This is one lesson that we would have to learn over and over again.
Letting go. Knowing when to hold on and when to let go.
Knowing when to allow our kids to fall and when to carry them.
Knowing when to leave them to just have fun and when to make it a teachable moment.
Knowing when to allow them to go have a sleepover at a friend’s house and when to keep them at home.
Knowing when to buy them their first car, teaching them to drive and when to keep driving them around.
Knowing when to leave them to make their own decisions and when to tell them what to do.
We will never truly graduate from learning the difference between letting go and holding on.
As individuals, and as parents, this is a school we’ll be in for as long as we are here on earth – and mars, if you ever go in your lifetime.
Perhaps a good place to start learning that lesson is in our own lives. Knowing what to keep to heart and what to just take at surface level. Knowing who to keep in our circle and who to keep at arm’s length. Knowing which memory to revisit and the ones to just leave in the past.
Understanding what opportunities are meant for us and the ones that just might not be useful for the journey we are on. Knowing what sacrifices to make and when not to back down. Knowing that there are some parts of our kids’ lives that we wouldn’t be able to see and being okay with that. Being aware of how knowledgeable we are in some areas and what to do to be more knowledgeable in other areas.
Letting go is an important lesson that we all require in life.
It is better to master it before we are forced into acceptance.