Kids are a blessing.

I am very thankful for my 3 wonderful kids Kamryn, Kodie, and Kaylin. They are all very different and unique in their own way. My wife and I put the kids to bed around 8:45 last night and then retreated to the living room where she worked on an index for a book and I caught up on some emails. Getting the kids to bed is moderately difficult in our household, but getting the kids to actually go to sleep before 11 or 12 is really a chore at times. In fact, it has been especially difficult lately for some unknown reason. Kamryn likes to read into the wee hours of the night. Kaylin likes to look at pictures of books and make trips back and forth between her brother and sister's room. Kodie likes to do any number of things including counting his money, playing basketball on his Nerf hoop, or instigating with his two sisters. Last night, I went to check on them around 10pm and wasn't surprised that none of them were yet asleep. Kamyrn was reading in the dark, while Kaylin was sitting on her sister's bed looking at pictures in some books. I then stepped into Kodie's room and he was sitting in his bed with a pen and notebook in hand. I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was working on his new blog!!! I asked him if I could see it and he agreed. I was delighted to see that he was writing about his family, his interests, and some of his goals. After exhorting each of my kids to get to sleep, I went back out into the living room and told my wife, who was amused at the idea of a 7 year old working on his blog!!
There is never a dull moment when it comes to parenting. The only sad part is that from time to time I realize that it is all going by too fast. It is during times just like this that I try to remind myself to slow down and enjoy things more. This doesn't always come natural to us adults, but children seem to have an innate ability to relish life and live with a sense of wonder. I'm reminded of a time last spring when I was watching my kids play in some youth soccer games in Oakes, North Dakota. My son was 6 at the time and watching kids at this age play organized soccer can be quite entertaining. Anyway, the kids were chasing the ball around and it was early sometime in the 1st half. About that time, a commercial jet began to come into sight overhead. What happened next was quite humorous, but also very telling. When the kids heard the jet, they all just stopped what they were doing and decided to take in the airshow. The game came to a complete halt for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was probably only a minute or so. After the jet passed, each kid, almost on cue , resumed what they were doing and the game went on. I just stood there flabborgasted, but with a smile on my face. I looked around and the other adults who were present seemed to be just as amused as myself. One thing I realized that day was that children really don't let things get in the way of appreciating the simple wonders or beauties of life. It really is quite amazing how much kids can teach us if we just take time to listen. Lights out.