independence from the swamp

Reflections on children -- bearing, being and letting be.

Illustration by Amy Ly (Graphic Designer, The Continuist) IG: @famy.ly_dessart

By Leila Kazeminejad (IG: @kazemoneyjad)

Co-Editor-in-Chief, The Continuist

there is a distinct difference between:

hating children and not wanting children.

you can choose not to have children, but still love them.

even wanting a child is not enough justification to have one. a child is not like naming a character and expecting them to become an extension of you. you’re creating a lifetime dedication to caring, loving, and accepting someone unconditionally despite their errors along the way. you do not have a child, half-assed, ready to deny them for their undetermined sexuality, gender, opinions, or aspirations. you will have to let go of your singular understanding of the world and commit to understanding theirs. it is your duty to give them space, to nurture their independence from the swamp, to help them become as open-minded, passionate, and ambitious as you can. it is your job to teach them the grays of the world and to let them go when the grays become their world. this is who you

should be prepared to become.

and maybe i’m not.

maybe i won’t ever be. but,

don’t you dare set in stone declarations from my youth.

my decisions are malleable and shifting,

they will not be your “ha-ha i told you so!” moment,

they are contemplations, the growth of my preparation and

me becoming:

independent from the swamp.