Cary Scott LPC-S
August 9, 2017
Each Summer is a personal sign that another school year has passed and my child will soon be entering into the next anxiously awaited grade. For them, is is a step closer to the rite of passage into adulthood; signifying freedom, differentiation, and respected maturity. I find myself reflecting. Where does time go? Why does time slip through our fingers like a handful of sand? I watch them with pride and joy. I still remember their first cry, the look of excitement their eyes with each new discovery of the world around them. For a cherished moment I was everything in their tiny little world.
Doubt has certainly come in ebbs and flows throughout the parenting process. I have come to the realization that uncertainty is part of our challenge. Not knowing if I pushed too hard or gave too little, said the wrong thing at the wrong time. My biggest hope is not if they know thea are loved but if they feel loved. Did they feel my tearful pride of dropping them off the first day of school; and my empathy for their first experience with heartbreak? The deep seeded fear of losing them to something dangerous and harmful may never evacuate from my core maternal self.
For now I consider ways that I can savor what is left of childhood. I offer this list to other fellow parents to embrace and enjoy this very special chapter of our parenting lives. I look forward to watching them grow into what they are to become.
1. Journal about parenting experiences. I may want to share it with them one day.
2. Hug them everyday.
3. Choose my battles carefully recognizing what the lesson is that I want to teach.
4. Be a part of their interests even if I don't care for them.
5. Breathe (deeply and purposely)
6. Slow down and listen one day I may miss the 'noise'.
7. Watch them when they are sleeping.
8. Hold their hand.
9. Let go of my fears and believe in them.
10. Spend one to one time with them weekly.