“Children are a great comfort in your old age — and they help you reach it faster too.”
(Lionel Kauffman)

Hey guys, Jenny here. Hal’s on a long flight to Japan today, so I get to pinch-hit this morning. (He’s heading over there for a week to work with some great US Army families stationed in Asia).

Before Hal and I had kids, we used to dream about a big family, all grown up, coming to visit on holidays, recounting all of the wonderful times we shared together. Then, of course, the dreams gave way to reality—we had our kids, and soon started wondering if we’d ever make it to middle age, let alone our golden years.

From the moment they’re born, kids try our patience and test our mettle; nothing asks us to grow up more than parenting. Believe it or not, this is all a good thing, because along with the extra gray hair and bulging middle (Hal, not me 😉 ), our tested and tried maturity is what our kids desperately need from us.

We must grow up if we want our kids to. We must admit our weaknesses and work on them if we’d like our kids to do the same. A tall order, to be sure, but one worth all the gray hair in the world.

Peace begins with pause,
Jenny