Fences

I was driving through town this afternoon, on my way to pick Ben up from school. I passed by a new addition going up, but all I could see was one house from the mouth of the addition. The fence around this new addition seems huge. That got me thinking.

In the first childhood home that I can remember, one of the things I remember most was that there were no fences. They were virtually unheard of then. When all of the little cookie cutter homes were so close that you could spit on them, or look into your neighbors kitchen, there was no firm line between properties. As a kid it was very liberating. We were constantly in our neighbor's yards. One of our neighbors had the nicest greenest grass, I swear you could sleep on it. It was so plush and green...

I digress.

Anyways, it got me thinking about being a parent and how much I love our fence. It's seriously leaning on one side of our property (hello summer project, I'd like you to meet my husband), but I love our fence. That baffled me for a little bit. I loved being fence free as a kid, but I love fences as an adult. Hmm.... Then I got to thinking, fences not only keep things in, they also keep things OUT. I realize that we live in a totally different time then even when I was a kid.

Sad, but true.

Have you ever been out in a huge field, with no obvious boundaries and felt vulnerable? You feel more visible, more fragile. And although a fence might make some claustrophobic, for others it means security, and assurance.

The topic of fences got me thinking about the fences in our lives. On one hand I feel like I have a perimeter fence around my kids, shielding them and protecting them. We have "visiting hours" when we let friends in for supervised play, but I am usually their "fence" keeping them safe and content. I was very anxious letting Ben go to preschool last year, and this year, and the thought of Kindergarten makes me want to curl up in a ball. I'm letting him out of my "fence" and trusting strangers to put a perimeter around him. Will they keep him safe, like I will? It's one of a mother's worst fears, not being able to protect your kids all the time. I like my fence.

Some people put their fences around their friends and don't let others in. Some put fences around their hearts because they've been hurt before. Some put fences up at church, not letting Jesus get into the deep parts of their lives. And some people put a fence around themselves... closing them off from everything. So that nothing touches them. Fences can be very effective.

As I look over Ben's enrollment form for Kindergarten next year, I think about another fence we'll have to take down, because homeschooling just isn't an option!

But I still plan on running border patrol!