What if we are mostly formed by the age of 6? Molten lava flows down the mountain for 6 years, and then hardens. Into who we are. And then we spend the rest of our lives doing things to compensate, to adapt, to recover from the flow. And yet it's not the stuff that happened to us. It's the meaning we make, the story we tell. As humans, this is our gift and our curse. Our brilliance and how we survive. We make meaning. Instantly. We experience something, and presto, the machine takes over. My parents fighting = I've done something wrong. It's my fault.
And if we are formed in these first 6 years, how might we raise our children in this flow of lava. How might we support their growth, water them, nurture them, hold them. Spend time with them. Or are they just babies to be diapered and spanked? And we should save our time with them until the teenage years, when they really need it. That's when they really need our attention, our love. But is this too late?
The thing about a seed that grows is that it needs care early on. It needs the right soil, the right amount of water, sunlight, love. And then it does it's thing. Reaches up towards the light. Only an acorn becomes an oak tree. In the right environment. With the right conditions.
What is it to water a baby? To hold our children. To set expectations. To draw boundaries. Define limits. Inspire joy. To spend time with them. They change so fast. Learn to walk and it's gone. Learn to speak and it's gone. And we miss it.
No comments:
Post a Comment