Baby Bird Fly

Being a parent is a balancing act.  I want my kids to learn to be independent, have resilience, and be responsible, kind humans.  At the same time, I want to shield and protect them forever. The Mama Bird in me wants to steer them away from making any bad choices. 

When the kids were little I could control every aspect of their life- what they ate, their activities, even who they spent their time with. But now that they are growing up, their lives are filled with experiences and exposure to things beyond my control.  

If I try too hard to control and protect, they won't learn how to think for themselves.  The last thing I want is to enable helplessness. Yet the balance gets tipped to the other side if I give them too much freedom.  After all, they are still children and need guidance and support. Walking this fine line is exhausting. 

Even baby birds eventually have to learn to fly.