To trust who our child is, and not who we think he should be or what the world wants him to be - that perhaps is the single greatest gift a parent can give. Faith in our child's own destiny, in the destiny of his soul - that's the one ingredient that will make the biggest difference in our parenting....
It is not enough just to value who they are; we must also get in their way when they don't want us to, and get out of their way when we don't want to. We must fumble around with that delicate balance between control and leniency, fear and trust, holding on and letting go, until the parenting adventure is over. The good news and the bad news is that it's never over.
Excerpt from Broken Open
by Elizabeth Lesser
Photo: Alex, Joanna, Mitch & Shayne
Christmas, 2008
Richfield, WI