I gave a copy of The Mountain Climber to some good friends of mine soon after it was published. After reading it, they offered another moral to add to those listed on the back.

"Spend time with your children," they said, "or they'll go on without you."

Its easy to forget that our children are individuals in their own right, and have their own journey to make. Walking beside them on their journey can be rewarding for both the adult and the child, but if we don't make time to do that, they will go on without us.

If we allow that to happen, it is our loss as much as theirs.