Coming-of-Life lessons

I was recently watching one of those feel good "coming-of-age" movies.  You know the ones?  Some event in a person's life forces them to step outside themselves, to learn a little about what it means to be an adult.  The person, or people, in the movie become more self aware and find a courage and strength they never knew they had in order to overcome an obstacle or attain a goal.  It's all about what they learn about themselves in the process and how they gain a new maturity. 

We all have such stories. Maybe some are better then others, but we all have them.  In fact, we have many in our lifetime.  Hopefully we are always changing and growing.  One event in our lives is not what "makes" us.  We are the sum of all our events; all our trials and triumphs.  We are what we experience and learn.

Does a parent of a child help that child if they constantly protect them from anything "unpleasant"?  When a parent wraps the child in a cocoon of innocence, they are hoping for the beautiful butterfly to emerge and flutter off.   But beautiful as that butterfly may be, they're at the bottom of the food chain.  A cocoon doesn't help teach the lessons of the real world.

I am the parent of two teens who have been learning some hard lessons lately.  I am learning along with them.  I am exhausted from the lessons.  I am heartbroken to see them struggle. However, my hope is that we all find new courage and strength and a new and improved "us".  We are in the process of changing and growing.

Those who would criticize us for making mistakes should consider themselves quite fortunate to be leading such a perfect life themselves.  Not everyone is so fortunate.  Hopefully, their children aren't going to be falling off their pretty high horses near the garden I am so diligently tending.