The trouble with parents is that by the time they are experienced, they are unemployed.
(Author unknown)

It is so helpful to think of this parenting journey as a practice. Just as lawyers and doctors and therapists operate a practice, so do we parents. We are constantly learning on the job, constantly facing new challenges that no books could have completely prepared us for. To have this humble outlook is far better than feeling some sense of arrival: “Finally, now I’ve got this thing figured out! I believe I’m experienced enough to call myself a pro at this parenting stuff.”

The unknown author of the quote above is quite correct: by the time we’ve “arrived,” our kids are gone from us and our “job” is quite different. I do not believe, that we’ll ever be completely “unemployed,” however. Our kids will become adults, and will no longer be daily depending on us, but that doesn’t mean we’ll no longer be sought for guidance and leadership. Our kids will seek us out, but only if they sense from us that even after they’re gone, we’re still learning ourselves—we’re still only operating a “practice.”

Peace begins with pause,