Surprise!

What motivates us to be who we are? Often it is our parents; we may choose to be very organized and on time when our parents were always running late and out of sorts, or maybe we choose good health as a priority when our parents are not healthy at all. But sometimes instead of being motivated in the opposite direction, we choose a similar path as our parents, but usually in a bigger way.

Our kids have grown up living in several different states, and have visited about 45 of our 50 states so far. We have friends from all over because of our moves, so when we start talking about college and future plans, our kids see the whole country, and the world, as a possibility. I fully expect our nuclear family to live on separate continents someday. We have created this so we shouldn’t be surprised.

My guy and I have been on a journey of eating healthier for a while now, making nutrition an important part of our life. One of our children became a vegetarian last year and another is exploring veganism now, both in pursuit of better health. Although we aren’t going to this extreme, we are supporting it with our kids and trying to help them make good choices. We have created this so we shouldn’t be surprised.

We certainly can’t get upset that our children are exploring some different ways of eating, or resent the fact that they will probably live far from us in the future, because we have taught them to expect many options. In our parenting we shape who they are and how they value most things, we set the precedent so we shouldn’t be surprised when we see it amplified through our children. Conversely, we need to expect that some of the decisions they make will oppose our own course of action, because we have taught them to consider the possibilities and to think for themselves.

As a parent the best that I can do at this point is to get out of the way, encourage them to explore the possibilities and celebrate who they are becoming.