halrunkel
Too often, well-meaning relatives act like familial groundhogs. They pop in for a weekend visit, see one small glimpse of our children, make bold, sweeping predictions about future events and personality traits, and then burrow back to their nests leaving us scratching our heads in their wake.
Most people I know don’t really take Groundhog Day seriously. We all see it for the quirky newsbyte that it is, and we move on our way. In fact, I don’t know one single person who actually makes plans either for a longer winter or a quickly approaching spring based on the little furry creature’s prognostication.
Here’s my Groundhog Day’s wish: that we could encounter predictions others make about our children with the same amount of whimsy. After all, our kids’ futures aren’t set in stone. They are becoming who they are each and every day. And they deserve the chance to figure out just who that is on their own without fear of seeing anyone else’s predictive shadow.
“The groundhog is like most other prophets; it delivers its predictions and disappears.“
(Bill Vaughn)
Peace begins with a pause,
Hal
