Parenting is hard. I still find myself waking up at night to tend to bad dreams, or bug bites, and there’s the constant sibling squabbles, and, with us, homeschooling battles. That’s not to mention the challenges of ushering our kids through their self-identification.  I have noticed, several times over the busy few years past, that I haven’t really been focusing on those moments that make parenting awesome.

On Lizard Island, we got our first real break of this leg of passage making. We snorkeled, and hiked and spent time together having fun. It really frustrated me that Miles wouldn’t get in the water. We know he can swim, and he is excited about his new wetsuit and mask, but he just wouldn’t take the plunge. Then one afternoon, after getting really upset about it, he and I were playing in the shallows and I started acting like godzilla, stomping and grunting, and he pretended to fight me.  After a little of this horsing around, I asked him if he would like me to teach him something. He agreed, and we got his mask. I showed him how to clear his snorkel and how to put it on underwater. He was really good, and I let him know. He was visibly proud, and something changed in him. We spent the next hour or two snorkeling in the shallows and now he asks constantly when we will get another chance.

Events like these are what make parenting awesome, and I’m grateful that I woke up and started looking for them again!