Growing Pains

Caress the nature of yourself, of your being.
Caress your heart as if it were your child's.
Hold yourself in that same love, that same knowing of where goodness begins.
Hold yourself accountable through gentle direction.

Remember that a child has to be encouraged. They have to be shown the correct way to do something many times.
We do not expect them to ‘get it’ on the first try—no! We allow their goodness to form.
We give them the space to take shape. to be crafted through the experience of many hands.
By many outputs in the community.

A boy is not formed into a man by one.
It is the knowledge and experiences of many that create his perception of will, strength, and aptitude. Nor is a girl shaped into a woman by one. She taught how to become herself by supporting women who help her to rise into her power and truth.

We do not chisel away at our sons and daughters, hammering our own will into their being. We give them the allowance to stretch and shrink until they discover who they are, and support them in their journey to get there.
Why does this end with youth?
Why don't we let this extend into our adult selves? We are continually becoming more. Growth does not stop at twenty, not even in our bodies. Even our height continues to fluctuate with the curve of our spines and the strength of our shoulders; by the will jaw and the tip of our chins.

We do not lose our elasticity to learn and grow with age. We remain responsive to our lessons and community. We remain responsive to our experiences. 
So why do we not give ourselves the allowance to grow? To make mistakes?

-Jamie Homeister