Invite Storms onto Your Kids
A parable of loving your child in the midst of storms
There was a man who was teaching his daughter to sail.
One day, when they sat at home, the weather turned nasty. Gale force winds, rain, and lightning.
The dad said, “grab your poncho, we are going sailing.”
The daughter looked horrified! “Dad!” She howled, “it’s terrible out there! Shouldn’t we wait until the weather improves?!”
The dad responded, “I promise that you will have storms in your life. It’s wiser to learn to navigate them while an experienced sailor is present. Learn from me in the storm today, so that you’ll be ready when I’m not here… and I promise that, one day, I won’t be.”
Then the two walked outside, hand in hand, and went sailing together.
Wisdom vs Tech Knowledge
In 2023, kids grow up in a culture that belittles elder wisdom. For the first time in humanity, kids are actively encouraged to seek non-human advice and guidance.
Google — and now AI — seemingly offer immediate answers to all of life’s questions.
But tech lacks that which matters most: love. relationship. connection.
When tech communicates, it is, and will always be, sterile. Inhumane. It will always lack genuine concern, compassion, and a deep desire for the betterment of the learner.
Tech will never know if the learner is being harmed or helped by the information it shares. It will never care.
Because of this, tech will never replace a human guide. For all of our human frailties, tech can never compete with the trust that comes through love. relationship. connection.
Parenting has Changed — Again
This is why, like never before, parents must lead with deep care and compassion for the child’s heart. They must ask, “What do you want to learn about? What lights up your soul? What storms do you face? And, can we face the storm together?”
Information is free to all. Love is still rare and precious.
Parents must now defend against systems — especially educational systems — that tear at a child’s heart. Grades, standardized assessments, and predeveloped curriculum all dehumanize. They reduce the child to a number that erroneously compares one unique child to another. Apples to oranges. Fish compared to birds. Each is beautiful and valuable in their own unique way. It’s difficult to learn this in traditional school.
The Storm Clouds in Systems
Parents must walk with kids through any system that dehumanizes or isolates. Tech. School. Government. Culture.
These are today’s storms.
“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship” [and the best way to learn is together].
Parents. Prepare to do battle with the forces which seek to shape your child’s thinking and gain their trust. Walk along with them as their most invested ally.
We must remember that nothing will outcompete a parent who loves their child enough to walk in the storm with them.
So invite the storms… and walk along side.
