4 The Hampton Roads Messenger
Choosing to Cut the Apron Strings?
Editorial
Even when parents seem to be pushing their children out of the nest it was the child’s decision to let the parent in on the secret that the child is equipped with all of the necessary tools to make it on their own.
would leave
I know in my case, I thought I the
“strings” attached
for just a tad bit longer, when out of nowhere, I felt as though I was being dragged down I-40 from North Carolina to California by those very strings.
My child began an internship in BY ANGELA JONES “Cut the apron strings” is a
phrase that can be heard quite often by well-meaning relatives, friends and even strangers. I recently had to ask myself, do people have any idea what this phrase means? Do the people who toss this phrase about even have children?
Well, I have a child in college and
I can honestly say that the phrase “cut the apron strings,” should be banned from the English language because it offers false hope. These words imply that a parent will one day have a choice to either keep some type of metaphorical strings attached to their child or to decisively detach them. Is that ever the case? Does a parent ever make the decision to leave attached or to detach these strings?
I think not. Regardless of what
we would like to think, I believe the decision is ultimately up to the child whether he or she will stay close to the nest or soar high above the tree tops.
Silicon Valley this summer and with more than 3,000 miles between us those strings just snapped. I know it may seem late to most people but I felt like we both needed a little extra time before we completely severed the ties that bounded us at the hip for more than two decades, since my child had been homeschooled from first grade through high school.
Well, the distance and the sense of
independence garnered from working for one of the largest companies in the world, can make anyone feel fearless and ready to take on the world.
Of course the summer is over now and the little birdie wants to be back in the nest so it will not have to spend its “nest egg” on getting its own nest; but it is too late. The “cat is out of the bag.” The baby bird has shown that it can survive and thrive on its own as nature intended.
So, ready or not, the apron strings
are flapping in the wind unattached and I may just adopt another protégé or two. Or there is always the option to fly solo again.
Volume 10 Number 14 Virginia Artists FROM PAGE 3
September 2016
Best in Show award for Greg Henry a photograph by Kristin Skees On view concurrently is Plumb
the Depths: Mixed Media by Wade Mickley. Mickley is featured in this one person exhibition as a result of having won the Best in Show award in Virginia Artists 2015 Juried Exhibition.
primitive art, personal angst, and all forms of
graphic
Inspired by folk art, design,
his work
contains an intriguing awkwardness that has a rhythm between contour, color, and mistake. His work is a meditation on the unpredictability of life.
“Sometimes I start out with no
preconceived idea of the finished piece and let the objects and images interact with one another to build the scenario,” says Mickley. “I believe that pretend play is a creative act unto itself because the child is always making something out of nothing, as is the artist.”
The exhibitions continue through
October 9, 2016. Admission is Free. The Charles H. Taylor Arts Center is open Tuesday-Friday 10:00am - 6:00pm and Saturday-Sunday 1:00pm - 5:00pm. For more information, visit
HamptonArts.net.
Established 2006 Angela Jones, Publisher Chris Parks, Editor
Rae Willis, Graphic Designer Ida Davis, Contributing Writer
PO Box 10414 ● Norfolk, VA 23513
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