Parents Aren't Stupid Forever

I rounded the corner the other day to this little homework scene and had to snap a shot. It really made my heart full to see these two so intently involved with the task at hand together. It also has had me contemplating the thought that it really doesn't matter how old you get, or how old your children get, there are always times when you just need mom and dads help.

When your children are small you are the smartest thing on the planet; you know everything and can fix anything. Something starts to happen to our brains however, as our children become older: we seem to get dumber. Just ask your kids and they will tell you - you don't know anything. I really don't know how we survived as parents, or as people for that matter, as dumb as we were. The amazing thing is, very slowly, our intellect started to come back. We pulled out of our ignorant stupor and started to understand things more clearly again. At least this is how I see things from my kids perspective on me.

I can't tell you how many times I have said the phrase "My poor parents!" when I think back to the way I treated them, and the things I put them through, during their ignorant stage of life. But, as the clouds began to clear, and the realization that maybe they did know what they were talking about after all hit me, they became an invaluable resource to me. When you realize that experience outweighs the idealistic thoughts of youth, parents are great to turn to for advice. I turn to my mother and mother-in-law often with questions I have.

My children are slowly starting to make that transformation. They are starting to realize that maybe, just maybe, we do in fact know a little bit about what is going on in the world around us; and just maybe our advise will help their lives run more smoothly. More and more these days our kids are turning to us for advise and council; everything from homework to relationships, work and finances, we are actually helping our kids make life long decisions.

It's a good feeling to finally come out of our fog.