10 Things My Parents Did Right

My family has had its fair share of dysfunction.  But even as a child of divorced parents and various step-parents, I certainly recognize several things my parents did right.  Now that I'm a parent myself, I can appreciate these things and more:

1.  Both parents taught me the value of hard work.

2.  My mom, true to her Libra roots, always had that work-life balance thing under control, and she led by example.

3.  Both parents encouraged my various athletic endeavours, and I grew up knowing that what my body is capable of is so much more important than what it looks like.

4.  My mom always used the proper names for male and female anatomy and made it clear that I should never be ashamed of my body nor any of its functions.

5.  My dad was financially able to provide me with many opportunities, which is a large part of what landed me in the fortunate position in which I find myself today, but he always provided just enough to do something, and never enough to sit around doing nothing.

6.  They were generally scary enough that I didn't misbehave (too much), but approachable enough that I could talk to them.

7.  They allowed me to follow my own interests and didn't try to live out their own dreams through me.

8.  They remained civil and did their best not to make disparaging comments about each other to their children.

9.  Both parents have ended up in beautiful, loving relationships, and they model what love and commitment should look like on a daily basis.

10. Above all else, they loved me, and I never, ever doubted that.  Ever.

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