The plant life follows a rhythm. The flowering plants too follow a rhythm.
As I watch this rhythm in our garden, it occurred to me yesterday that, the plant bed offers the nutrition for plants to grow. The soil receives water and manure and feed the plants to live their rhythm.
This relationship of dependency on the soil is what makes the plants to bear flowers and fruits.
Childhood is a season of dependency in a home, family and parenting. I noticed that most parents have children in the second and third decades of their lives. The parents are at that period in their lives at the prime of their adult life, engaged in their personal pursuit of their career.
That is also the time when children are in their formative years from infancy to preteen years. That is the time when children are most dependent on parents.
Most parents take time to find harmony between their career demands and parenting demands.
Some parents by choice turn their attention fully to foster the needs and aspirations of their children voluntarily knowing that they can pick up on the career journey, when children are less dependent on them.
In a conversation with a family recently, I realised how such a decision involved the mother dedicating her full time of attention for children by taking a break from her career path. She is on a part time work schedule now, after a season of a long break till children were in the middle school. The adjustment to be available to children involved managing with one income, living in a small flat, being content with some limitations to save enough to invest on children's future education.
With both children doing well and choosing to live responsibly, the ambience in the home is of contentment and cordial relationship. It was in conversation with this family, I sensed the 'calling of parenting' which this family practices as a vocation at this season of life.
This family gave space for their children in a self giving way. They viewed the future of their children as the primary purpose and adjusted their career path to give full attention to children during the years when children were still dependent on them.
The soil is the nurturing ground for plant life. A family is the nurturing ground for children to enter into life well grounded and supported.
The parents who shared their journey of transition. referred to the season of life when they 'slowed down' to give attention to children, as a turning point in their view of life of parenting- 'It was when we brought our children to the centre of our attention, we felt fulfilled as parents' ! This family shares the joy of having lived with their attention on children that 'they are known to children and children are known to them in an intimate way'!
The fulfilling journey of parenting starts with children becoming the focus of attention in their growing up years!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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