“To trust your children is, at the most basic level, to trust yourself and to let go of them. And, of course, we all struggle mightily with both.” Yes, yes and yes. I wonder if people who are uncomfortable with their children doing certain things are also uncomfortable with doing it themselves. And how often this is the case…

That note from your dad sounds like something my father would also have written. And it is a thing I would treasure now, as I have my own children and have come to understand. My dad liked to make a little game out of things like that, in an oh-so-very studious way. And I keep reminding myself that he really didn’t care what people thought of him. While there was some embarrassment in that when I was younger, I am so thankful for it now. It served me well, I think, ESPECIALLY when it comes to my parenting decisions.