As I get older, I love my two sons more. I don’t know if other mothers feel this way or it’s idiosyncratic to me, but what I’ve discovered is that I take greater pleasure in their accomplishments and progress than I did when they were little.
Maybe it’s because little children are so needy, so that for every accomplishment there is an obstacle to overcome. Maybe it’s because little children are so much more dependent. Or maybe it’s because I never related to babies the way I related to teenagers and young adults. I like children who can flush their own toilets, cut their own meat, and generally hold their own in a conversation. Children who challenge me.
And both of mine do, although not necessarily intentionally. Kevin, my older, challenges me to be more intellectual by his voracious appetite for reading and debating. Keith, the younger, challenges me to be more contemporary by his allowing me to be a vital part of his growing online business. Now I am the one who is learning from them, not the other way around.
And I love them for it. I love the opportunity to grow and, by doing so, keep connected not only with my children, who are now in their thirties, but also with the world at large.
Thanks, Kevin and Keith.
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