Persian poet Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet:
Your children are not your children.They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself;
They come through you but not from 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 lie in the house of tomorrow,
Which you cannot visit,
Not even in your dreams!
I personally think this is one great poem. I have been trying to find a way to express my feelings about parents' control over their children. Control their emotions, but not their thoughts. What is that feeling you get when a poet writes exactly how you feel about something? Can I call it resonance? If I can call it so, I felt resonance with the line "You may give them your love but not your thoughts." Absolutely amazing line. And note the use of "may" in the line. Parents need not give their children the love they "need".
When A loves B, A must give what B wants, but not what A "thinks" what B wants or needs. That is unselfish love.
