Someone recently told me that I must be an expert at being a parent. I laughed so hard that my coffee started to spill from my cup. I am definitely no expert in this parenting profession. I have eight children ranging from 34 - 4 years of age. This doesn't make me an expert. It makes me a student. I am constantly learning from my children. There isn't one day that one, or two, or four of them teach me about compassion, patience, and love. What I have learned is that parenting is about letting go.

The prophet Kahlil Gibran states it the best in his poem On Children: "Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself."

It's in the "letting go" that I am aware of the power of the human spirit. It's trusting. It's about faith. I cannot control their lives or their decisions. Some of my children have mental health issues and it's truly difficult to feel powerless of their journey and decision making. But I do know that we come here to learn and experience life through our own lenses. I cannot fix them anymore than they can fix me. All I can do is join them in unbounded love. I can help through the collaboration of a loving relationship. I am here to support them with compassion, even (or especially) when I don't understand their choices.

The idea that we are in control of our children is a facade. We aren't even in control of ours. All I can do is be. I can help guide them based on my own experiences but ultimately, they will choose their own paths.

This doesn’t negate the struggles as a mother to want to intervene and take away their challenges. It is difficult at times to witness their hardships.

Love your children and allow them to step into their divine wisdom without judgment or criticism. It isn't always easy. It's truly a daily process.

I am deeply grateful for these little humans who have helped form my own humanity. They continue to expand my heart and consciousness. I am who I am because of them.

I love you,

Millie