While we try to teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about.

This couplet is widely circulated in parenting and inspirational contexts and is commonly attributed to Angela Schwindt, a Canadian writer whose short reflections and poems about family life have been frequently reposted online and in greeting-card-style compilations. The lines are typically presented as a standalone aphorism rather than tied to a clearly documented speech, interview, or dated publication. In circulation, it functions as a reflective caption about parenthood: adults approach childrearing as instruction—teaching values, safety, and “how life works”—yet daily interactions with children (their curiosity, presence, and emotional honesty) reverse the lesson and remind parents what matters.

The couplet reverses the usual hierarchy between parent and child. Adults assume they are the primary instructors—passing on practical knowledge, morals, and “how to live.” The second line counters that children, through their immediacy, curiosity, and unselfconscious presence, reveal what matters most: attention, wonder, affection, and the lived experience of the present. The quote suggests that parenting is reciprocal: guidance flows both ways, and adulthood’s certainties are softened by a child’s perspective. Its appeal lies in affirming humility in caregiving and framing family life as a continual re-education in meaning rather than a one-directional transfer of lessons.