Earlier, as I wrote a response to a reader, I was struck with an idea of what to blog about.
The person commented that I was beaming in a picture where I was holding baby Kai only a few hours after her being born. That got me to thinking about how anyone who knows me is aware that there's practically nothing that makes me beam more and have more fun than hanging with my kids…until the arrival of that baby angel.
Having grown up in a less-than-desirable home life as a child, where love was withheld and was replaced by conditions, manipulation and fear, I vowed from age five that someday I would find my soul mate, marry him and we would have a family where we devoted all our energies and resources to creating the tightest family bond possible. Since then, I’ve done my damnedest to actualize that childhood dream.
Not that we don’t have our differences like every other family and close relationship. We do. But we handle those as learning experiences, not shying away from, but rather embracing them as opportunities to demonstrate to our children that long-term relationships aren’t all smiles and giggles. Instead, they are laced with a myriad of behind-the-scenes devotion to maintaining that relationship, which requires periodic fine-tuning and addressing issues as they come up.
As I’ve watched three of my children mature into adults, I’m heartened to know that I like who they are as people, not just as my kids. And my youngest, still a teenager, is proving to follow in his sibling’s footsteps. My kids are amongst my best friends and have shored me up and taught me more than I could ever express.
Being able to watch their individual relationships grow and evolve over the years has been an amazing blessing. It’s rewarding to witness how, no matter if they have differences, when one is in need, they rally round that individual and allow nothing in the world to hurt them.
So when it came to my daughter expressing that she wanted Kai’s daddy, her sister and me to be present at the birth, I was overjoyed, for I suspected that my daughter would rise to a whole new level during her delivery experience. And she did. Normally, not one known for tons of patience, she was the epitome of calm and patience throughout.
And I was excited about the prospect of having many conversations with my other daughter about what to expect and what her fears might be. But most of all, I was hoping to see that over-the-top protectiveness between my girls come out and shine like a beacon. And it did, to an awe-inspiring level of compassion, understanding and calm.
Being able to be a part of Kai' birth, to see the bravery and strength her mother exhibited during the birth and the love, devotion and protectiveness of the daddy throughout...made my heart, already overflowing with pride and admiration, nearly burst.
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