Parenting for Obedience or Self-sufficiency ?

As a working Mom, I often argued with myself about the quality of time I was able to give my children.  While tending to cooking, laundry and fielding questions...I listened to their progress  in learning independence best suited to developing unique talents and interests. I  decided  the world was advancing too quickly to justify enforcement of chores to help me. Instead, I gave out 'invitations' to watch and participate in activities that needed to be done. The joy of being able to praise a volunteer is worth far more than praising compliance with orders. However, their time absent from the drudgery of chores had to be reasoned as contributing to their progress in some way meaningful to them.  I'm thankful to have been able to witness the development of people I created with God's blessing. Their choices are admirable, could not have been possible in my youth and would not have been available for me to predict. Most of all, I was able to give them freedoms that had  not been given me as a child. They have taught me more than all my university courses and professional career combined.