Inheritance

You’ve failed countlessly,

over and over,

yet somehow you still believe

you can raise a child.

It won’t be easy.

Like anything worth holding,

it will come with challenges

you already know by heart.

They’ll never be you—

so get over it now,

before it’s too late.

The sooner you embrace

their individuality,

the less resentment

you’ll harvest in return.

Children are not extensions,

they are beginnings.

They are not shadows,

they are light learning

to find its own shape.

Your job is not to mold them,

but to guide.

Not to own them,

but to love.

And if you do—

perhaps they will forgive

the places where you faltered,

and carry your name forward,

not as a burden,

but as a seed

that grows into its own tree.