"Good parents give their children roots and wings. Roots to know where home is and wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them." Jonas Salk
This quote came to mind the other day when I was reading The A-Team Adventure blog. Oh sure I thought to myself, that quote sounds great, but when our kids start to preen their feathers and spread their wings it is a scary thing. Do they really have to fly so far away when they decide to ruffle their feathers and leave the nest? Why the deep dark jungles of Malaysia for goodness sake or the chaotic streets of Phnom Penh? Whoever would have thought they would fly there, with lizards and bugs as big as your hand for companions, soup in bags for their main meal, three foot rats for night visitors, sizzling snake bits in baggies for dessert and bed bugs dropping by to munch on them for a middle of the night snack?
The last we heard, the girls were in Vietnam and were heading from Saigon to Hanoi. It has been over a week since they have contacted us and I am starting to get a bit anxious. Heaven help me survive this trip! Come on girls, it's time to spread those wings and fly back home.
6 comments:
Letting them grow up is such a hard thing to do. I very carefully taught my children everything I knew that would help them to be indedpendent and guided them towards the stuff I didn't know -- and when it was time for them to fly, I wanted to chain them to the nest!
When they tell you that parenting is hard, you think they mean missed sleep for babies and teens, you have no idea they mean missed sleep for young adults.
Oh Cuppa, I'm so with you. My son hiked into some wilderness area in Colorado - (pre-cell phone days) for a week. Yes, he was with two other guys, but I knew it was grizzly bear country and knew the weather wasn't particularly good and that they had to flag down a train at the end of the week so they had to push to make the connection. I was worried sick. He lost 10 pounds from a not too robust body and said his sleeping bag got wet and he was cold at night. But, bed bugs! I'm with you. Get on home, youngin's.
I can only imagine how nerve-wracking it must be.
I think it's a testimony to his upbringing that he would feel safe enough to take those kinds of adventures. Still, I hope he calls you soon to check in. :)
Peace,
Thailand Gal
~*~*
Granny - so true. The missed sleep when they were babies is nothing compared to the sleepless nights when you don't know where they are.
Cathy - bears and bed bugs sound about the same to me!!! When our kids hurt or they are cold and wet, we hurt too don't we?
Gina - mine are gettig worn to a frazzle.
TG - Thanks for the kind words.
I've heard those words before, about giving children both roots and wings. That is the kindest thing a parent can do!
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