“it is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you are not.” – Andre Gide
The most intense struggle of growing up is rooted in this quote. Go to any middle school
(about 12-15 years old) and you will see the beginnings of children trying to figure out
who is ‘me’ versus who is not ‘me’. If by that time the child isn’t starting to be confident
in who that ‘me’ is then they will be at the mercy of the cliques, crowds, bullies,
glamourizers and over-confident ones.
The greatest gift anyone can give their child is the gift of helping them know the ‘me’
that is genuine inside them. You can’t tell them what it is, and you can’t force them
into your ‘me’. You have to watch and pick up on their signals, you have to subtly find
ways to guide and direct them towards that ‘me’ they might not even see yet.
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com