When you're soarin' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down

This song came on last night while my daughter and I were playing with Disney princesses. “When you come back down” by Nickel Creek. I haven’t listened to that song in years, but it popped up on the playlist. The song has a completely different meaning to me now than it did when I was in my early 20s.

As parents, we want to keep our children safe. We want them to stay pure and not be ruined by the world. But sometimes that can actually be a hindrance to them as they grow up.

Children learn when they can explore, and in order for them to do that, we have to let them explore. We have to let them soar. The scary part is that they may very well fall. And for many parents, that’s where it often will stop. We can step in and hold children, or teenagers, or young adults back from chasing dreams because of the limited success they may achieve. We have to let them try, though. Even if they fail, they’ll learn many great lessons along the way

It reminds me of the story of the prodigal son in the Gospels. The father could very easily have refused to give his son the inheritance, knowing that the son was going to squander it all. But he doesn’t. He gives the son the inheritance and sends him on his way.

If the son had not experienced all the failure and struggle in his life, he never would have learned to appreciate what he did have. He learns humility and returns with a new perspective. The father welcomes him back with open arms, seeing the new perspective his son has gained.

There’s another similar line later in the that says, “Angel, you were born to fly, and if you get too high / I’ll catch you when you fall.”

As parents, we have to understand that our children were meant to fly. We have to empower them to spread their wings rather than try to clip them. And if they fall, we catch them.