One of the greatest gifts you can give your children is also a massive investment in your own future. Give your kids the gift of solid bonds with other children.
If you’re lucky enough for them to have cousins, do everything you can to engineer time together, including changing your own life to be closer to them. If they don’t have cousins, make sure you’re making it a priority to support their friendships. Dedicate time, give rides, invite the kids over to dinner. Do it all. Few things are more important.
The bonds your children make will in turn make your children stronger. They’ll be smarter, more resilient, more social, and better able to handle life. That not only means you’ll be directly supporting them for a shorter period of time as they launch their own adulthoods more successfully, but it means your own bond with them is likely to stay strong as you yourself age. That’s a good thing to look forward to.
The Opportunity Machine 