My kids say crap all the time that embarrasses me, that makes me wonder, "how in dark hell did that notion ever enter his/her skull?" In the same light, they do crap all the time that makes me bow my head and want to pretend I don't know them; that's makes me want to walk ever so briskly, yet inconspicuously, in the opposite direction before anyone can make the connection that we're somehow linked together. That said, those feelings are temporary, in the sense that they have their own brains working feverishly inside their noggins', and it's not my responsibility to tinker and toy with them. It's my responsibility to teach them how to use them, teach them how to put them into gear and come to their on conclusions. I'm not afraid of mistakes, and they shouldn't be either. I'd rather them take a wrong step, say the wrong thing, and open the wrong door than blindly sit back and never see the damn scenery in the first place. They ruffle feathers, including my own, but they participate. They engage. Most importantly, they think. So what if what their thinking doesn't jibe with what my mind conjures up and centers on? What I believe we have in common is an ability to form opinions and stand by them. So, yes, they do and say crap constantly that I'd just as soon pretend I'd never witnessed, but that's the beauty. They force me to pay attention. They force me to respond. They force me to react, to remain diligent in my own truth. I love them for that and for being individuals, as embarrassing as their words and actions can be. I'm sure they feel the same about mine.
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