Raising Children

I've spent the past week "at home."  This has been a week at home for me between jobs.  I start anew on Monday.  It's been an amazing time for self-growth and self-reflection.  Awesome and I feel lucky and privileged to have been given the opportunity.

I've spent the mornings with my kids.  Making them breakfast.  Sitting with them.  Things I don't get a chance to do most days.  And with the busyness of work, I don't get a chance to appreciate it when I do get the chance, because I'm frankly just tired.  I hope my new opportunity will allow me to change that.  Fingers crossed.

I adore my children.  Truly truly truly.  They are great kids.  I try hard to raise them well each day.  To make them loving, but strong.  To make them smart, but still sensitive.  To give them good vision, and a good perspective on what the world is like.  To let them have fun like crazy, but also know that life isn't just fun and games.  I am doing the best I know how, and I feel in my bones that I'm doing it right.  I hope I'm right.

Today is Friday, which is shabbat.  The kids had great swimming lessons (I'm so proud!), then they got bathed and I threw some dinner together.  Right before dessert we remembered that it was Friday, Shabbat!  How could we forget?? Maya and I looked at eachother, exasperated.  Cute.  We grabbed two candles, and Maya said the prayers, she is awesome, and we talked.  About what we are grateful for.  About what an incredible family we have.  How lucky we are to have all that we have.  How we always have to think about who we are and where we come from.  Just like the Jewish people that escaped Egypt from King Pharaoh.  Maya talked about how he didn't treat the Jewish people very nice and he got the bad plagues.  She totally knows and connects with the story.  Then she mentioned each person in our family... how special they all are.  We all said "Shabbat Shalom" and "Amen" -- little Ethan too.  He is such a natural at things in life.

Maya and Ethan. They are my biggest sources of joy and pride and I love them, literally, to the moon and back.