Paper Airplanes

The art of folding a paper airplane is something every child, particularly every boy, should know in order to grow into a well-adjusted and healthy man.  While they are little, I am perfectly willing to carefully craft their origami flying machines, but come about six years old, they must learn to do it themselves.  And this is a trial for me.  Because I like straight lines and neat folds.  And every time Elijah comes to me with a kittywampus airplane in progress, it takes much inner strength to not press it out flat and start it all over.  But this is part of parenting.  Letting them learn and grow and make mistakes and improve.  And I think it's probably good for me to learn how to let them learn now, while they're young and their biggest struggles are with making straight folds.  The day will come when they will have a task much bigger, more difficult and critical than making paper airplanes.  And I pray that when it arrives we'll both be ready for it -- them to work at it as for the Lord, and me to let them do their best, even if it means crooked lines.