One thing I learned from watching chimpanzees with their infants is that having a child should be fun. – Jane Goodall

And then I see kindness that steals my heart and reminds me that there is goodness in the world, just for the sake of goodness.

Maybe summer could be the one time when all of us send expectations packing and give each other a break.

Foster responsibility and compassion in our Fish Keepers program. Each week your child will build her hand-eye coordination skills as she scoops a beta fish out of its bowl. 

I’m at that place: my youngest does not need me quite as much as he used to. Of course all my children “need” me, but not in that visceral and primal way anymore. 

“I don’t want to go,” she says, barely above a whisper. “What if I come in last?” I feel the pit forming in my stomach, the same one I know she feels.

The whole world is a kid again, if only for a time. For an extra hour, maybe two, we revel in the lingering daylight, wrapping ourselves in the friendly dark that slowly puts the day to sleep. And in those hours, anything is possible.

The more my kids grow the more I realize that they are really ‘wild’ things. They have been given to me to love and take care of, but they are not mine to keep.

“You don't have to be the smartest, fastest, best looking or most popular. You only need to be the kindest and hardest working. Those are the two things that will bring you happiness and success in life.”

Each year I wonder, do I deserve it?  Have I done enough to be the mommy they believe me to be?