I absolutely think this is one of the very best inspirational quotes! I picked this one up so many years ago… and I believe it has informed my parenting as well as my whole philosophy around raising children. It was also always in the back of mind when I was teaching and advocating for children with special needs and their families.
The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.” – Pablo Casals
I have spent a good deal of my adult life raising children. I have some incredible kids that I have have had a hand in raising. I also gave birth to one pretty amazing kid… TWENTY years ago! My son is 20 today. It is really hard for me to believe! It really does seem to be just yesterday when he wasn’t sleeping through the night… when he was toddling around… when he went to school for the first time… when he learned to read… when he started dating… when he graduated from high school… When he moved into his own apartment.
I have spent the last twenty years incredibly happy, sad, worried, delighted, excited, anxious, scared, completely full of joy… and totally in love.
These days, I spend time missing my son… I don’t get to see him as often as I would like… he’s got his own life… a job, a girlfriend… stuff to do. And soon, he’ll be moving much farther away than he is now. When that happens, I think I’ll truly know the sadness of the “empty nest syndrome!” But, it’s okay. He’s doing what he is supposed to do… growing up.
When my boys were little, I used to be so scared when they would climb on things… playground equipment, rocks, etc… I knew that they had to do those things – they had to do these things as a part of their developmental process. So, I used to turn around. I couldn’t watch! I was still right there, but I just couldn’t watch – or I probably would have stopped them from doing those things. Now… my son is getting ready to move out of state… and basically, I just can’t watch! I know he needs to do these things, and I know he’ll be just fine… but if I watch, I might try to stop him… and I know that would be a mistake.
Anyway… I love this inspirational quote because it says something so important. Our children ARE miracles. We MUST do whatever we can to make sure that they know this too! My son is becoming a wonderful adult… and I’m so proud of him. I hope I have done a good job of letting him know that… and making sure he knows what a miracle he really is – Happy Birthday to my miracle! I hope he knows that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.