I think the best thing I ever ever ever did in my whole life was raise my kids. Now, everyone feels their kids are special, I know this. Mine really are, here's why:
My daughter Emily.
Emily was a very contented baby and a curious and pleasant child. Her kindergarten teacher recognized her giftedness immediately and recommended her to the gifted program. She was always striving and loved to learn. She graduated valedictorian of her high school class, had a full scholarship to Vanderbilt University and graduated with a degree in Classical Language ranked 18th in her class. She's always been off the charts as far as academics go. More than that is the fact that as her mother I've been especially proud of our relationship through the years. She has always struck me as an old soul, wise beyond the boundaries of her age. We get along great, and always have. It's common for a girl to distance herself during her teen years, but that was not the case with Em. Don't misunderstand, she was no clinging vine! On the contrary, she felt confident enough to try things others might be shy of.
Now she is stepping out to explore the world- she will be going to Japan for a year to teach English.
Then there's Drew.
Drew came along immediately after Em, 14 months to be exact, and was a totally different kid. He was whiny as a baby, then grew into a thoughtful, empathetic and observant little boy. He was and is very attractive physically and very charming. Drew is every bit as intelligent as Emily, but he quickly became bored with school and as the years went by the education system failed him. After 2 years of college, he dropped out. Oddly enough, he is an intuitive and effective teacher! He tutors independantly and also teaches karate. I think Drew is a lot like me- I see many parallels in his thinking from when I was his age.
So both my children are teachers. They are both brilliant in their own ways and have a special gift in communicating. I guess that's why I am secretly so proud of the role I had in raising them.