I'm preparing for our anniversary party, and one of the things I'm preparing is a trivia game. The trivia are all related to our family in some way, so I decided to enlist the help of my children. This little assignment has led to some fun discussions as we reminisce about the past and try to recognize things that are part of our family history and our shared experiences. When the party is over, maybe I'll post a few.
It's been a really fun experience, and I hope it gives us all a chance to tell a few stories to the guests at the party. I love these kids, and I feel blessed that we have the kind of relationship that lets us all take the stroll down memory lane together.
I also look forward to the relationships we are still nurturing as the kids become full-fledged adults. As I discussed with them the other night, Sherry and I have had to gradually diminish the "teaching" aspect of parenting, so that the kids don't feel we're always lecturing, and so they can know we are ready for them to make their own decisions. However, we spent a lot of time being teachers and authority figures (years!) so sometimes we slip back into that mode. And at least as often, the kids think we're going to still do it all the time, so they are in defensive justification mode. It's natural. The transition doesn't happen all at once. It wasn't meant to. We all learn as we grow.
The conversations we have these days are getting more and more mature. And when I see things like I did today, with Lucas and his team showing me their project at work, it gets easier and easier to think of him (and by extension all of my children) as fully realized and developed adults. It's just the latest in the series of signposts on the journey to a more complete parent/child relationship.
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