The real pain begins when they're grown!

When they'grown, the real pain begins!

So true. I worry endlessly of my kids. Do you?

Even my Mum, now 76 years old, still calls me at night and ask if I am home. She will still keep telling me the same thing, 'Don't come home too late. The society is not so safe now. Be careful when you drive...and so on.' I felt touch and I had to say that sometimes I do missed her concern. And having said that, she's still worrying about me when I am already 50, very much old enough to take care of myself. Not to mention that I have my own children to worry about. Mum still worries when am travelling. She belongs to the era where women are to be seen and not hurt. Where women do not travel alone, check into hotel alone.

My Dad too worries about me, especially when am driving. It is very heartwarming, when Dad will stand at the gate to see me drives off each time I came to visit Dad. He worried of motorbiker driving up and snatching my handbag when am walking to my car.

For me, when my kids are young, I worried but it's a different level of worrying. When they are young, all I just need are time to care and time to show them with my love.

Now that they are grown, I worried more of will they make good new friends in Uni, in the office? Will they get along with their bosses? If they be conned by being too trusting. I worried if they can adapt to the society. Worry if they bosses will like them and see them as a genuius like the way I see my child. I worried of the friends they make. And especially the partner that they will choose.

Soon I guess I be worrying about my grandchildren next.

It's a cycle of life. Our parents gave birth to us, worried about us and we in turn gave birth to our children, worried about them and next our children be having their children and worrying of their children.

Do read this article by Booming of New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/28/booming/when-theyre-grown-the-real-pain-begins.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=0 It so resonates with me and I am sure all mothers too will feel this way.

Letting Go - "On Children" by Kahlil Gibran, Persian Poet

Gosh...how time flies. We are already into the 2nd half of 2011. I remembered I wrote in January "Sisters - Chee Muis are forever" that I be back. That's 6 months ago. So here I am, telling myself I will write more regularly.

And to get back into momentum, I share this poem which I think is good reminder to learn to let go. Parents constantly worried about their kids and for some, never let go. Just like my mum, till now, she still teaches me how to mop the floor, clean the house. Maybe she's a 'clean freak' that she's just consumed with cleaning and cleaning the whole day long. She still calls me almost every night to ask if I am home. That's parents that had not learn to let go.

And I can see that I am also doing the same to my kids. Does your parents do the same? And you to your kids too?

Enjoy the poem.















"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable."