Want to turbo-charge your daughter’s flight as she launches into the life she is meant to live? You might need to step aside.
The egg of an eagle somehow found it’s way into a chicken coop, where a hen was hatching her eggs. So the little eaglet was hatched right along with the other chicks. As time passed, the young eagle began experiencing a longing to fly, so she kept asking her mother, the hen, “When will I learn to fly?”
The poor hen knew that she had no clue as to how to teach the eaglet to fly, but she was ashamed to admit this to her. So she would put her off by saying, “Not yet, my child, not yet. I’ll teach you when you are ready.”
Months passed and the young eagle started to suspect that her mother didn’t know how to fly. But she was unable to break free and fly on her own, for her intrinsic longing to fly had become confused with the gratitude she felt towards the bird that had hatched her.
What a great metaphor for the need to step back and allow our children to find their own path. I find too many girls giving up their passions and interests for fear of disappointing their parents. They have become too outer directed, and thus make decisions based on not wanting to make people mad or displease others.
Young adults also need to find good mentors who can step in at critical points in their life and provide the guidance, encouragement, and inspiration that their parents can’t provide. It’s not an indictment of our parenting; it’s just a necessary part of our girl’s transformation to adulthood.
Don’t allow your own fears or limited thinking to impede your daughter’s ability to launch into the life she was meant to live.
Check out my new online video course: TAKING FLIGHT: EVERYDAY PARENTING WISDOM TO HELP GIRLS SOAR. You will find it on my website www.drtimjordan.com