent and child—the one who instructs and warns, and the other who shrugs and disregards, only to learn later the meaning of what was said.

The essence of the quote lies in the paradox of authority. Parents speak, they teach, they caution, they set boundaries. Yet the children, full of energy, curiosity, and rebellion, often turn away, dismissing the counsel as unnecessary. It is in ignoring that they test their independence. And strangely, this very act of resistance is what makes them happy, for it gives them the sense that they are carving their own path, even if that path eventually bends back toward the wisdom of their elders. Nash, with his humor, captures this eternal tug-of-war between guidance and freedom.

The ancients knew this struggle well. Consider the story of Oedipus, warned by prophecy to avoid certain actions, yet propelled by his choices into fulfilling them. His fate was sealed not only by the gods, but by his refusal to heed counsel. Or look to the Prodigal Son of scripture, who ignored his father’s ways, squandered his wealth, and yet found himself, in the end, returning with new understanding. In every age, children have tested themselves against the words of their parents, and in that tension, both suffering and wisdom are born.

There is also a hidden tenderness in Nash’s jest. For what he names as “something to ignore” is in fact the very presence of the parent. The child’s freedom to rebel is secured by the safety provided by the parent’s love. The father or mother becomes the sounding board, the safe wall against which the child pushes. To ignore is, paradoxically, to depend upon. For if there were no parent to rebel against, the child would not know the joy of declaring independence.

History offers us examples of this dynamic in action. The young Alexander the Great often dismissed the teachings of his tutor Aristotle, yet it was precisely those teachings that shaped his mind. In appearing to ignore them, he was, in fact, wrestling with them, forging his own understanding by pushing against what was given. So it is with all children—the act of ignoring is not a rejection of love, but a necessary stage in discovering themselves.

The lesson for us is twofold. To the parents, do not despair if your words seem to fall on deaf ears. Know that even in being ignored, you are shaping your child, giving them something solid against which to test themselves. Your presence, your persistence, and even your frustrations are part of the soil from which their character will grow. To the children, know that in your rebellion there is still hidden gratitude. The very fact that you can ignore your parents means they have given you a foundation strong enough to hold you while you learn.

Practical wisdom follows. Parents should speak with patience, knowing that their words may not bloom immediately but may lie dormant, waiting for the right season. Children should strive to listen, even when their hearts resist, for often the wisdom of the parent only becomes clear when life’s storms arrive. And all should remember that love undergirds the struggle—that the ignored words are not wasted, but planted deep, to rise when needed.

Thus, in the humor of Ogden Nash, we find a truth as old as time: that the bond of parent and child is not broken by rebellion, but strengthened through it. To ignore is not to sever love, but to rehearse independence under the watchful gaze of those who gave us life. Let us then accept this tension with grace, knowing that through it, both parent and child are shaped into their truest selves.