My daughters clearly have revolution in their systems by now. For many weeks they’ve been studying the American Revolution in school, and they’ve also been living with Jung and me starting our own personal revolution. Just as many Patriots were trying to live their truth during the years leading up to the American Revolution, despite a political climate which denied their freedoms and threatened their lives, Jung and I are trying to shed many of the freedom-limiting assumptions we have adopted over the years and to live our truth in our own lives. Knowing the incredible observational and intuitive powers of children, I have no doubt that S and J have picked up on what we’re doing.

At home, too, we make an effort to help our daughters to be as honest as possible with us, each other, and most importantly with themselves. We want them to understand that although it can be tempting to dissemble for the sake of a short-term gain, or to avoid a responsibility, living honestly is less stressful and more joyful in the long run.

All of this talk of revolution and honesty has gotten into our daughter J for sure and may have led her into some hot water a week ago: she spoke the truth to a person in authority about the events she wrote about in her song, but that person didn’t appreciate what J had to say. In fact, that authoritarian took exception to J speaking up in the way she did.

For a week now, Jung and I have tried to resolve this issue a number times and in a number of ways, but it’s been unsatisfactory and frankly, exhausting. Part of the challenge is a happy one, really: J is not easily tricked or bamboozled. When someone tries to convince her with verbal gymnastics, she sees through the smoke and mirrors with ease although she can’t always articulate what’s bothering her. (She’s like me in that way come to think of it.) She just knows that she hasn’t been convinced and more than that, that she can’t trust the person who was trying to convince her. In this case, the person in authority has been trying to convince J that she owes them an apology, but J remains unconvinced. If anything, I think J feels that she is the one who is owed an apology at this point.

This is looking like a situation where we all may need to just let it go, while making sure that J knows that Jung and I support her completely. We want to make sure that J continues to speak her truth, especially to people in positions of authority, and that she continues to keep those around her honest: walking their talk and keeping their word.

J herself said something insightful a few days ago:

“There is no revolution which does not offend anyone.”

I’m very grateful that she recognizes this at such a young age. Keep on offending, my valiant revolutionary. Your truth will set us all free.