Parenting is Letting Go

We teach our wee ones how to walk. A few years later, they’re running away from us and into the arms of their girlfriends. We teach them how to jump. Later on, they’re cliff-diving and giving us the scare of our lives. We teach them how to tie their own shoes. In a split-second, they’re walking down the aisle to the tune of Canon in D.

While we want our children to hang on to us, we do realize they have their own lives to lead. The most we can do is teach them to be the best that they can be, and hope they take those lessons to heart.

Image credit: macieklew

Maybe it’s easier in the beginning. A toddler can go running back to you. A child who’s learned to sleep in her own room can still come knocking on your door at 3 am looking for a hug. As they grow though, they begin to manage their little big worlds better. Before you know it, that toddler is off to college, and that kid looking for a hug at 3 am is calling you at 3 am to ask how she can calm her crying infant.

Trust plays a big factor in letting go. We can’t hover over our children. We can’t attach surveillance cameras to their backpacks. Do the best that you can as a parent. Teach them how to be respectful, resourceful, responsible. Raise him with good values. Then let go and see how he manages in his own world.

Sure, we’ll cry for certain. We’ll cry when he runs towards his kindergarten friends and doesn’t even want a kiss from us. We’ll cry when she chooses to hang out with her friends on a Friday night instead of watching TV with the family. We’ll cry when he’s packing his things, ready to move into an apartment with his college friends. It won’t be easy. But we do know it’s all a part of parenting, all a part of family life.

We let go for the children, not for us. In letting go, we teach them independence. We teach them self-confidence. It’s all about raising the children, all for the children. And isn’t that what parenting is all about?