Roots to Wings

Remember your child’s first day of Kindergarten? Perhaps you haven’t yet sent any children off on their big day and are dreading the moment when they leave your safe and comfortable nest to explore a new world. I remember the day that my daughter went off to Kindergarten. As a matter of fact, I have a picture of her first day that hangs in my bedroom. She is dressed up in her new red sweater with her little plaid skirt, sitting at her desk with her cute smile and arms folded over the tissue box she brought as part of her school supply bundle. I look at this picture and think back to all the feelings I was experiencing when my baby first started school. When we send our children to Kindergarten, they are exploring a new world, making new friends, discerning good behaviors from bad, and getting used to a new routine. Isn't this also true when a child leaves for college?

My daughter recently did that very thing. Despite the many parallels I can draw between beginning Kindergarten and beginning college, the one critical component she was missing when she was 5 was her ability to make her own decisions, and to draw on her roots, which were really just starting to be formed. In Kindergarten, the decisions are made for you. My daughter knew when she was going to go to recess and have lunch, what she was going to wear each day, when she was going to get to go home, and what her bedtime was. It was in the comfort of these seemingly small routines that stuck with her and enabled her to begin making decisions for herself.

One of my own mother’s favorite sayings is, “We give our children two things – one is roots, and other, wings.” I know now more than ever that all of the hard work we do as parents to establish good routines, good habits, and good lives allows these roots to strengthen and take hold. Difficult as it may be throughout those elementary, middle, and high school years, I’m here to tell you that it’s all worth it. We model for our children, give them strong roots, and in turn, they develop a sense of who they are, and more importantly, that they’re loved. So, fear not, dear parents. Root them in love, God, and all of the things you want them to be, and then, give them wings.