Doran Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I am feeling quite proud of my daughters tonight, and I hope you won't mind if I share why. It's actually meant to inspire you to take a good look at your kids RIGHT NOW, in hopes that you'll see past any whining or disobedience, the runny nose, the messy room, the night terrors, the finicky food fetishes, etc., etc., to the the beautiful people that they surely are. I imagine you won't have to look too hard. My youngest (will be 12 in December): She has become the subject of a fair amount of teasing at school, yet she continues to hold her own and to maintain a relatively positive attitude (particularly given that she states she has no friends in her class). Thank goodness she started out with a profoundly sunny disposition. She brought home her first Interim Report (grades) from school -- remember this is my mildly dyslexic child who is attending school for the first time in her life -- and she has all A's except for one B in Language Arts. She is auditioning for the school play tomorrow afternoon. She came to me minutes ago and said, "May I have a hug. I just feel like I need a hug." My oldest (was 14 in August): She is in her stride. I've not known a 9th grader to be any more certain of who she is and how she is. Despite the fact that she is not a particularly good fit with her classmates (I think because she is both more intelligent and more mature), she has connected with kids a grade or two higher than her in a meaningful way. Her Interim Report was a string of A's. She is a member of a club crew team and, this season, has held the "stroke" position even though she is the youngest member in her boat. She is attending her first dance (Homecoming) this Saturday night. We borrowed dresses from a friend who graduated two years ago and decided on one of two tonight. She tried it on immediately after returning home from today's regatta (a race for which she left home this morning at 6:00 am), plunked her hair in a clip atop her head, and grinned. She took my breath away with how lovely she looked. It was this last bit that put me over the top. It heightened my awareness of how well these children are growing, how beautifully they are becoming young women, how long ago it seems that they were interminably whiny, runny nosed, and utterly dependent. Our children are a precious gift. You know this. But, sometimes it's nice to be reminded to snatch it, hold it, and breathe it in. For it transforms into something new almost before your eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Our children are a precious gift. You know this. But, sometimes it's nice to be reminded to snatch it, hold it, and breathe it in. For it transforms into something new almost before your eyes. :crying: Ok, now you've done it. *sniff* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camibami Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 :crying: Stop! I'll cry! My girls impressed me tonight watching Amazing Race, when a team said "Its all in Spanish!" both girls' announced that it couldn't be Spanish, since they were in *Brazil*. :lol: Tell your girlies good job from me, and if you find a way to keep them from growing up, please share! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 That's great! Yes, my kids impress me all the time. It's what makes all the hard work so worth it. My kids are so amazing. I didn't know this kind of love was possible, did you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelda Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Great stories! My kids impress me a lot with how kind they are. They are much nicer than I will ever be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 :crying: My girls impressed me tonight watching Amazing Race, when a team said "Its all in Spanish!" both girls' announced that it couldn't be Spanish, since they were in *Brazil*. :lol: I'm so glad your girls knew this! I mentioned in another post that it is a pet peeve of mine when Americans don't know that Brazilians speak Portuguese. Today my 11 year old totally impressed me when we are at the library checking out books. Ds7 bent over and bonked his head on the counter, and was near tears. Ds11 said "I've got this Mom" and gave his little brother a big, consoling hug. It melted my heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 That's so great! Your dds both sound just wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I was proud of my 9yo dd today. She has been participating in archery class through 4-H for about a year. Today to start the new session off, they had the kids shoot their bows for a while and then switch to rifle. Dd was kind of apprehensive, she doesn't really like the bang and kick, but she participated anyway--and did a great job of shooting! It was just a .22 rifle, but what impressed me the most was that she put down her fears and had fun with it. And if you thought I was proud, you should have seen dh...I thought he would pop with pride and excitement. We live in a rural area where we have to use firearms fairly frequently to protect our livestock from wild animals or to hunt, the meat from which goes into the freezer to feed our family. And on a personal, anecdotal level, it seems to me that the teenaged boys around here treat the girls from the Shooting Sports club with just a tad bit more respect than they do the others.;) I'm not sure whether that is because they are impressed by their skill or threatened by it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Thanks for sharing Doran! I'm in a similar boat tonight. I've been exhausted since my surgery a month ago and with dh gone 4 days out of the week, I've been letting things go and only getting homeschool done. At one point today I just looked at the older two and said, "I need your help. I'm tired. I need you to do what you know how to do w/o my help." My 4yo was not around to hear this, however tonight she grabbed the baskets of laundry and put all of her own clothes away, then picked up the living room. DD6 cleaned up in several areas and dd9 gave 4yo a bath. We also have an 'honor' plate that we give to someone once a week. While I was setting out the plates, dd6 said she wanted me to have the honor plate and then finished setting the table for me. I'm almost in tears as I write this. I've been feeling depressed and lonely. God sure blessed me with some awesome kids and reminded me that He sees every moment of my life and is here to care for me. Seeing it through my kids was something I wasn't expecting at all. Seeing how they're growing into loving, kind, compassionate young ladies is all I could ever hope for!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in Orlando Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Doran, I'm so proud of your girls and I don't even know them! And, I'm a bit weepy now too. I know that feeling where you're just going day-to-day and the usual things irritate them and you and then *poof* you get a chance to step back and really see your own kids. Mine blow me away sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.