A Thank You
Susan
A few days ago I noticed several mantras are running through my head
daily now - find a way to say yes, what can I do to support my child
in this situation, the relationship is what matters most, we aren't
preparing for living in the world (we're doing it right now), just
change the next interaction with your child, etc. I've made a point to
bring at least one of these things up each day, roll it over in my
head and talk about it with DH when we get a quiet moment.
DH and I were able to have several indepth conversations about
unschooling and we read several threads together that I'd saved to
share with him. He's my partner in parenting and I really want us both
on the same page with unschooling & respectful parenting - he gets
less "thinking" time than I do and less time to put these ideas into
practice, but he's getting it and things have been clicking. I
realized that it is easier for him to parent respectfully when I am
doing it myself.
Anyways, what I wanted to say is THANK YOU for all the ideas you've
helped me discover and the alternate perspectives I've been exposed to
by being on this list. I am very grateful. We've had some very
wonderful moments the past few days and I wanted to share a few of them.
We spent Thursday at the park. In the beginning everyone wanted to do
something different and go in opposite directions and the situation
was starting to escalate - the kids were getting upset and DH & I were
feeling that urge to say something stupid like "you can't always get
your way". But instead of just pulling rank and deciding to go do
Activity A first and then move on to Activity B (because that seems
the most efficient use of our time or some other "rational" reason) we
stopped and took some time to share our ideas with each other. We took
turns talking about what we wanted to do and then we made a plan
everyone agreed with. The kids were really helpful and offered several
suggestions on how to make our day more enjoyable. I know it probably
seems like a little thing, just a baby step, especially to those of
you who have been unschooling for years, but I was so happy about
this! It was great to interact with the kids in this way, to validate
their ideas, to empower them and take them seriously, and treat their
wishes with utmost care.
Saturday we got home late from grocery shopping and as we were pulling
in the driveway my daughter said, "Mom, I want to help you unload the
groceries." I laughed and said, "You just want to unpack the honey we
bought!" (She'd been diligent about making sure we bought honey and
mentioned wanting some when we got home.) She said, "No, I don't care
about the honey, really." So I replied jokingly, "Ah, you're not
sleepy and want something to do." She shook her head, "Nope. You look
tired and I just want to help, that's all." (A year ago I would have
insisted she go straight to bed and probably thought she was just
using stall tactics.) But I went with it and said I'd love to have her
help if she wanted to do that. After I carried DS to bed (he'd fallen
asleep in the car) she helped me unload every single bag from the car
(there were a lot) and then we sorted the food together and she took
charge of putting all the frozen stuff away. It was actually fun to do
it together, I really enjoyed having this time with her and I think
she enjoyed it to - she felt helpful and appreciated. Of course, I
didn't expect her to any of this (and I wouldn't have even asked). As
soon as the last bag was empty she gave me a hug and said "good night
mom!" and went to bed. I just stood there for a few minutes afterwards
with a big stupid, happy grin on my face and thought about what an
amazing kid she is. I also realized that it *shouldn't* be surprising
to me, but coming from a conventional mindset it was wonderfully
refreshing to break away from that mold and trust her intentions and
enjoy the moment, to find joy in putting the groceries away.
Then yesterday the kids asked if we could take a walk to our
neighborhood creek. My first inclination was to say no - I had just
started a rather complicated project, my mind was preoccupied and I
felt pushed for time. Then two of those mantras came zooming into my
head (find a way to say yes and the relationship is what matters).
They clearly wanted this experience I should be honored to share it
with them. I realized that there was nothing happening that I couldn't
walk away from and come back to later, and that my kids were asking
for my attention right now and they were certainly more important than
the project I was working on. So I told them it was great idea and to
give me just 5 minutes to put some stuff away.
