I must admit my girls are a mystery to me sometimes. Katie is similar to me in a lot of ways and we have a natural relationship. It automatically fills us and builds us up together. Rachel is very different from me. She has forced me to stretch my parenting in ways that are uncomfortable for me sometimes but I know are good for me. If your kids are a lot like you- it makes for a fun and relaxing relationship – as long as you like who you are! If your child is very different from you- you have to convince yourself that your children are not just extensions of you and can have meaningful lives that go in quite different directions than you might think wise.
But really, isn’t that to some degree the human condition? We all think- quietly and in our innermost selves that we are really ‘right’ in how we think and act- and everybody else – while being ok- is really just a little ‘wrong’ because they do not do things the way they ‘ought’ to be done.
So kids who are different that we are tend to s t r e t c h our parenting in different directions and dimensions. I love both my children. Actually I love all three. Ben, my son, just got married a few months ago. It was a great wedding and I like his new wife. Leslie has been very good for Ben. She is kind of holding his feet to the fire and really getting him prepared for life the way only life (and wives) can prepare you for it. I wish them both the best. The both teach school.
Well, time for me to go spend some time with Rachel and let her stretch me a little more. She has tests coming up in school on Tuesday and today we are studying a little.
Steve Tiller
