Parenting 1
The rewarding moments: what makes a man, Mr. Lebowski?
Many of our readers know the emotional challenges of parenting. In my case, I often feel uneasy about how much progress I am making, and whether I have my kids on the right path. The losses always seem more evident than the wins, and that can be discouraging. But sometimes…sometimes the world shows you that maybe, just maybe, you are doing ok.
My oldest son is 15 and was recently on winter break. He bounded out of his room one morning, and by bounded, I mean he slowly trudged his way down the hall with one eye half open and the other shut. He came into the kitchen, checked the clock on the microwave, and announced, “It’s 7:30. I really meant to sleep until 8:30.”
Looking at this…man?...standing in my kitchen, I silently wondered what was going to come next, especially since I had been up since 5:30 and was not exactly feeling sorry for him. And then he said the words I’ve been waiting 15 years to hear.
“That’s ok. I’ll just take a nap later.”
I had a feeling that I can only compare to the moment Sean says to Will “it’s not your fault,” or when my allergies start up in a dusty room. A bit of wetness protruded from my lower eyelid.
Maybe I’m figuring out this parenting gig after all.
