I have been watching my boys isolate themselves from my husband and I during this pandemic. It has pained me to see them not engage with our faith community when faith has been such a large part of their lives. I know that during their adolescence, they are taking the time they need to discern their own spiritual path which may or may not be the one which I shared with them when they were younger. From my vantage point, one of a different generation and that involved different challenges, I see how I could have gone about life differently and utilised the spiritual tools that were offered to me. Immaturity, fierce individualism and heedlessness were my tools back then and I bought myself avoidable pain and sorrow. However, it is those experiences that have brought me to this point. That have scarred and developed my character to face difficulties from a position of curiosity not barreling in with laser focused and often misguided determination. This parenting challenge opens up opportunities to go about things another way. It came to me during my reflection and prayer time, to direct my words to their higher nature. It is a tricky situation as that vulnerable side of them is so shrouded in protective layers of saboteurs keeping potential injurers at bay. Yet I know that if I approach the conversation by setting out for them the person I know them to be, this will change the direction of the conversation as a whole. What do I have to loose?
I took a break in the middle of writing this post to have the aforementioned conversation. It was new territory for us all. Nothing is ever perfect but it has set a different trajectory for the future of our family!
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