Late night ramblings

This was the ending to a near perfect day, my son building a fire even though it was close to 90 degrees outside, and his mommy letting go and just letting him, even though all reason spoke against it. Well my family was coming over today by default really, two single men and a grandmother who is unable to host family get together s leaves this task to me which means I have to clean, clean, clean.
For months now I have been neglecting my fish, unable to just flush them down the toilet, that would just be too cruel, I just figured if over time they just died it would be easier down the road, if I move. So, I have not cleaned their tank for months, many days they have not been fed, still they thrive on. It was looking disgusting and since my family was coming I finally broke down today and cleaned their tank, I swear they seemed so happy swimming around actually being able to see.
I know this is a stupid analogy but it is something that I find so true in my life all too often. The more I leave things alone the better they seem to turn out.
When I first entered the world of being a pet owner, and yes by pet I am referring to fish, I did everything for them. I measured everything out, kept the tank at an even temperature, I even bought fish medicine for when they looked sick...no matter what I did they still died. When babies were born, I would put them in a little area protected from the bigger fish, so they could grow and make it on their own without being eaten. Still most of the time they died.
This past Christmas morning we found five baby fish swimming around in our little aquarium and I decided I was just going to leave them alone, guess what they are all still alive, their the ones I can't get to die.
Like my silly fish, some people do not thrive in a controlled environment...but I can say people and fish alike, the least amount of meddling on my part, the more positive the outcome.
This is something that I am trying to grasp as a mother with my son who is spreading his wings out further each day. I am learning that balance of letting him go down the big hill on his scooter, when I am not right there to catch him if he falls. Letting him build a fire, and if he get's burnt then he will be more careful next time. My repeated words over time are pretty futile in these circumstances. The experience is what is going to teach my child, it will leave the longest lasting impression. I have to let go at these times and let him learn this way even though it opens up so many more opportunities for him to hurt.
So yes, I did let my son cut our green beans today with his pocket knife, because this made him feel like somebody, this was a big deal to him, so I made a big deal out of it as well, even though deep down I'm still trying to get over the fact that my little boy has a pocket knife in his pocket.
My rather drawn out point is, it's going to happen, however it happens, so let it and be there for your child when they need you.
Ramblings from a young mother in the middle of the night...