As I drove by the beach near our home and gazed at the sky, it hit me that children are like kites. It’s a
silly simile, but conceptually spot-on.
Kites come in all sizes and shapes. Some are plump, some are slim. Some are decorative and loud.
Some are subtle, or delicate. There are some that impersonate animals, like dragons or sharks. Others
prefer to be a simple diamond-shaped cut out: very minimalistic, but functional, and perfect.
Flying a kite is also much like parenthood. If you hang too tightly to the string, the kite will never catch
the breeze and fly. You certainly can hold the string tight to your hip, and with a ferocious breeze, it will
bat against your body in a small sense of flight. If the string is let out too far without much care, it will
get hung up in a tree or other interfering subject. Eventually, most kites come down: either because we
fetch them, or life circumstances release them to the ground. We can only hope that when this
happens, the kite is in the condition when it was released. Sometimes, we get it back with holes, and
the edges are frayed. All kites can be repaired. Each and every one of them. Some require more tape,
more material, more string. And, like most repairs, they require time: healing.
To best fly a kite, you must let the string out JUST enough, and to judge when to tug on the string to pull
it in close and when to release tension on the fibers to allow it to gain more height. It’s a coordinated
effort between the individual controlling the string, the kite itself, and the weather conditions on that
particular day… at that particular moment.
And, of course, there are always challenges. There are times when we must cut the string. We are the
ones who must decide that despite all efforts, our best way to recover our runaway kite is to cut any ties
and then to figure out another plan to get it back.
What does this all mean? Parenthood is tough. Some children are easier to raise than others.
Sometimes the child and the parent are fantastic, but the weather (life situations) aren’t conducive for a
good flight. An overbearing or over-protective parent is one that holds their kite (child) in too close and
it never has a chance to fly. Letting the kite out too much (too much autonomy) is dangerous for
children, as well, as they may fall into the wrong crowd or make poor life decisions unbeknownst to
their parents.
Be humble. Even if you know how to fly your kite and fly it well, it doesn’t mean you know how to fly
someone else’s kite well… or at all. A certain parenting style for one child may not work for the other
child.
What does this all mean? Practice makes perfect. Don’t give up on your kite. And, most importantly,
don’t give up on yourself.

Laura D. March 2022