Free To Be

I have posted before about learning to let go of my pre-conceived notions of what kind of person Bunny would become. It is a hard thing, letting your child grow. Learning where that line is between letting her be who she is, while also instilling the lessons and values that I want her to carry with her throughout her life. It is hard, but I am learning.

There are moments that I ask myself if she is really my child. With her love of all things pink, her refusal to wear a dress I made for her, and her spicy little attitude, there is no way. But then she does something to reassure me. Something like insisting on reading the same book 15 times in a row, or knowing every word to a song after only hearing it once, or remembering what kind of leaf we should use to treat a friend's bug bite. Ah yes, she is mine. We are the same, and we are different.

Children rarely turn out exactly as the parent had planned. Even with everything that is done to ensure their fate, they tend to drift off course. The child that was supposed to be one thing, will most likely turn out as something else. We, as parents, might as well embrace the directions our children take. Those paths are leading them to something more amazing than we could ever have imagined for them.

I once read that the most important thing for us as parents to realize is this: "Childhood is not the preparation for life; Childhood is life." I agree whole heartedly. Bunny is as much of a person as I am. So why should I treat her as something less? She is perfectly her. She is a free spirit. Free to be...

Linked to:

unschool monday
Mama Moments
Mommy Moments
Teach Me Tuesday
Waldorf Wednesday
The Sunday Parenting Party