When I came into the hallway I found my son waiting at the door with a
backpack full of stuff and it looked pretty heavy. He said that he'd
packed a blanket, a bottle of juice, 3 cups, some books, and a
notebook for drawing. I had the urge to tell him "no" about the juice
and to talk him out of taking the heavy books, for no real reason - my
objections totally fell apart when I examined them more closely. Why
has my first instinct been to say "no"? Anyways, it occurred to me
that these things were clearly part of his plan for spending time at
the creek, he felt they added something important to his adventure,
and it was very thoughtful of him to anticipate what our needs might
be and plan accordingly. (I find myself actually having these
conversations in my head lately but at least they're helping me from
blurting out the first thing that comes to mind.) He also had the dogs
hooked up to their leashes. I wasn't planning to take the dogs but
there really wasn't any reason not to and he wanted to walk them, so
out the door we went. We had a lovely walk and enjoyed a leisurely
time at the creek, where DS spread out the blanket and kept us
hydrated and refreshed with juice. :)
On the way back he wanted to run so he asked if I would carry the
backpack and take the dogs. I could literally hear the words of my
previous mentality (echoing the words of my mother) saying, "It was
your choice to bring the dogs and you insisted on carrying that
backpack, so that's what you need to do." Fortunately I didn't say
that! Instead I held out my hands and he handed me everything. As I
watched him run ahead in that excited, joyous way children do, I felt
this huge weight lift off me. In my mind's eye I could picture those
awful words floating above me like a banner and then they just cracked
and dissipated into little tiny specks until they were totally gone.
Moments like these just make me want them more, to do things better
each day. Small things, I know. But this list has helped me become
more mindful and it IS making a world of difference in our lives,
slowly but surely. Thank you again!! If I could give you all a great
big hug I would! Maybe in September...
-- Susan
daily now - find a way to say yes, what can I do to support my child
in this situation, the relationship is what matters most, we aren't
preparing for living in the world (we're doing it right now), just
change the next interaction with your child, etc. I've made a point to
bring at least one of these things up each day, roll it over in my
head and talk about it with DH when we get a quiet moment.
DH and I were able to have several indepth conversations about
unschooling and we read several threads together that I'd saved to
share with him. He's my partner in parenting and I really want us both
on the same page with unschooling & respectful parenting - he gets
less "thinking" time than I do and less time to put these ideas into
practice, but he's getting it and things have been clicking. I
realized that it is easier for him to parent respectfully when I am
doing it myself.
Anyways, what I wanted to say is THANK YOU for all the ideas you've
helped me discover and the alternate perspectives I've been exposed to
by being on this list. I am very grateful. We've had some very
wonderful moments the past few days and I wanted to share a few of them.
We spent Thursday at the park. In the beginning everyone wanted to do
something different and go in opposite directions and the situation
was starting to escalate - the kids were getting upset and DH & I were
feeling that urge to say something stupid like "you can't always get
your way". But instead of just pulling rank and deciding to go do
Activity A first and then move on to Activity B (because that seems
the most efficient use of our time or some other "rational" reason) we
stopped and took some time to share our ideas with each other. We took
turns talking about what we wanted to do and then we made a plan
everyone agreed with. The kids were really helpful and offered several
suggestions on how to make our day more enjoyable. I know it probably
seems like a little thing, just a baby step, especially to those of
you who have been unschooling for years, but I was so happy about
this! It was great to interact with the kids in this way, to validate
their ideas, to empower them and take them seriously, and treat their
wishes with utmost care.
Saturday we got home late from grocery shopping and as we were pulling
in the driveway my daughter said, "Mom, I want to help you unload the
groceries." I laughed and said, "You just want to unpack the honey we
bought!" (She'd been diligent about making sure we bought honey and
mentioned wanting some when we got home.) She said, "No, I don't care
about the honey, really." So I replied jokingly, "Ah, you're not
sleepy and want something to do." She shook her head, "Nope. You look
tired and I just want to help, that's all." (A year ago I would have
insisted she go straight to bed and probably thought she was just
using stall tactics.) But I went with it and said I'd love to have her
help if she wanted to do that. After I carried DS to bed (he'd fallen
asleep in the car) she helped me unload every single bag from the car
(there were a lot) and then we sorted the food together and she took
charge of putting all the frozen stuff away. It was actually fun to do
it together, I really enjoyed having this time with her and I think
she enjoyed it to - she felt helpful and appreciated. Of course, I
didn't expect her to any of this (and I wouldn't have even asked). As
soon as the last bag was empty she gave me a hug and said "good night
mom!" and went to bed. I just stood there for a few minutes afterwards
with a big stupid, happy grin on my face and thought about what an
amazing kid she is. I also realized that it *shouldn't* be surprising
to me, but coming from a conventional mindset it was wonderfully
refreshing to break away from that mold and trust her intentions and
enjoy the moment, to find joy in putting the groceries away.
