“Your children are not your children” – Kahlil Gibran

This sentence means so many different things to me but the one pertinent question that I pondered over, the one thing that led me to so many interesting facts and that also made me realize that we are all a little crazy, starts with this idea – If we are not the children of our parents, who are we?

I have realized that we are all children playing in an unending eternity, weaving our way through time and clinging to this life as if it is the only thing that counts. Always adding to our puzzle as we interact with other pieces to complete our picture. This awakening can bring peace and stability, but can also lead to confusion and frustration if we get lost in the myriads of paths in life. If this realization can be so heavy to carry for adults who seek truth after truth, because we have to face the fact that there are many, then how much heavier is it for our children and how do we explain these concepts that would make sense in their frame of reference?

The key here is to use their frame of reference. If identical twins do not share the same fingerprints, then it stands to reason that everyone of us is highly individualized. The abundance of this planet clearly demonstrates that variety is the fabric that holds this reality together.

When dealing with children, then we are assured of one thing, they are definitely strangers, even if you think they are your own. Have you noticed that the days of just telling children what to do are gone? You have to reason with them. They need the information as to why they have to do what they do.

This new generation will teach us all a lot and if we just open up our hearts and minds and walk with them in their world to bring them to their truth, we will catch the overflow of acceptance that can result from allowing our children to walk among us as strangers.