The Winds of Change

Change is afoot around here and I don't mean the geopolitical situation, which is unsettling enough.  I mean that the children are really growing up.  We've been looking at old photo albums and it was amazing to see how everyone has grown, and how the same personalities they have today, were already discernible when they were fluffy toddlers once upon a time, sigh.  They've grown so much.  They are becoming more independent every day.  It's interesting to see their minds develop and expand, the changing sibling dynamics,  their more mature worldview.  It's encouraging to see how far we've come in our parenting and education journey thus far and a little unnerving, not knowing how the next few years will progress, especially once we hit the teenage years ( I think some of them were teenagers from birth:)).  As parents we often tend to see what's missing in the child rather than what's already good ( such is the nature of the world when it comes to parents  say R'Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin ).  And yet to see them morphing into adults that they'll become one day, G-d willing, is both sweet, exciting and downright terrifying when one ponders one's parental responsibilities.  I've read an interesting comment recently, how we have and raise our children, often when we are young and/or inexperienced and unsure of ourselves as parents, when we are vulnerable.   The author asserted that perhaps, it's to teach us  that as much effort as we might put into our parenting, we are not really  in control, not of the process and not the end result.  All parents have moments when they feel helpless and alone and all parents have moments when they feel like they have this parenting thing down pat and so it goes, a wild ride of ups and downs until the children are grown up.  We tend to take for granted, that life more or less progresses along the same lines for years on end, but really it's just a relatively short period in our lives when  we get to raise our children and make an impact on what kind of people they'll become.  It's a gift to be treasured as bumpy as the ride is often times.  For the winds of change are blowing, an intimation of a new reality, changing relationships, etc. Sure, it's all for the good, but  things will be different and all transitions are hard.  We've come a long way, suddenly some things are outgrown and some other suddenly become relevant even though you thought it would be years and years until that happens.  I read a metaphor somewhere, that when one is in the airplane, one is going really fast and at the same time not really feeling like one is moving at all, until one lands at his destination.  That's parenting.  Wishing everyone a pleasant and meaningful journey and a safe landing:)