Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.

The aphorism reframes a common modern tension—family life versus “real” productivity—by rejecting the premise that children are an interruption to meaningful labor. Instead, it asserts a hierarchy of value: nurturing, educating, and caring for children is itself the highest form of work because it shapes future persons and communities. The line also critiques cultures (professional, academic, religious, or activist) that treat caregiving as secondary or invisible labor. Its force comes from the blunt inversion: what is usually labeled a distraction is declared the central task, inviting readers to reassess priorities, time, and moral responsibility.