Precious

 

     There is no sweeter compliment that you can receive as a parent than when someone lets you know that your child is special to them. Whether by word or deed a person conveys to you that your child has made an impact on their life, you then feel something powerful: pride, validation, encouragement or even joy.  That is how I came to be sitting in my car in tears because a fellow volunteer at one of the thrift stores our eldest daughter helps at, gifted her with a wonderfully sweet memento, something precious that her mother had given her. I was so touched by her gesture. It is, like her, extraordinary.
     This also happens when one of your relatives makes a date to hang out with one of your kids or they invite them to spend time at their home halfway across the country. You cannot help but feel that you have done something right; your child has turned out okay, whether because of you or in spite of you!?
     Parenting these days is not easy. The word parenting did not even exist when I was a child, which tells you how old I am! And the old adage about it taking a village was never truer than it is now. There is so much pressure from so many different sources; it is relentless and often overwhelming. So when kind, wise and wonderful people, whether related to you or not, take an interest in your children, it is a special kind of compliment. It says, "You have raised a person I like to be around." And that these days, can be something amazing.....Thank you Ida!