Then yesterday the kids asked if we could take a walk to our
neighborhood creek. My first inclination was to say no - I had just
started a rather complicated project, my mind was preoccupied and I
felt pushed for time. Then two of those mantras came zooming into my
head (find a way to say yes and the relationship is what matters).
They clearly wanted this experience I should be honored to share it
with them. I realized that there was nothing happening that I couldn't
walk away from and come back to later, and that my kids were asking
for my attention right now and they were certainly more important than
the project I was working on. So I told them it was great idea and to
give me just 5 minutes to put some stuff away.
When I came into the hallway I found my son waiting at the door with a
backpack full of stuff and it looked pretty heavy. He said that he'd
packed a blanket, a bottle of juice, 3 cups, some books, and a
notebook for drawing. I had the urge to tell him "no" about the juice
and to talk him out of taking the heavy books, for no real reason - my
objections totally fell apart when I examined them more closely. Why
has my first instinct been to say "no"? Anyways, it occurred to me
that these things were clearly part of his plan for spending time at
the creek, he felt they added something important to his adventure,
and it was very thoughtful of him to anticipate what our needs might
be and plan accordingly. (I find myself actually having these
conversations in my head lately but at least they're helping me from
blurting out the first thing that comes to mind.) He also had the dogs
hooked up to their leashes. I wasn't planning to take the dogs but
there really wasn't any reason not to and he wanted to walk them, so
out the door we went. We had a lovely walk and enjoyed a leisurely
time at the creek, where DS spread out the blanket and kept us
hydrated and refreshed with juice. :)
On the way back he wanted to run so he asked if I would carry the
backpack and take the dogs. I could literally hear the words of my
previous mentality (echoing the words of my mother) saying, "It was
your choice to bring the dogs and you insisted on carrying that
backpack, so that's what you need to do." Fortunately I didn't say
that! Instead I held out my hands and he handed me everything. As I
watched him run ahead in that excited, joyous way children do, I felt
this huge weight lift off me. In my mind's eye I could picture those
awful words floating above me like a banner and then they just cracked
and dissipated into little tiny specks until they were totally gone.
Moments like these just make me want them more, to do things better
each day. Small things, I know. But this list has helped me become
more mindful and it IS making a world of difference in our lives,
slowly but surely. Thank you again!! If I could give you all a great
big hug I would! Maybe in September...
-- Susan
c. blanton
Hi Susan,
What a wonderful account to share with us! I am glad, you and your family had such a great day. Isn't it amazing, how thinking differently can change everything?
That is called Law Of Attraction.
Have a blessed day
Rev. Claudia H. Blanton
Homeschool Coach/Life Coach/EFT-Practioner
Susan <SusanYvonne@...> wrote:
A few days ago I noticed several mantras are running through my head
daily now - find a way to say yes, what can I do to support my child
in this situation, the relationship is what matters most, we aren't
preparing for living in the world (we're doing it right now), just
change the next interaction with your child, etc. I've made a point to
bring at least one of these things up each day, roll it over in my
head and talk about it with DH when we get a quiet moment.
DH and I were able to have several indepth conversations about
unschooling and we read several threads together that I'd saved to
share with him. He's my partner in parenting and I really want us both
on the same page with unschooling & respectful parenting - he gets
less "thinking" time than I do and less time to put these ideas into
practice, but he's getting it and things have been clicking. I
realized that it is easier for him to parent respectfully when I am
doing it myself.
Anyways, what I wanted to say is THANK YOU for all the ideas you've
helped me discover and the alternate perspectives I've been exposed to
by being on this list. I am very grateful. We've had some very
wonderful moments the past few days and I wanted to share a few of them.
We spent Thursday at the park. In the beginning everyone wanted to do
something different and go in opposite directions and the situation
was starting to escalate - the kids were getting upset and DH & I were
feeling that urge to say something stupid like "you can't always get
your way". But instead of just pulling rank and deciding to go do
Activity A first and then move on to Activity B (because that seems
the most efficient use of our time or some other "rational" reason) we
stopped and took some time to share our ideas with each other. We took
turns talking about what we wanted to do and then we made a plan
everyone agreed with. The kids were really helpful and offered several
suggestions on how to make our day more enjoyable. I know it probably
seems like a little thing, just a baby step, especially to those of
you who have been unschooling for years, but I was so happy about
this! It was great to interact with the kids in this way, to validate
their ideas, to empower them and take them seriously, and treat their
wishes with utmost care.
