The Slow Transfer of Trust
I remember when my boys were really small.
They would launch themselves into my arms from the top step, fully convinced I would catch them.
No calculation.
Just trust.
As they grew, that kind of trust began to change.
Not because it weakened,
but because it had to.
There comes a point when we’re no longer the ones making every decision for them.
We aren’t in the room.
We don’t hear the conversation.
We don’t control the moment.
That’s when values matter most.
Our job is to form something inside them that holds when we’re absent.
Convictions that guide choices when no one is watching.
Wisdom that shows up when pressure does.
Over the years, I’ve watched parents try to manage every detail as their kids got older.
Every decision.
Every friendship.
Every outcome.
Just being honest, I’ve rarely seen that work.
More often, it leads to distance.
Resistance.
A dramatic unraveling of respect.
Raising kids isn’t about control.
It’s about forming a core value system that acts like a spiritual GPS.
It’s a long handoff.
We begin as protectors.
We move toward guidance.
And eventually, we step back and trust what God built with our help.
The goal was never to keep them close by force.
It was to raise people who can stand with clarity when we aren’t there to catch them.
Trust doesn’t disappear.
It learns to stand without us.
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