Kite Strings and Apron Strings

Today, a good portion of my morning was spent untangling kite string and if you're wondering how this inspires a blog post, well.......let me start at the first....

This year, I decided that it would be a great idea for the kids to receive Earth Day presents. You know, things that would encourage them to get outside, enjoy nature and get a little exercise. So I found these amazing kites at the store and figured flying kites as a family would be exactly the right thing. We went out in an open field and tried flying our kites. The wind didn't seem to want to cooperate, so there was a lot of running involved - yeah for extra exercise!! It was a fun hour or so even without the wind. We laughed at each other and the many experimental ways we employed to try to make our kites fly. It was a good day.

Yesterday afternoon, while I was gone, a good wind was blowing and the kids decided that the moment was right to give kite flying another try. They were wildly successful!! I feel bad I wasn't home to hear the giggles and be a part of the fun. Herman was anxious to fill me in on their adventure. He was so proud that he had flown his kite to the end of the string. He had taken it to the height of glory, his frog dancing, being tossed to and fro by the power of the wind. Then, he sadly told me that in that moment of sheer excitement, he panicked, afraid that the wind would overtake his kite and blow it far away. This is when he made the split-second decision to start reeling it in. The reel that the kite came equipped with wasn't fast enough, so he started pulling it in by the string, hand over fist, making a massive ball of tangled thread on the ground. This is how he brought home his kite.

Now, to this morning and the time I spent untangling the mass he'd created. I was frustrated and cussing under my breath about all the other things I could be doing - or should be doing while in the background, Pandora started playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow/It's a Wonderful World. And, just like some sappy, inspirational commercial, I starting gaining a new perspective on the whole situation.

I got thinking about how excited he must have been, his choices in that moment, what I would've done and the counsel I would've given him if I'd been there. Then I asked myself, would I have let him fly it that high? Would I have been supportive of him during such a strong wind or...... let him fly his kite in those conditions at all? Would I have just told him to wait for better day? Would I let him have the freedom to make those decisions himself or just take control to avoid a catastrophe like the one I was now trying to sort out?

Now, in even a sappier moment, I started to parallel all of these thoughts to parenting. Raising kids is so much like flying a kite. I hold the string, but so much of the control is beyond me. I hold on with faith, that as they grow, flying farther and farther away from me, that they will be safe - hoping that the conditions will be just right for a successful flight. And if/when that moment comes and I am holding the end of the string, will I take the opportunity to marvel with excitement as my creation dances beautifully at the end of the string for all to see or will I panic in fear that the wind may overpower them and take them away from me? Will I pull them back hand over fist, making a big mess as I try to protect them - a mess I will have to sort out later? So many questions. So many unknown answers. I hope I have the strength, that when the time comes and my control is dwindling, that I can sit back, look up in amazement, and marvel in excitement. I know that there will be fear, but I hope my faith and trust in them will overcome my fear to hold them back. I want to allow that moment. I want to enjoy that moment. I want to live in that moment because it's only a moment and then it's gone.