Observation

Last night Precious Oldest and four of her friends had a diner party for their high school debate coach. Their former coach is a gifted teacher and excellent mentor. She had a positive and undeniable and impact on these girls, now off at college in several states. She’s the teacher they all stop to visit when they come back to town.

I sat in the kitchen with a cup of tea while they the girls cooked; I was there for consultation only. They were pretty well organized and needed little help from me. Once their little party was under way the Saint and I went out to grab some dinner.

While we were out we ran into a few folks and didn’t return for a couple of hours. When we got back they were all still sitting at the dinning room table laughing and finishing dessert. The kitchen was clean, the dishwasher was running and they had fixed a plate for Precious Youngest who joined them when she got home from work.

Parenting is a hard job. This raising your children, from the time they are babies, to leave you. There is no grade card, no performance review. God knows your kids won’t tell you whether or not you’re doing it right. But there are moments. Moments when, as a parent, you realize you’ve done a good job. Last night was one of those moments.