Savor the Moment, Sweeten the Journey

Legacy Building as Parent-Leaders

By Jackie Mourot, Ed.D.

Host of The Business of Parenting Podcast

In today’s world of over-scheduling, hurry, and time scarcity, we are often tempted to rush through life to get to the next thing—the next meeting, the next activity, the next vacation, even the next season on Netflix. But as I get older, and especially as my kids get older, I recognize and appreciate more the importance—and joy, really—of slowing down to savor the moments. These moments, in the end, make the parenting journey much sweeter and more fulfilling.

I’m writing this post from the French countryside, sitting on an old red and blue checkered blanket laid over the grass in my in-laws' backyard. The scene couldn’t be more perfect: the sky is blue, the sun is shining, and there’s a slight breeze just strong enough to make the leaves dance and keep the air at the perfect temperature. I can hear birds singing, and somewhere in the distance a frog is croaking. It’s beautiful, peaceful, soul-filling; I honestly couldn’t have dreamt up a better moment for reflection.

My daughters are helping de-weed the garden, my sons are helping their dad and granddad prepare the grill for our afternoon barbecue (with the exception of the littlest one who can’t seem to pull himself away from cartoons; yes, reality lives in perfect moments too 😁). As I sit here reflecting, I am filled with a sense of joy and purpose. Purpose because as I think of the three generations—grandparents, parents, grandkids—I’m reminded of what kind of legacy I want to leave.

As parents, especially in the throes of the early years, we are often so busy just getting through the day-to-day that we don't take the time to realize that in each of the crazy and calm moments alike, we are building our legacy with our kids. That’s why it's so important to savor the moment.

At different stages during our parenting journey, savoring the moment may look different.

When we have infants, it may be taking a few minutes to savor the unconditional love we see in our infant’s eyes after waking up yet again in the middle of the night for a feeding. Even though I was often bone-tired, and breastfeeding was many times painful in the beginning—not at all like the books and Hollywood promised—I still think back on those moments and the overwhelming feelings of love and dreams I began envisioning for my kids. Such powerful legacy-building moments when we stop to recognize them.

In the toddler years, it may be taking a moment between laundry, mealtime, and bedtime to notice the wonder in your child’s eyes when they discover something new for the first time. I’ll never forget when my first son was about 16 months old and I was in graduate school in Cambridge, MA. One Saturday afternoon we were walking along a path near the coast with my husband when my son suddenly stopped and started smiling and bouncing to rhythm. My husband and I paused and realized he was dancing to the sound of birds singing. It was such a beautiful and awesome moment—the beginning of a long love story between my son and music. (As a young adult, he now plays several instruments and composes original music, including the music for the TBOP podcast!)

In the preteen years, savoring may look like helping with a last-minute project late into the night or having spontaneous conversations over ice cream about friendships and budding emotions. I’ll always remember one evening with my oldest daughter. She had been acting off, and although I was tired after a long workday and ready for bed, I stopped by her room. In our quiet conversation, she opened up about struggles with her friend group. Listening to her work through the idea that she didn’t need to change to fit in but could seek friends who valued her for who she was—that was a proud parenting moment I’ll never forget.

The teen to young adult years can be a tumultuous period of learning to let go as a parent while your child seeks independence but still wants your support. My five kids currently range from 11 to 20 years old, so I’m still in the thick of it. One day, my middle son told me that my answer was often "later." “I’ll help later when I finish this call, or later after I clean up dinner, or later after I read to your little brother… just 'later.'" In that moment, I saw him not as the soft-spoken boy he had been, but as a young man craving deeper connection. We had a long, meaningful conversation about friendship, decision-making, and staying true to your values. I’m so grateful I didn’t say "later" that time—I might have missed it entirely.

Why am I telling you these stories? Because the parenting journey is made up of these little moments, and collectively, they define our legacy.

These seemingly small moments—rocking a baby at midnight, noticing a toddler’s wonder, listening to a teen open up—might not look like leadership on the surface. But they are the building blocks of our legacy. In the business world, legacy often takes the form of succession planning: a process organizations use to prepare future leaders and ensure continuity of mission. In that same spirit, parenting is one of the most profound forms of succession planning we’ll ever undertake.

Just as organizations prepare future leaders to carry on their mission, we as parents are preparing the next generation to carry forward our values, traditions, and wisdom. And that means we can borrow some of the same tools businesses use for succession planning to guide how we parent with purpose.

Legacy Planning for Parent Leaders

In business, legacy, or succession planning, starts early. It ensures continuity, stability, and long-term success. As parent leaders, we can apply the same strategic thinking to raising our kids and building a strong, intentional family culture. Below are three components of business succession planning that I’ve adapted to the business of parenting: Strategic Alignment, Development Planning, and Knowledge Transfer.

1. Strategic Alignment: Legacy with Intention

In business, strategic alignment ensures that an organization’s people, actions, and decisions are consistent with its core mission, vision, and long-term goals. Parenting with purpose means doing the same—clarifying the legacy we want to leave, not just in financial terms, but in the values, habits, mindsets, and character we instill in our children.

Below are a few reflection questions to help assess whether your daily parenting is aligned with your long-term vision:

Reflection Questions:

• What kind of people are we trying to raise?

• What are the guiding values of our home?

• Are our daily parenting choices aligned with our long-term family vision?

2. Development Planning: Raising Leaders, Not Just Children

In business, development planning involves intentionally preparing individuals for future leadership roles through training, mentoring, and hands-on experiences. As parent leaders, we can apply the same principle to prepare our children for lives as capable, well-balanced adults.

Here are a few ways to build real-world skills and leadership capacity at home:

• Teach budgeting and decision-making instead of just giving an allowance.

• Involve teens in planning and conflict resolution to develop emotional intelligence and problem-solving.

• Delegate meaningful responsibilities—not just chores—like “Dinner Manager” or “Vacation Project Lead.”

  
  

Every child is a future leader—in their friend group, workplace, community, or family. Let’s equip them to lead well in every arena.

3. Knowledge Transfer: Passing the Torch

In business, knowledge transfer is the process of capturing and sharing wisdom, systems, and expertise to ensure continuity and sustained success. At home, legacy planning means teaching our kids how to live, lead, and think for themselves.

There are many ways to pass down this knowledge. Here are a few ideas to get started:

• Create a family values book or “Leadership Binder” filled with your systems, sayings, and traditions.

• Record short video messages to share life lessons or important family stories.

• Narrate your decision-making process aloud when facing a challenge or recovering from a mistake, so your kids learn how to think it through.

  
  

Legacy isn’t just what we leave to our children—it’s what we leave in them.

Strategic alignment gives us a vision. Development planning builds their toolkit. Knowledge transfer ensures the lessons live on.

Ready to start building your parenting legacy?

Let’s savor all the little and big moments. Make time to reflect. Sweeten your parenting journey by embracing your role as the leader of your family and the architect of the legacy you will leave behind—starting today, right now.

Until next time, let’s love, inspire, enable, and empower our families—together.

Jackie M.