Parenting is, at best, an inexact art. When you are faced with your new babies the love quotient in your heart explodes. You have never seen any creature so completely perfect. Sleep deprivation and destroyed schedules make you deeply philosophical as well as slightly mad, but you've never so completely applied your energy and love to the care of one tiny person. You are alternately mesmerized and horrified. Secretly you know that you must be one of God's favored creatures because He has blessed you with this most extraordinary child.
And then they turn 15 and suddenly you are, for all apparent purposes, an idiot. The shock turns to dismay when at 21 you have no knowledge of anything. This never alters your course of love. That took root and has now expanded into something so large you can no longer even begin to guess the size.
Children become adults and sometimes they have their own babies and you can see it in their eyes. They get it. The children may grow up to instead to fly to the moon or imagine impossible things. Or they may even grow up to become a teacher like their mom and do crazy brave things like teach in the Middle East.
It would be hard to imagine a mother being more proud of her children than I am. Most of my parenting seemed to consist of mistakes, but Michele and Meredith have gone on to be amazing anyway. Meredith is a working mom who manages to also run a home, attend to a husband, children and sing in the choir! Michele is and artist, actress, raconteur and world traveling teacher.
We returned not long ago from taking her to the airport to return to Abu Dhabi after a precious two week Christmas visit. She and Meredith are best friends and we will both miss her terribly. What can I say? Both of my girls have my heart and part of my heart is on a Turkish Airline on its way to Dubai via Istanbul.
