The starting line

My kids amaze me. Despite living through their parents' divorce and the repercussions, they get good grades, have robust social lives, and are healthy. They have not just one passion, but many, and their fights are generally about borrowing clothes.

I cannot imagine having to shlep my belongings from one house to another without leaving something behind and adapting to the rules and routines of each home. And I am 46. They have been doing this for over six years, since they were four and seven. Add to that my sometimes less-than-stellar parenting skills (yes, I let an expletive fly now and then) and the fact that I have worked outside the home since they were eight weeks old. How did I get so lucky?

All kids have challenges; I personally know children with with ADHD, diabetes, and feelings of anger they simply cannot manage. Others are raised by one parent, go to school hungry, or not at all.  What I wonder is why and how some are resilient while others crumble under the same circumstances. If somehow they could all begin on the same starting line, some would still finish last, and some would drop out of the race.

Because there is no rhyme or reason for my good luck, my plan is to be thankful for what and who I have and to keep working. To make time for my girls, to really listen to them, and to curse less.