when your child grows

When your child grows,
His very face softly glows—
Not from borrowed dreams,
But the truth his spirit knows.

Let him wander, let him fall,
Let him rise by inner call;
Time is only passing dust,
Man is the river—pain and trust.

Do not cage him in your fear,
Nor script the path you hold so dear;
Love is not control or rule,
It’s faith in lessons life will school.

For clocks may tick and seasons close,
Yet man still flows where meaning goes;
When your child becomes his own,
Your love is seen—not overthrown.