More than half done

Today, I realized again that I am more than half done with the day-to-day job of parenting. Now, I realize that many of my friends are more frequent contact with their college freshman than last year when the same children were high school seniors. The new freshmen text parents on the way to class and call to report on tests. I get that parenting continues on forever. But the day-to-day realities change...

My children are 11 and 9 years old. As I looked at the 11 year old tonight, I thought again about who she is and who she will become. And, I wondered if I have done enough - enough to make sure that she has the right internal strength to grow up to be herself without being pulled off course too far.

I watch friends with high school students. And, being the kind of person I am, I have already started to interview parents I want to emulate. I want to know what it is that makes them connect with their children. I want to figure out now what it is that creates the type of parent that I want to become. Because, it seems to me that parenting adolescents is about letting go and allowing them to become who they are, so if (by necessity) I have to relinquish some pieces of control to my children - then I will cope by taking control of becoming the type of person I want and need to be to parent my children in the ways that I feel are best.

Today, I marvel at who my daughters are as individuals. My appreciation of them and their strengths leads me to this thought and hope that I have done enough - enough to support them and teach them who they are, so that they can be happy, truly, deeply happy people.