"On Children" by Kahlil Gibran: A Timeless Poem About Parenting
This touching poem explores the bond between parents and children, offering simple wisdom on parenting and life.
On Children, by Kahlil Gihan
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.
For life goes not backward,
nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows
from which your children,
as living arrows, are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark
upon the path of the infinite,
And He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand
be for gladness,
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
Notes on A Poem About Parenting: On Children, by Kahlil Gibran
This poem teaches us an important lesson about love and letting go. It reminds parents that children have their own dreams and paths. We can guide and support them, but we must also let them grow and find their way.
It compares parents to bows and children to arrows, showing the beauty of helping them fly. It’s a simple but powerful reminder to balance love and freedom for their journey and ours.
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