On Children and Parents

Kahlil Gibran, the well-loved philosopher and writer
from Lebanon and author of The Prophet, said it well:
That "our children are the sons and daughters of
Life's longing for itself." They are not our possessions
and we do not own them. They have their own thoughts.
We can only love them.

In the present scuttle-buttle of life, parents
are forced to juggle work, caring for their own
parents and other family members, and raising their
children. Many times, working parents may feel guilty
about not being able to parent the way they want to
because their household requires two incomes to survive.
On the other hand, mothers or fathers who stay at home
to care for their children also feel guilty for feeling
some resentments about what they feel are personal
sacrifices for having tossed aside their own career dreams.
Then there are those parents who accept the
choices they made in terms of either staying at home or
being part of the workforce who feel at peace with
themselves. Some alternate between feeling guilty and
peaceful about their choices.

Our children are the biggest miracles of our lives.
They love us with inherent innocence.
Their lives teach us to be the the most selfless we can
ever be. They keep us honest, compassionate and humble.
Their joy and sorrow become ours. Their pain, our pain.
And no matter what, with instinctive unconditionality,
we love them. And would risk our lives for them if we had
to. What greater love can we give as parents?

The bond between children and parents surpass the
imagination. Many times it is still there in spite of the
most traumatic circumstances from parental abuse, neglect,
chemical dependency and mental illness. When our children
go astray, become ill, rebel, or end up the midst of chaos,
most of us parents continue to cloak our children with
the best love we know how. Many times, children and parents
have to love each other from afar because of what may
be painful situations.

Our children belong to the Divine Archer who shoots
life forward into the future. As the fruit does not
fall far from the tree, thus, all of us as children
of God do not fall far from the Creator. All children
biological or not, are our children. All parents are our
parents. Both children and parents do not fall far from
the heart of unconditional love.

**I thank my children to the utmost for inspiring me and
teaching me the depth of unconditional love. I thank my parents
for bringing me into a world where love abounds in all
its mysterious forms.