My View of the Child + Our Duty Honours

I believe children are sacred.

Whole. Complete.
Already carrying everything they need inside.
They are not empty vessels to be filled,
but oak trees in seed form —
rooted in wisdom,
reaching for the sky.

Let us step back with trust.
Trust their inner knowing.
Give them less no,
and more yes.
Let us welcome their mistakes,
the dropped egg in the kitchen
speaking of freedom and safety to explore.

I believe children deserve a different approach,

not to be controlled or managed.
Souls after all, not weights to bear or tasks to check off.
Our delightful companions of wonder
walking alongside us for just a short while.

Let us give them space to live fully.
To experience real adventures.
Embarking on epic journeys
and enjoying quiet wonders.
Living moments of their own choosing.

If they run, let them run.
If they dance, let them dance.
If they climb high, let them climb.

Let us delight in who they are,
and trust the path they carve for themselves.
Not mistaking our role of guidance
as one of authority over your Soul.

All children deserving of witnessing

acceptance and belonging.
Safe spaces that don’t turn cold.
Spaces where every emotion
welcomed and witnessed and held with respect.
Laughter, tears, rage and distress held
and allowed to be expressed.

Let us stay soft, even when they push.
“I see how mad you are” instead of “calm down.”
Holding steady in their storms.

Let us repair when we get it wrong.
Apologize quickly.
Model humility in love.
Let connection matter more than being right.
Attachment reigns supreme.

I believe children don’t need our perfection —
they need our presence.

Let us model steadiness.
Kindness.
Resilience.

Let us show them how to weep,
and how to rise again with grace.

Let us welcome their authority.

Their differences.
Their disagreements.

Show them humility.
Show them curiosity.
Show them that we too
are still learning.

Let us repair when we falter,
and let our willingness to grow
become their permission to do the same.

I believe children need rhythm, not rush.

The gentle pace of nature.
Not the restless momentum of the world.

Let us slow down together.
Take a day and truly let them lead.
Look them in the eyes.
See them.

Create together.
Be bored together.
Reclaim family.
Reclaim community.

Fight for slow.
For space.
For creativity to be born.

Let us weave magic into the everyday.
Let us create spaces where messy,
out-of-the-lines brilliance is honoured,
where curiosity roams freely,
and wonder leads the way.

Let us parent with intention.

With courage and warriorship.
Protecting their focus,
their imagination,
and the quiet spaces where creativity is born.

Let us create lives so rich,
so connected,
so alive
that shallow distractions lose their pull.

Let us offer them presence, adventure, and wonder,
so the glow of real life
outshines any artificial light.

Their creativity, brilliance, and light are abundant,
gifts the world deeply needs.

Let us remember it is our duty honours*

to walk beside them in this life,
allowing them to be exactly as they are.

*duty honours: a coin termed by my 7 year old daughter. Children not burdens of responsibility but rather it is our sacred honours to care for and support. In her case, this sometimes means, delivering water 16 times a day.