Caution: May Include Bragging

There are certain times during a deployment when I really wish that my husband was here. Today is one of those days.

Today I went to my kids' Parent/Teacher conferences.

More than our birthdays or Christmas, I wish my husband could have been here for this day.

I have always been fascinated by how we can see ourselves so differently than other people see us. I've realized that I also see my kids differently than other people see them.

Maybe I'm the only mom who does this (Please tell me I'm not!) but because I'm always concentrating on their development, improving and growing I tend to spend way too much time concentrating on the things that need improving.

So while I was stressing about how messy my daughter's homework always is, her teacher was marveling over her creativity. While I was stressing about how my son tends to speak out too much, his teacher was impressed with his enthusiasm.

It's too bad that my kids' teachers have to point out their gifts to me, but I'm grateful that they do.

In truth, I think I knew that my daughter is a gifted writer. And I knew that my son has an exceptional mind for math. And I surely knew that they both have wonderful character, but it is so easy to get bogged down in the daily struggles.

Especially when you face those daily struggles alone.

I wish my husband could have been here to hear my daughter's teacher tell me that she hasn't been crying at all this year. He just might not believe it without hearing it with his own ears. For the first conference ever, we didn't have to hear that my daughter is wonderful but a little immature, a little young and a lot oversensitive.

I know I almost wept with joy.

I almost had to ask, "Are you kidding me? Whose child do you have mine confused with? She hasn't had one single break down? Really?"

Could it be that she has finally grown up? Could it be that she has finally caught up with her peers? Could it be that the fairies finally came back and switched back my own human child to whom I gave birth with their own changeling?

It could be. She has matured immensely during my husband's deployment. And I am immensely proud of her.

And for just an hour or two, I'm going to be immensely proud of myself. It's not often that I let myself relax and take some credit as a parent. But I'm going to force myself to today.

I've done well.

Now, if only my daughter can manage the ring of debris that constantly surrounds her school desk, I'll consider myself a not-horrible parent after all.