I’ve watched so many parents learn how to enrich their lives with love, and then learn how to love and teach their children. After a lifetime of parents and children living without that love, however, the learning process can be messy and even painful.
Pulling Weeds Effectively is Hard Work
Recently I discovered a patch of ground cover, liriope spicata, in my backyard that had become infested with weeds. They snuck up on me. There appeared to be none at the onset of spring, but within a few weeks they were everywhere.
I began to pull the weeds, using a trowel to get the roots of each weed. It was kind of brutal. Sometimes as I dug out a weed, a piece of the liriope was injured, and as I worked I was stepping on the good plants with my boots. When I finished, the weeds were gone, but the liriope was trampled and thinner and sad looking.
I used a rake to lift the liriope off the ground a little, then watered them and waited. In a few days they looked great.
Pulling the Weeds of Old Protecting Behaviors
As we learn how to love and teach our children, sometimes eliminating the old protecting behaviors can be messy. Often the kids don’t like the change, and there are times when things seem worse than before we tried loving and teaching.
Oh, don’t quit. Get rid of the weeds, keep raking and watering, and you’ll see a handsome return for your efforts. The alternative is to let the weeds go crazy and hope that your children will survive. That works poorly.
Put in the effort, expect some difficult times, and enjoy the fruits of loving and teaching your children.
