Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
Children by Khalil Gibran
At the beginning of the school year, I started to realize that some kids in my neighborhood are seen less and less frequent. Later I found those kids are going to school in Jakarta, 30km away from our humble suburb Cibubur. Traffic jam and school activities prevent them to stay at their current home, where their parents live. And there are other siblings who are still going to school near our neighborhood.
Thus they lived with their relatives (grandparents, aunts/uncles) on weekdays and go home on weekend. And this happens as early as 1 SMP. An age, that I thought is still too young to live separately for parents.
True, some people think that the opportunity to seize the best education possible has to be buit early enough, so that by SMA, these kids are ready for competitions out there. And thinking about the schools that we have around our neighborhood, is not exactly what you called creme de la creme of the education. (Moreover our area is belong to Kabupaten Bogor) which puts those schools farther away from the speed and dynamic of schools in Jakarta, the capital city of this country.
Last night, when I visit some other neighbor's house for some discussion on Christmas preparation at our parish, I just found out their kids, too, live in Magelang, where they went to Tarakanita, a school with very good curricullum, social sensitivity, and much cheaper than Catholic School in our neighborhood. And their younger one is just 5SD.
Ohh... How I wish I could hold and hug my kids forever, keeping them in my bosom as I did when they were little babies. Comfort their tears each day and night. Although I know that the time will come, where we, as parents, will have to let them go, to the separated way from where we are heading. It's just the matter of time. For some of us, the time comes sooner.
That night, before I put my kids to bed, I hugged my kids tightly... As if they're mine forever... Kissing their soft fine hair... As if they're baby again... And holding on to that sweet memories of laughing time with them... Cause deep in my heart.. They will always be... My beautiful angels...