Saturday we got home late from grocery shopping and as we were pulling
in the driveway my daughter said, "Mom, I want to help you unload the
groceries." I laughed and said, "You just want to unpack the honey we
bought!" (She'd been diligent about making sure we bought honey and
mentioned wanting some when we got home.) She said, "No, I don't care
about the honey, really." So I replied jokingly, "Ah, you're not
sleepy and want something to do." She shook her head, "Nope. You look
tired and I just want to help, that's all." (A year ago I would have
insisted she go straight to bed and probably thought she was just
using stall tactics.) But I went with it and said I'd love to have her
help if she wanted to do that. After I carried DS to bed (he'd fallen
asleep in the car) she helped me unload every single bag from the car
(there were a lot) and then we sorted the food together and she took
charge of putting all the frozen stuff away. It was actually fun to do
it together, I really enjoyed having this time with her and I think
she enjoyed it to - she felt helpful and appreciated. Of course, I
didn't expect her to any of this (and I wouldn't have even asked). As
soon as the last bag was empty she gave me a hug and said "good night
mom!" and went to bed. I just stood there for a few minutes afterwards
with a big stupid, happy grin on my face and thought about what an
amazing kid she is. I also realized that it *shouldn't* be surprising
to me, but coming from a conventional mindset it was wonderfully
refreshing to break away from that mold and trust her intentions and
enjoy the moment, to find joy in putting the groceries away.
Then yesterday the kids asked if we could take a walk to our
neighborhood creek. My first inclination was to say no - I had just
started a rather complicated project, my mind was preoccupied and I
felt pushed for time. Then two of those mantras came zooming into my
head (find a way to say yes and the relationship is what matters).
They clearly wanted this experience I should be honored to share it
with them. I realized that there was nothing happening that I couldn't
walk away from and come back to later, and that my kids were asking
for my attention right now and they were certainly more important than
the project I was working on. So I told them it was great idea and to
give me just 5 minutes to put some stuff away.
When I came into the hallway I found my son waiting at the door with a
backpack full of stuff and it looked pretty heavy. He said that he'd
packed a blanket, a bottle of juice, 3 cups, some books, and a
notebook for drawing. I had the urge to tell him "no" about the juice
and to talk him out of taking the heavy books, for no real reason - my
objections totally fell apart when I examined them more closely. Why
has my first instinct been to say "no"? Anyways, it occurred to me
that these things were clearly part of his plan for spending time at
the creek, he felt they added something important to his adventure,
and it was very thoughtful of him to anticipate what our needs might
be and plan accordingly. (I find myself actually having these
conversations in my head lately but at least they're helping me from
blurting out the first thing that comes to mind.) He also had the dogs
hooked up to their leashes. I wasn't planning to take the dogs but
there really wasn't any reason not to and he wanted to walk them, so
out the door we went. We had a lovely walk and enjoyed a leisurely
time at the creek, where DS spread out the blanket and kept us
hydrated and refreshed with juice. :)
On the way back he wanted to run so he asked if I would carry the
backpack and take the dogs. I could literally hear the words of my
previous mentality (echoing the words of my mother) saying, "It was
your choice to bring the dogs and you insisted on carrying that
backpack, so that's what you need to do." Fortunately I didn't say
that! Instead I held out my hands and he handed me everything. As I
watched him run ahead in that excited, joyous way children do, I felt
this huge weight lift off me. In my mind's eye I could picture those
awful words floating above me like a banner and then they just cracked
and dissipated into little tiny specks until they were totally gone.
Moments like these just make me want them more, to do things better
each day. Small things, I know. But this list has helped me become
more mindful and it IS making a world of difference in our lives,
slowly but surely. Thank you again!! If I could give you all a great
big hug I would! Maybe in September...
-- Susan
---------------------------------
Choose the right car based on your needs. Check out Yahoo! Autos new Car Finder tool.
---------------------------------
Choose the right car based on your needs. Check out Yahoo! Autos new Car Finder tool.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
What a wonderful account to share with us! I am glad, you and your family had such a great day. Isn't it amazing, how thinking differently can change everything?
That is called Law Of Attraction.
