I was talking with a friend about raising kids.

If you have children. And you have more than one child, you see firsthand that they come with their own “stuff”.

Nurture vs Nature? It’s a mix. But with a heavier helping of “nature”.

In Kahlil Gibran’s poem On Children he says:

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

As a parent, it’s your job to help your child find their thing. The thing that they are good at doing. The thing they love to do.

You are a steward to help prepare them to move out into the world.

Your job isn’t to keep them close. It’s to help them launch.

To help them be as independent as they can be.

Maybe they’ll stay close. Maybe not.

It’s important to take your stewardship of them seriously. To be present when you’re present.

They are young for such a short time.

And there will be so many other influences on them.

It’s important that they know you are there when they need you.