But as much as we want to help them, they will always be who they are. They too will have to learn how to deal with their worlds using their own "pre-packaged" inate character traits...
I remember my daughter - age 4 - standing beside the curtain while the rest of her ballet group was center stage rehearsing their "How Much Is That Doggy in the Window?" dance. She stood watching, refusing to participate in the rehearsals.
Was she too shy to go on stage? we wondered.
When performance night came, to our surprise, she ran on to the stage with the others, doing her part perfectly. All the time she was watching the others, not participating, she was focusing on getting it just right.
Many years later, as an adult, she is still a perfectionist, who would rather wait than rush in and do a poor job... whereas my tendency would be to rush in!
I laughed recently when I came across a "book" of stories one of my sons created in grade 2 - entitled Tales of a Grade Two Writer!
In one tale, my then-7-year-old son recounted how he picked the 3 winning lottery numbers - and won $10,000!
Where did that story... Where did that interest in gambling come from?! I wondered. He never saw my husband and me buy lottery tickets. In fact, my husband is an avid anti-gambler! But here I see that gambling has fascinated him since an early age. And - to my dismay - it continues to be one of his passions!
So what is my role as a parent? I think it is: To teach my children right (from wrong) and what has worked for me. To be a role model they may choose to follow as adults... And to love them for who they are (not for how much they resemble me)!
This is a really beautiful post, Marlene.
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Thank you, Natalie. It's something I have to remind myself again and again from time to time.
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