Seeds of Patience: What Planting Onions with My Child Taught Me About Growth

My six‑year‑old son and I stand together in the soft, golden light of a winter morning. Outside, the world lies quiet under a thin layer of snow. Inside, our kitchen hums with gentle purpose. On an old sour cream container cover, tiny onion seeds rest—black flecks of promise. The soil waits to cradle them in recycled strawberry cartons. My son points to the sunbeam and whispers that the floating dust looks like magic. I smile and agree.

With tweezers in hand, I show him how to lift each seed and drop it into place. He tries once, twice, and then finds his rhythm. We do this a hundred times—two sets of hands planting quiet hope in the soil. The air smells of earth and possibility. Even in midwinter, there’s life brewing under our fingertips.

I am struck by how vulnerable each seed is—relying entirely on us for warmth, water, and light. They hold the potential to feed our family, just as my son holds his own potential, waiting for the right care to help him thrive. I can give him a home, guidance, and love, but not control what takes root or how quickly it grows. All I can do is nurture and trust.

Each morning, we peek into the trays. Nothing happens—until, suddenly, everything does. A thin green shoot bends toward the light, impossibly fragile yet fierce in its will to live. I feel that same thrill watching my son master something new. The patience, the waiting, the joy of discovery—all unfolds in its own time.

Over the weeks, we’ll water carefully, clip the tops, and ready the seedlings for their place in the garden. By summer, they’ll feed us, just as these shared moments feed me in ways I never expected. It feels good to know that something small, started with care, can ripple outward into community.

Gardening keeps teaching me that growth—whether in a seed, a child, or a neighborhood—comes from the same things: attention, patience, and faith in what we cannot yet see. Maybe that’s why tending these small beginnings feels so deeply hopeful.

In my next post, I’ll share exactly how we start our onions indoors each January, in case you’d like to bring a little green magic into your own winter days.

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