As my 17 year old edges ever-closer to 18, more and more often there are glimpses of the man he will become. He’s filling out college applications and finishing an essay that reveals a strong and accurate sense of the experiences that have most enriched his life and made him the young man he is. Aware that I’ve had a hard day, he reminds me that he’s here to talk and listen if I need support. At the end of the week, when I remind him that I will make him breakfast before he heads to an ACT workshop in the morning, he kisses my cheek and tells me he loves me. Planning to write thank you notes to his coaches, he asks for my advice to select the right cards.
Parenting often feels like you are cheerfully stepping into an abyss, hopeful that it will all be okay. There are plenty of days when you live with a cranky baby, a moody tween, or an angry teenager and you wonder how this whole thing is going to play out. But if you are lucky, there are days when you think you’ve sent a kind-hearted person into a world that needs kindness more than ever. And on those days you count your blessings. Today is one of those days.
That's happy.
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