Day 37

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and the daughters of Life's
longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And thought 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.

from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Maronite Christianity, an ancient sect, emerged in the fifth century when the early Christians of Syria pledged their allegiance to a hermit, Marun, whose gifts and virtues brought him many disciples. Using a ritual alive with the Aramaic tongue of Jesus and a liturgy that is among the oldest and most moving in the Christian Church, the Maronites were able to protect their traditions due to the physical remoteness of the mountain region [of Lebanon]. The spiritual nature of Gibran's mother and the impressions that the child received from the mystical ceremonies of the Maronites remained with him all his life (The New York Times).

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

Use this poem by Kahlil Gibran as a prayer throughout the day.  It is often easier to remember a long text like this if it is set to music.  An African-American a capella group called Sweet Honey in the Rock has recorded this poem under the title "On Children".  It's a great way to meditate. 
Pastor Patty Fox 40 Days with 40 Christian Mystics

Oddly enough I had a conversation with my daughter earlier about something Rob Bell had said in his latest podcast. The comment was (paraphrasing) that our children are not empty buckets for us to fill up with our unrealized dreams and anxieties.
Our children are not ours, they are their own and we should let them become themselves, not try to recreaye or make better versions of ourselves.
I've always encouraged by children's uniqueness, whilst trying to foster a spirit of our community life within them. I must admit I've never had much interest in trying to get them to confirm or fit in.
My daughter is 13 now  and has a really well-developed sense of self. She's unique and quirky- and happy to be so, and yet she understands that her place in the world is part of something much bigger than her own unique self.
My son is a little younger at 10. We get complimented a lot of what a lovely boy he is, and we're both amazed that he's so cute and sweet. We often joke that we don't know how he turned out so well, but I guess letting him be himself is a big part if it.
We've never felt the need to confirm to gender stereotypes or push either into any sort if mould. It's by chance that she's artistic and he likes nerf and gaming (actually so does she).
They belong not to us, but God I'm so lucky to be walking alongside them.