“To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.”
(Chinese proverb)

As you travel on this road of raising adults, I sincerely hope you have your own parents to help. I hope you have parents and in-laws who are humble and hopeful. Having wise guides to give you a glimpse of what might be coming can be an invaluable resource to a young, inexperienced, exhausted parent.

If your parents or in-laws cannot provide you with that calm wisdom, if they cannot give guidance without guilt, instructions without insults, or lessons without lectures, then seek out others. This parenting journey is so difficult, and yet so vital, that we cannot let bad relationships with our own parents cut us off from the wisdom of those older, wiser, and more experienced than ourselves.

One of the hallmarks of a grown-up, after all, is the wilingness to ask for guidance when the road ahead is unknown.

Peace begins with pause,