Six years gone by...

 

 

You guys, how have six years passed by so quickly?  G is in her third year of college and will graduate in May, can you believe it??? Me neither. Little Guy is the tallest in the family and is a senior in high school. He is in the process of applying for colleges and let me tell you, it is like pulling teeth to get him to get it all done. He literally submitted to one school less than a minute before the Early Application deadline.. talk about cutting it close!  It seems like maybe writing those college essays give him some anxiety, but the kid turns out to be a pretty good writer - he just has so much to say and narrowing it down to one thought is really difficult. Come to find out, he has ADHD - go figure. He is doing really well in school and has fallen in love with music - acoustic guitar, drums, and keyboard are his go to emotional outlets these days. I am not certain that his college dorm roommate will be all about him bringing his acoustic drum set to school next year, though.

 L - L is a freshman in high school, and that is so hard. The whole growing up and friends drama that surrounds girls at that age is really no joke. The feelings are so very big and deep.  She's ok, though, she's figuring it out and she talks through all her issues with me, which is kind of amazing really. I never talked to my mom about anything.  She's a design girlie - her favorite class is ceramics at the moment. 

 These kids
are just the very best part of my life. It is incredible, really, that I have been fortunate to know them and raise them.  There are so many things I would do differently, tough, if I could do it again.  Just little things, like learning to understand them instead of trying to control their behavior when they were smaller, and being more interested in their interests, and having more patience.  I have changed so much as a parent and person throughout their lives, and where I am right now is a place that I am proud and content to be as a parent. They trust me, I trust them, we are really close, but not in a weird way.  I adore them and I *think* they still adore me, but that ebbs and flows as kids get older and start their own adult lives of course.

I wonder if after we die, if we reincarnate and do it all over again, over and over with the same people, until we are satisfied with how everything went down.  I hope so. There is nothing in the entire world that I would rather do than do it all over again, just because it is the best, most rewarding, and most fun thing ever to live this life with these kids.  They really have no idea, though, and that's kind of the best part.