Home is a road on which our children learn to steer. They learn to steer as they watch us navigate our own pathways. Their steering biases are, to some extent, determined by our DNA and our family history. We may not have control over these boundaries and contours. However, we do have control over the signposts we raise in the home to guide their steering.
As parents, the signposts at home cannot be fixed rigid and unchanging; they must adapt to the new conditions faced by our children as they grow and develop. Speeds at one age are inappropriate for the next. In times of turbulence and transition, our signposts need to raise caution and reduce risks. In times of opportunity, they need to signal the way to adventure and exploration. As parents, we need to signpost for the times and for the seasons.
We also need to signpost for the particular driver them self. Each of our children is developing a unique and particular pattern of steering. The signposts essential for one may be inappropriate for another. One child may be highly trust them self, and the other to highly questioning of them self; each will need specific and different signposts to help them learn how to steer in a healthy way.