I am sitting with my son while he shares some good news with me.

“I am so proud of you,” I say

“Thanks, but all I really care about is being a good person,” he says

He stops me in my tracks. I mean this is all you hope for as a parent. That you raise your children to go out into the world with a larger sense than themselves. To be human enough to make mistakes, but to have a goal of treating every person the same – with kindness and respect. To care enough about themselves to have self-respect and enough about how they effect others to understand true respect. To simply care…

Of course, as all parents feel, it goes without saying that we are continually proud of our children.

I meant I was proud that he had believed in himself, not let anyone define him and gone after what he wanted. This type of empowerment is important to me because I believe the better you feel about yourself, the better person you will be. Each time these stepping stones of confidence take you higher and happier.

This divorce hasn’t been easy on my children. Only I am again reminded that with enduring challenges we are made better people.

As if that were possible (from a mother’s perspective).

I have an entirely new reason to be proud.

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