Growing Pains

(I tried to find some deep meaning for this picture to relate to this post, but really I just thought is was super cute)

We all enter this world as tiny little babies (OK, some of us come in bigger, some smaller, but we all start as babies). For the first year of life we are dependent on others for our learning and welfare. But we also start to show signs of independence. That we are individuals with unique personalities. And then we turn 1, and many of us begin to venture out a little more on our own. We take those first few baby steps. Some of us are wary, willing to hold on to a parent's hand so that they can help us navigate through those first unsteady steps. Others of us push that hand away, like it was an nuisance seriously impeding our independence. So the parent steps away, holding their breath, knowing that there are going to be some nasty bumps and bruises, but at the same time realizing that this is an important developmental step. And then before you know it, that toddler (whether cautious or fiercely strong-willed) is no longer walking, but they are running. And the stage is set. Grade school years see the child continuing to learn, grow, and establish even a little more independence. That little person that once relied on a parent for everything now can feed themselves, dress themselves, advise you of what they need. But there are those tender times when they still want to cuddle on your lap or snuggle down in your bed to soothe them after a bad dream. And you find that you couldn't be more in love with your child. And then in the blink of an eye that grade schooler is now a teen-ager. Teen-ager. Just the very word can strike terror in the heart of a parent, even though we all know it is coming and unavoidable. So you hope and pray. You wait to see what type of person will emerge. And just like when they were babies learning to walk, some are willing to hold a parent's hand (figuratively of course, because what teen-ager would be caught dead literally holding a parent's hand?), willing to take advice, and letting go just often enough that parents remember that establishing independence is a necessary step. And then there are those who push the hand away. They want to see just how much they can do on their own, even when it seems to be a little self-destructive. And these are the ones that the parents want to cling to the most, to help them see beyond the now and understand how their decisions/actions affect everyone. And then you're done. The children move on and the parent is left hoping that all works out. Hoping that the strong-will that led to all of the turmoil is now channelled in such a way that the now grown child is successful. And you hope that the child who was satisfied in holding on here and there has established enough independence that they, too, can be successful. And the growing pains are suffered by the parents just as much as the children.