They say that if you love something you must let it go. If it loves you in return, it will come back to you. I didn’t realize that I was counting on this when I sent my daughter off to college 4 years ago.
In theory, I had launched her into the world and was glad of it. But I failed to see the strand of hope that tethered me to her like the string on a kite soaring out of reach.
When my daughter announced that upon graduation she would travel 8000 miles away to teach in a third world country, the tension on the line that connects us tightened, begging me to release my remaining grip.
I indulged in sadness just once, crying briefly, then it was done. I had never been so forlorn about something that I endorse 100%. But history has taught me that my fears are poor predictors of reality, and that time spent on worry is always wasted.
It seems like yesterday that I left a teen daughter trembling at the entrance to Girls’ Leadership camp – a place she hesitantly agreed to attend for the summer preceding High School. My homespun girl needed to build courage and independence in adolescence. It was my job to help her find it, not to wait for a time when she felt ready.
As maturity set in for her, I ceased having to push her off the platform of certainty. Our roles reversed and it was I who felt reluctant about my daughter’s ever-expanding adventures. Like tearing apart velcro, I could feel the ripping each time she ventured farther into the big wide world. The beauty of velcro is that it can be joined and separated over and over and remain just as strong.
In time, I realized that I wasn’t losing a child to the world. Rather, I’d gained a scout through whom I would experience places and people I wouldn’t otherwise encounter. I would see life through my daughter’s eyes and share in her world no matter the miles between us.
I used to believe the adage that parents give their children wings to fly. In truth, children are born with wings and the instinct to use them. Flying isn’t taught but allowed. We can give nothing more than freedom.
When the fear of flight rises, it may take all the determination one can muster to release the restraints that bind us, and our loved ones, to the ground. It’s not until we truly let go that we can enjoy the reward in soaring.
Parenting is a noble prospect, rife with opportunity for personal growth. As we raise a child, we raise ourselves. Our mission, if we accept it, prompts us to evolve into far greater beings than we ever imagined, or wanted to be.
Unconditional love insists that we surrender our parental fears in order to fulfill a commitment to those who follow our lead. When we cooperate, we find that life has a way of unfolding in the most natural and perfect way.
Despite inherent uncertainty, there is peace waiting for us. We have only to release our grip on what we think we know in order to see life smiling at us and saying, “Trust me. I’ve got this.”
Chaos & Clarity 