Some of us raise our families to resemble a manicured garden – traditional, with exquisite shrubs and stately fences. And some of us raise our families to resemble a wild garden – left mostly to nature with a mishmash of wildflowers, grasses, weeds, and some open spaces where wildlife can creep in.
There is no right way to raise our families; there is only ‘our’ way. We raise our families based on what we believe we need to teach: integrity, independence, love of earth, street-smarts, ambition, strength, tolerance, patriotism, compassion . . . and no-one can criticize our parenting skills, because we are all germinated from the seed of our own parents’ personal beliefs.
Soon, as our flowers and trees start to bud, it is often a good time to stop, put down our clippers and bug spray, and simply enjoy our garden. It may not have turned out exactly how we planned, but it is spectacular in its presentation, its quirkiness, its spirit, and its originality. And all of this is a result of ‘our’ way of doing things as proud and devoted parents.
We are all born with integrity, empathy, and the ingrained ability to interact, and within our family life – be it with genetically-related people, or otherwise – we step up to the parenting podium of respectfulness around the clock, as we dig, and plant, and smile proudly.
Congratulations to all of us, on our magnificent, unique gardens, which make our world far more interesting, multidimensional, and enchanting, than it would be if it were inhabited by billions of cookie-cutter beings.
