The Best Part of Leadership … and Parenting

It starts with little tasks like cleaning a room or sweeping the porch. It continues through more important things, like difficult moral decisions. All the conversations, prayers, and effort come into play in those moments, and they are what a parent waits to see.

I don’t know who originally said this, but it is a wonderful quote about leadership:

The best part of leadership is watching it happen without you.

As I heard those words again recently, my mind immediately went to my role as a parent. From the time our children are quite young, we try to teach them to do certain tasks even when we aren’t around. We may see if they can separate the laundry without our help, or make their bed while we are making our own. At first, we help them with a bath, but later, we trust that they will clean their bodies without us having to stand there for every moment of the shower.

In later years, we watch as they decide about sexuality, drugs, and friendships. We have said about all we can say and prayed diligently for when those decisions come into play. It is the same as we see in leadership:

The best part of parenting is to see it done without you.

Parents, we need to slowly let go. While we guide, help, and provide wisdom, we want our children to stand on their own. As hard as it may be at times, we want our children to do difficult things, so they can grow and mature. When they fail, we need to be there to pick them up and help them see not just that they messed up, but why they messed up.

One of these days, that little child will head out for a life of his or her own. You may want to hold on, and your wisdom will still be needed. When that day comes, though, it will be time to see the best part of parenting: seeing your child do things on their own.

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