Some of us are late bloomers, and though we might be accomplished, responsible hard-working young adults, a late blossom may at any time bloom. VERY recently, my daughter learned how to blow her nose. She’s 19, and I’m so proud of her!
The late bloom gives me hope as I feel mostly these days as though we are parenting in the dark, doing our best but absolutely blindly feeling our way. Hitting walls. Trying out ideas we swore we’d never consider. Humbly accepting that over which we have no control.
Once, when we were young and our children were younger, life seemed hard, overwhelming and decisions were made with great care and foresight. And in hindsight, our lives were simple, decisions mostly inconsequential. Today, those choices, they belong to our children, and though we may not agree, we must abide, let go and allow the repercussions to play out as they may. Far more difficult than any choices over which we’ve ever had control is the parenting of the young adults and the sometimes short-sighted decisions they make. But this is what we’ve worked towards, sometimes, and perhaps more often than not, with success.
Some blooms come late, and often they are the most beautiful and lasting. This is my hope and my prayer for those beautiful souls who walk with us, behind us, ahead of us, and even away from us.
Nancy Wiley writes. 