parenting

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16 year old girls and their dads don't have much in common....except maybe cars.  The adversity that hit home for us was that the car we hoped Claire could drive......is done.  The blessing is that she and her daddy are bonding over car talk.  Right this moment.  I'm in the dark bedroom with the littles who are finally snoring quietly.....and I can hear quiet conversation, and discussion and laughter and teaching and listening between Claire and her dad.  This makes my heart simply soar......some lucky girls, like Claire, get a dad that is exceptional and invested and insightful......and smart.  And trustworthy.  She may get a car for her 16th birthday but what she really gets is a connection with her father that will last forever.  I don't think she will ever, ever buy a car without calling him and talking it out.  That's pretty freakin' awesome to me.

As Roger scores successful parenting points, I will confess my parenting fail.  With 5 kids, I don't always remember who responds to what medicine with what kinds of symptoms.  Jeremiah has a bad head cold and was miserable tonight.  I thought I was helping him by giving him a tylenol PM before bed.  Kinda forgot that for this kid, the Benadryl (pm) part makes him more awake than asleep.  shoot.  Poor kid not only feels like crap but now he can't sleep.  My bad, buddy.  Sleep in tomorrow....I'll take you to school late.  Nuts.

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