This afternoon provided a perfect example of what the coast is to me. The Bear and I went down to the shoreline in front of Beacon Hill Park. After watching the kite surfers spin around in the surf for a bit, we took some stairs down the bluff to the beach and picked our way along the glacial carved rocks, crashing driftwood and rolling pebbles.
That's the physical picture, the setting. But what never ceases to amaze me is the clarity of thought that it seems to precipitate. Watching the kite surfers, the Bear commented on how much change had come just in our lifetimes, including the technological advances that made a canopy lightweight and efficient enough to skip over the water from. As we walked the shore, I thought about something I hadn't for a long time. I remembered that as a rather typically miserable teenager, I'd gone through a long phase where I was quite certain I never wanted to have kids of my own. My outlook on the world and its future was so grim that it seemed to me cruel to willingly bring a life into it. If anything, I would adopt a child, give whatever I might have to offer as a parent to someone who was already in this world.
That was a long time ago, and clearly much more than my perspective on parenting has changed since then, but remembering that perspective even as we await the arrival of our baby raised some of the fears that still linger about becoming parents. I do still wonder at times what kind of world will this be by the time our children are able to take their place in it. With the changes in technology in just our own lives so far, and the impact they've had on life, culture and society, what will we see in the rest of our lives and the lives of our kids and even grandkids? Will we be able to ground them and equip them sufficiently to deal with it? Are the lessons we've learned in our lives going to be applicable to the times they'll live in, if we're successful in passing it on?
I'd love to hear your perspectives on this whole stream, especially those of you who are farther along this generational journey (even if some of you are actually younger than us late starters!)
That's the physical picture, the setting. But what never ceases to amaze me is the clarity of thought that it seems to precipitate. Watching the kite surfers, the Bear commented on how much change had come just in our lifetimes, including the technological advances that made a canopy lightweight and efficient enough to skip over the water from. As we walked the shore, I thought about something I hadn't for a long time. I remembered that as a rather typically miserable teenager, I'd gone through a long phase where I was quite certain I never wanted to have kids of my own. My outlook on the world and its future was so grim that it seemed to me cruel to willingly bring a life into it. If anything, I would adopt a child, give whatever I might have to offer as a parent to someone who was already in this world.
That was a long time ago, and clearly much more than my perspective on parenting has changed since then, but remembering that perspective even as we await the arrival of our baby raised some of the fears that still linger about becoming parents. I do still wonder at times what kind of world will this be by the time our children are able to take their place in it. With the changes in technology in just our own lives so far, and the impact they've had on life, culture and society, what will we see in the rest of our lives and the lives of our kids and even grandkids? Will we be able to ground them and equip them sufficiently to deal with it? Are the lessons we've learned in our lives going to be applicable to the times they'll live in, if we're successful in passing it on?
I'd love to hear your perspectives on this whole stream, especially those of you who are farther along this generational journey (even if some of you are actually younger than us late starters!)
posted by Coastal at
8:35 p.m.
1 Comments:
Sigh. You'll never stop wondering Coastal. Can I do the job required? The fact that you are asking the questions at all, is a good sign that you'll do just fine. If we rely only on what we understand, then we may fail. If we add the God dimension, then we are sure to succeed! That's the only equation I know. Some days it is the only thing that saves you from a disaster. The one piece of advice that I give every parent is that children should adapt to who you are as a couple, and not the other way around. Sure, life changes and demands change, but children will learn more from participating in your world than any other experience. That's advice from one who is farther down the line. Boy I feel old now.
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Anonymous, at 11:27 p.m.
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