Years ago I enjoyed planting a vegetable garden each year. I especially enjoyed planting peas, because they sprang from the ground so quickly. After three or four days, I went out every day to check impatiently—like a child—on the progress of the germination. On a couple of occasions I actually brushed away the soil overlying the seeds, in hope that I could make them sprout faster. Yes, that was pretty foolish, because many seeds require darkness for germination, so exposing them to light prevents their sprouting. On other occasions, as I put my weight on one hand for balance, I pushed a sprout back into the ground, crushing it in the process.
As parents we make both mistakes. Some of us attempt to make our children’s lives too easy—much like removing dirt over a seed—and in the process weaken them severely. Some of us over-control our children, grinding them into the dirt from which they sprang. Either way, we injure them.
Our children don’t need to be babied, nor do they need to be micro-managed. They need to be placed in a location with sufficient sunlight, then fertilized, watered, and weeded. In short, they need to be loved and taught.
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