My son will hit double digits next month. These nearly-10 years since his birth have flown by. And all-of-a-suddenly he’s got his own ideas about this young life of his.
We were playing out in the farm field the other day and he asked me whether I was going to stop him from doing something. And I reflected on the reality that it has been a long time since I actually could physically stop him from doing something I was concerned about.
I mean, if a child of 3 darts toward the street, he’s easily caught, picked up and taken to safety. But a child of 9 11/12…
For more of my musings about how I’m dealing with my son’s growing autonomy, click the photo above to go to Life & Liberty to read the rest of this essay, When Kids (and Others) Can’t Be Controlled.
Jennifer Clark Tinker 