Have a blessed day
Rev. Claudia H. Blanton
Homeschool Coach/Life Coach/EFT-Practioner
Susan <SusanYvonne@...> wrote:
A few days ago I noticed several mantras are running through my head
daily now - find a way to say yes, what can I do to support my child
in this situation, the relationship is what matters most, we aren't
preparing for living in the world (we're doing it right now), just
change the next interaction with your child, etc. I've made a point to
bring at least one of these things up each day, roll it over in my
head and talk about it with DH when we get a quiet moment.
DH and I were able to have several indepth conversations about
unschooling and we read several threads together that I'd saved to
share with him. He's my partner in parenting and I really want us both
on the same page with unschooling & respectful parenting - he gets
less "thinking" time than I do and less time to put these ideas into
practice, but he's getting it and things have been clicking. I
realized that it is easier for him to parent respectfully when I am
doing it myself.
Anyways, what I wanted to say is THANK YOU for all the ideas you've
helped me discover and the alternate perspectives I've been exposed to
by being on this list. I am very grateful. We've had some very
wonderful moments the past few days and I wanted to share a few of them.
We spent Thursday at the park. In the beginning everyone wanted to do
something different and go in opposite directions and the situation
was starting to escalate - the kids were getting upset and DH & I were
feeling that urge to say something stupid like "you can't always get
your way". But instead of just pulling rank and deciding to go do
Activity A first and then move on to Activity B (because that seems
the most efficient use of our time or some other "rational" reason) we
stopped and took some time to share our ideas with each other. We took
turns talking about what we wanted to do and then we made a plan
everyone agreed with. The kids were really helpful and offered several
suggestions on how to make our day more enjoyable. I know it probably
seems like a little thing, just a baby step, especially to those of
you who have been unschooling for years, but I was so happy about
this! It was great to interact with the kids in this way, to validate
their ideas, to empower them and take them seriously, and treat their
wishes with utmost care.
Saturday we got home late from grocery shopping and as we were pulling
in the driveway my daughter said, "Mom, I want to help you unload the
groceries." I laughed and said, "You just want to unpack the honey we
bought!" (She'd been diligent about making sure we bought honey and
mentioned wanting some when we got home.) She said, "No, I don't care
about the honey, really." So I replied jokingly, "Ah, you're not
sleepy and want something to do." She shook her head, "Nope. You look
tired and I just want to help, that's all." (A year ago I would have
insisted she go straight to bed and probably thought she was just
using stall tactics.) But I went with it and said I'd love to have her
help if she wanted to do that. After I carried DS to bed (he'd fallen
asleep in the car) she helped me unload every single bag from the car
(there were a lot) and then we sorted the food together and she took
charge of putting all the frozen stuff away. It was actually fun to do
it together, I really enjoyed having this time with her and I think
she enjoyed it to - she felt helpful and appreciated. Of course, I
didn't expect her to any of this (and I wouldn't have even asked). As
soon as the last bag was empty she gave me a hug and said "good night
mom!" and went to bed. I just stood there for a few minutes afterwards
with a big stupid, happy grin on my face and thought about what an
amazing kid she is. I also realized that it *shouldn't* be surprising
to me, but coming from a conventional mindset it was wonderfully
refreshing to break away from that mold and trust her intentions and
enjoy the moment, to find joy in putting the groceries away.
Then yesterday the kids asked if we could take a walk to our
neighborhood creek. My first inclination was to say no - I had just
started a rather complicated project, my mind was preoccupied and I
felt pushed for time. Then two of those mantras came zooming into my
head (find a way to say yes and the relationship is what matters).
They clearly wanted this experience I should be honored to share it
with them. I realized that there was nothing happening that I couldn't
walk away from and come back to later, and that my kids were asking
for my attention right now and they were certainly more important than
the project I was working on. So I told them it was great idea and to
give me just 5 minutes to put some stuff away.
