“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.”
— Kahlil Gibran
Ever read a quote about parenthood that felt like your soul just exhaled?
That quote? It hit me right in the chest. Because as a parent it speaks the loudest truth:
We are not just raising children. We are launching them.
In fact, that quote about parenthood inspired this post. It also showed up as I was deep in research for the theme of our next book which, of course, came from our last Creativity Challenge: Archery. You see, I don’t know what I’m going to write the next book about. The kids decide. Seriously. I call it Participatory Publishing. They help shape the stories, earn real money for the causes they care about, and—without even knowing it—get a firsthand masterclass in agency, authorship, and courage.
Let’s unpack the bow, the arrow, and the wild ride in between.
What Parenthood and Publishing Have in Common
Parenting is a lot like archery.
Sometimes you feel pulled so far back you wonder if you’ll ever launch forward.
Sometimes you miss the target.
And sometimes, you realize the point wasn’t the bullseye—it was the aim.
But that’s the gig. Our job as parents isn’t to control the direction. It’s to give them the strength and flexibility of a solid bow—and then let go.
And when we do that intentionally? We empower youth. We create story-shapers. We build the next generation of confident, curious creators who are not only ready to take their own shot, but to decide for themselves the direction in which they should aim.
And that takes practice. It takes trust. And it takes models of leadership where youth don’t just watch—they participate. They contribute. And they see, in real-time, the effect their words and ideas can have on something real.
When they feel seen, when they see their names printed in a real book, something transformational happens: they don’t just read differently—they think differently. They carry that agency with them.
Participatory Publishing: The Bow That Bends
This all started because I didn’t want to just write stories for kids. I wanted to build a model where kids co-create them—with real input, real recognition, and real impact.
Every book I publish includes three Creativity Challenges:
Theme Team — pick the concept
Word Weaver — shape the dialogue
Sketch-Off — design the visuals
Winners get 25% of launch royalties to donate to the school, library, or club of their choice. And they get featured in every book’s Story Shapers Spotlight.
Because when kids see their ideas on a printed page, something clicks:
“I matter.”
“My ideas have power.”
“I’m not just reading the story—I’m shaping it.”
And if that’s not the definition of empowering youth, I don’t know what is.
Quote About Parenthood = A Bridge
That Gibran quote? It’s not just poetic—it’s strategic. It reminds us that our job isn’t to steer our children’s path. It’s to build strong, steady bows that can handle the tension and still fire straight.
Whether it’s parenting, publishing, or just living in community, we’re all part of one larger creative ecosystem. And the more we hand off the pen, the more empowered their story becomes.
Parenthood, like authorship, is collaborative. It’s imperfect. It’s a series of rewrites. And if we do it right, the next generation doesn’t just inherit our stories—they write their own.
Wanna Join This Story? You Can. Right Now.
📌 Vote in this week’s Creativity Challenge. Seriously—it takes 30 seconds.
📌 Share this blog with someone who cares about empowering youth and storytelling that means something.
📌 Reflect on your own quote about parenthood. What metaphor hits you the hardest? Share it in the comments.
Together, let’s raise our bows, aim high, and launch arrows that fly farther than we ever imagined.
Let’s shape the story. Together.
