As we get ready to celebrate America's 236th Independence Day this July 4th, I’m wondering if the word independence needs clarification.  Considering that nothing happens in isolation perhaps there really is no such thing as independence after all.

Independent and Connected

It’s human nature to mentally separate and label things.  At the moment of birth, our kids physically separate from us but that doesn’t mean they are separate.  Endings and beginnings are subject to perception.

Does a flower end at its leaf or does it continue on through is connectedness with the bee? 

Do I end when I walk out of the room or do I remain in the room because my influence remains?

Influence is like a butterfly

Like the caterpillar and butterfly, a parent's presence changes over time; starting grounded and slow moving then becoming light and unrestricted.  Even though our kids grow physically and assume the outward control of their lives, our presence doesn’t end – it simply takes on the wings of a butterfly.  We create a timeless presence in a child’s independence by remaining powerfully connected.   Paradox?  Nah, just an expanded definition of independence.

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Related Tip of the Week:  Public Transportation, Dissent,

Related Research:  According to the Genographic Project, a study tracing human migration through DNA, as humans first began migrating from Africa some 60,000 years ago, they carried with them influences that shaped the lives of all who followed.

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