Today, I am inspired by my sister, who is due with her second child this summer.
"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." -- Elizabeth Stone
For me, the first time I heard this quote, I'd never really given thought to what it must be like to have a child, but - and let me confess here that I've never been a parent - I feel like it's spot on. I remember when I got a puppy when I was in middle school. The first time I took her into our (fenced) backyard so she could go to the bathroom, I ran around after her, worried to let her get more than a couple of feet away from me. Insanity, right?
If I can't let a puppy out of my sight, what on earth are my poor children going to do with me? For me, what worries me most about parenting is striking the right balance between protecting my children and giving them room to grow and learn on their own. I've seen friends who had very strict parents go haywire upon their arrival at college, and as a result I have no desire to be a strict parent. But it's easy for me to understand the parents' motives. How hard it must be to let your children grow up and not need you anymore!
