Learning how to walk

To look at the idea of parenting a child I decided to try a metaphor walk to generate some ideas. Parenting is like...

Walking on a path that you don’t know where its going...
You need to be prepared for the journey, take the things you know you will need, food, water, comfy shoes and camera!

It's like a rollercoaster ride...filled with highs and lows.

You go on a rollercoaster knowing it's going to be an unpredictable ride, you know you are going to be scared at times, that the high points will be followed by low points and that the ride sadly, will end.

It’s like baking a cake with some unknown ingredients...

Baking a cake with unknown ingredients is difficult. It challenges you as a baker. The end result is a reflection on you, even though you didn’t have total control. All you can do is do the best with the ingredients you do know.

It’s like gardening...

It requires your attention frequently at the beginning, and less often once established, but the end result could be shade in hot sun, something to climb on or swing on, or provide oxygen for future generations.

Like the first step on the moon...

It costs a lot of money, but you have no idea what it's going to be made of when you get there. Will you sink or float?

Like exploring...

Set off with a crew of helpers (well that would be ideal) into the foreign waters.

Like flying a kite...

You’ll do anything you can to keep it flying but you are vulnerable to unpredictable conditions.

The element in common is that all these ideas combine putting existing skills and tools to use and keeping in mind the element of the unknown. This helps me to realise that I have to acknowledge what I have no control over whilst making the most of the skills and tools I do have.