How to be a Good Parent 002

For this week's post, I thought about telling something nice about my mother to make up for last Thursday. But I can only keep coming back to one thing: to write about the best parent I have ever known.

Sorry, Mom. It's not you.

That woman is my beautiful wife Michelle. She is a natural parent, and despite all the time that she spends with our kids: she loves them still. She really, truly loves them. I suppose that's the only way to be a good parent, but in many more ways than one, my wife knocks this parenting thing out of the park.

She's an organizer. (PS: I'm not.) Over our spring break last week (10 days) we

1. Got Olivia's ears pierced
2. Went camping in Kentucky
3. Saw the largest waterfall in the southeast
4. Battled sinus and cold symptoms in both our kids
5. Went camping in our back yard
6. Plowed an entire garden, planted it, and set up an irrigation system from scratch
7. Repaired our old lawnmower (for now)
8. Celebrated Easter and Palm Sunday
9. Enjoyed a lovely breakfast at church which Michelle helped organize
10. Enjoyed an afternoon or two or three with both sets of grandparents
11. Had several movie nights
12. Had a "lake day"
13. Took Erilyn to Wiggles and Giggles at the library (and was interviewed by the Greenville News)
14. Went to the zoo
15. Loved our kids to death.

Now, while all of those may not seem like ways to love our kids, they were all intentionally planned by my wife to be bonding, family activities. She is the lover, cuddler, protector, comforter, helper, healer, and inspiration for my children. She may not know it, but she's all they talk about when she's not around. And tonight, Erilyn sat all through dinner blowing kisses to the picture of Michelle behind our table. (Michelle was at work.)

So here's to my wife, a woman who, among other things, will always hold the coveted title of "Good Parent" in my book.

I love you, Michelle. Thanks for inspiring me.