extra-ordinary kids.

Photo by: Olivia_James Photography

I have amazing kids. But wait, before you presume a load of exaggerated braggadocio coming your way, hear me out.

I actually believe my kids are extraordinary. Does that mean they are perfect? No. Does that mean they aren’t still finding their way or avoiding mistakes along their growing up journey? Hell no.  But the truth is they are showing up. They are showing up everyday and figuring out how to “be” in the world they inherited – a world that is vastly different than the world I experienced growing up. For me, this is enough to call them extraordinary. They are enough.

The world they know today is spinning in new directions which demands an understanding of what aids and what impedes the attainment of a thriving life. We have knowledge at our fingertips which can simultaneously fuel fires and put them out. “Knowledge is power” has a new interpretation. Today, the world requires us to think differently, act differently, speak differently, and lead differently. The world today is vast yet so very small that we must look towards the future with bold hope yet with the understanding that there is work to be done and complacency is not an option.

That’s a lot of pressure on the next generation yet they are absorbing it with youthful wisdom and ruthless opinion because they have no alternate choice. Day after day they are showing up in a way that I probably wouldn’t have known how to. Day after day they are gaining knowledge and power to make a difference because they have to. Day after day they show up, they lead, they know they are citizens of the world.

So, little by little, inch by inch I’ve had to get over myself. I’ve had to learn that my kids are extraordinary not because of who raised them, not because of the so-called wisdom I think I have bestowed upon them, but because they are showing up everyday to face what is in front of them and to fail, learn, and succeed over and over again. They get to own that. Anything that they are and everything that they become has nothing to do with me and everything to do with them. This is their unique power and, albeit, the fundamental pressure of the next generation.

So, yes, my kids are extraordinary and everyday they amaze me.  So, go ahead, roll those eyes if you still dare but I also know something else to be true.

Your kids are extraordinary too.