When I came into the hallway I found my son waiting at the door with a
backpack full of stuff and it looked pretty heavy. He said that he'd
packed a blanket, a bottle of juice, 3 cups, some books, and a
notebook for drawing. I had the urge to tell him "no" about the juice
and to talk him out of taking the heavy books, for no real reason - my
objections totally fell apart when I examined them more closely. Why
has my first instinct been to say "no"? Anyways, it occurred to me
that these things were clearly part of his plan for spending time at
the creek, he felt they added something important to his adventure,
and it was very thoughtful of him to anticipate what our needs might
be and plan accordingly. (I find myself actually having these
conversations in my head lately but at least they're helping me from
blurting out the first thing that comes to mind.) He also had the dogs
hooked up to their leashes. I wasn't planning to take the dogs but
there really wasn't any reason not to and he wanted to walk them, so
out the door we went. We had a lovely walk and enjoyed a leisurely
time at the creek, where DS spread out the blanket and kept us
hydrated and refreshed with juice. :)
On the way back he wanted to run so he asked if I would carry the
backpack and take the dogs. I could literally hear the words of my
previous mentality (echoing the words of my mother) saying, "It was
your choice to bring the dogs and you insisted on carrying that
backpack, so that's what you need to do." Fortunately I didn't say
that! Instead I held out my hands and he handed me everything. As I
watched him run ahead in that excited, joyous way children do, I felt
this huge weight lift off me. In my mind's eye I could picture those
awful words floating above me like a banner and then they just cracked
and dissipated into little tiny specks until they were totally gone.
Moments like these just make me want them more, to do things better
each day. Small things, I know. But this list has helped me become
more mindful and it IS making a world of difference in our lives,
slowly but surely. Thank you again!! If I could give you all a great
big hug I would! Maybe in September...
-- Susan
---------------------------------
Choose the right car based on your needs. Check out Yahoo! Autos new Car Finder tool.
---------------------------------
Choose the right car based on your needs. Check out Yahoo! Autos new Car Finder tool.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Ren Allen
~~That is called Law Of Attraction.~~
No, it's called making different choices. It's called mindful
parenting. It's called action.
You can sit around having different thoughts all you want (and yes,
thoughts are very powerful things) but until you ACT, nothing changes.
It takes no new age voodoo or any kind of dogma to act. Sure, our
thinking has to change in order to take steps into mindful parenting,
but sitting around thinking positive thoughts won't get a person very far.
Action is key.
Making a better choice with each interaction with our children can
change lives forever.
Let's remember this list is diverse and preaching any kind of dogma or
religion is discouraged. I don't mind people referencing links to
ideas or philosophies. I do get bothered if there is constant
reference to it though. Thanks!
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
No, it's called making different choices. It's called mindful
parenting. It's called action.
You can sit around having different thoughts all you want (and yes,
thoughts are very powerful things) but until you ACT, nothing changes.
It takes no new age voodoo or any kind of dogma to act. Sure, our
thinking has to change in order to take steps into mindful parenting,
but sitting around thinking positive thoughts won't get a person very far.
Action is key.
Making a better choice with each interaction with our children can
change lives forever.
Let's remember this list is diverse and preaching any kind of dogma or
religion is discouraged. I don't mind people referencing links to
ideas or philosophies. I do get bothered if there is constant
reference to it though. Thanks!
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
Brian & Alexandra Polikowsky
What a wonderful post Susan !
Alex
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Alex
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 6/12/2007 11:59:43 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
SusanYvonne@... writes:
I just stood there for a few minutes afterwards
with a big stupid, happy grin on my face and thought about what an
amazing kid she is.
I just had to say how nice it is to see that others do that too. Sometimes I
am totally dumbfounded at the wonderful-ness of my kids (if that's not a
word, it is now, lol). As your next sentence said, you know you "Shouldn't" be
surprised, and I suppose that's true - I shouldn't be either. But as the kids
age, mellow, grow out of the school shell they have on (2 I am working hard to
get out of school, but they like the convention right now, but yet, I see
their development and growth which makes me smile), I am often caught standing
with a smile or tears in my eyes - so happy that my kids are whothey are.
Karen
************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
SusanYvonne@... writes:
I just stood there for a few minutes afterwards
with a big stupid, happy grin on my face and thought about what an
amazing kid she is.
I just had to say how nice it is to see that others do that too. Sometimes I
am totally dumbfounded at the wonderful-ness of my kids (if that's not a
word, it is now, lol). As your next sentence said, you know you "Shouldn't" be
surprised, and I suppose that's true - I shouldn't be either. But as the kids
age, mellow, grow out of the school shell they have on (2 I am working hard to
get out of school, but they like the convention right now, but yet, I see
their development and growth which makes me smile), I am often caught standing
with a smile or tears in my eyes - so happy that my kids are whothey are.
Karen
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