I was able to hang out with my kids again today (thank you, horrible weather, for the school closings again). We had brunch together once I got them out of bed just before noon. Then ran some errands.  Nothing too exciting. But that’s one of the cool things about my kids, they’re really easy to get along with. I ask them to help out, they do. I ask them to keep the noise level down late at night, they apologize. They sense I’m in a bad mood, they ask what they can do.  I’ve been really lucky.

They’ve always been pretty good. Well, they’ve gone through their phases, of course. Terrible twos (through fours!). The 10-12 year age when they were soooo emotional and couldn’t stand each other. My oldest had what we affectionately call the “dark” time when she was into anime and all the things associated with it (hair over the face, hoodies with animal ears, fingerless gloves ALL the time, and everything in shades of black). Then again, she had several obsessions over the years that translated into oddities which sometimes encompassed her sister. The Lord of the Rings period was interesting. Nothing quite like taking kids dressed as elves to McDonalds. That gets you noticed. My youngest has followed suit, as far as age-related phases, but she’s had her singular moments as well. She’s fiercely independent, yet extremely accepting. It took her a long time to understand personal space. I had a few conversations with teachers over the early years about that. Apparently, not everyone needs a hug. (I personally disagree, but for the sake of the introverts, my daughter learned appropriate boundaries.)

Formative nuances aside, I have two incredible daughters. They are well-adjusted, intelligent, interesting young woman who, strangely enough at 16 and 19, still enjoy hanging out with me. Together, we have been through some interesting ups and downs, moved numerous times, and shared heartaches of losing people we love. They could have given me a lot of grief over the years, acted out, gotten angry as a lot of teenagers do for disrupting their lives in one way or another. But amazingly, they never have. Instead, they have been loyal and supportive to me. My oldest is the type who will come up to me and tell me that I haven’t hugged her enough lately; she needs a hug. My youngest never asks, of course. She’s still a good hugger.  But she’s quick to ask if she senses something is wrong. They also get along well with each other. Just today they were reminiscing about the time they both first got cell phones. They had spent the better part of an evening calling each other and leaving funny messages, so they could laugh together later.

Today, even when there was nothing special going on, we found ways to laugh together. Tease each other and be silly.  Today and every day, I’m really thankful for that. I’m really blessed to have them in my life.