Let Water Run Where It Runs!
Sometime ago I had the privilege of visiting an older gentleman in his early 90s. As part of the conversation he shared some advice about how he lived his life. He said that he, “let the water run where it runs!”
This statement would have been confusing if I didn’t understand the context in which it was said. He was not saying that he lived his life without direction or guidance, wandering hither and thither, but rather he tried not to worry about those things he couldn’t control and worked to control those things that he could. For example, he couldn’t control what people thought of him so he developed a standard of living he thought was best for him and lived according to his personal plan and life goals. He recognized that all he could control was his attitude towards the challenges that came his way.
As I thought about this simple analogy I realized that helping our children develop this same philosophy and “let the water run where it runs” was an important resiliency skill that would be forever useful in their life.
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Anne's Corner
Knowing when to let go and when to hold on or nudge our children is probably one of the most important choices we have to make as parents. This is true whether we are talking about how much freedom vs how much control we should use as a two year old explores the backyard or as a teen chooses their own friends, clothing, and ultimately values and lifestyle. Only as we practice finding this balance ourselves with our children will we be able to model this principle and teach them to look for the balance in their own lives.
Anne's Corner
Knowing when to let go and when to hold on or nudge our children is probably one of the most important choices we have to make as parents. This is true whether we are talking about how much freedom vs how much control we should use as a two year old explores the backyard or as a teen chooses their own friends, clothing, and ultimately values and lifestyle. Only as we practice finding this balance ourselves with our children will we be able to model this principle and teach them to look for the balance in their own lives. 