Reeling In The Years

I am shedding a little "lyte" on time today.  My twins are celebrating their 15th birthdays today.  Gasp!  It doesn't seem remotely possible that they have been around that long.  I can remember when they were babies and the days seemed endless.  The quote, "The days are long, but the years are short.", comes to mind.

It has been a slog, raising kids today is not easy.  My husband and I decided that I would stay home with them.  I work, but I have always worked jobs that gave me the flexibility to be around.  And if I wasn't available, my husband was.  So aside from school, my children never spent time in daycare.

Not that there is something wrong with daycares, I worked in one back in the day.  But daycare workers are paid a pittance.  I have always found it ironic that people feel comfortable paying someone $50 an hour to repair their car, but can't pay someone $20 an hour to take care of their children.  I used to work with au pairs, young women and men who come to the US, live with a family, and watch their kids, all for about $5000 a year.  The hardest part was the money.  Parents balked at the price and these parents were not middle class, they were upper middle to just plain upper.  They spent $5000 on vacations, clothes, and manicures, but had a difficult time shelling it out for high quality care for their little darlings.

But back to the twins' birthday.  I can't help but feel proud that they are growing into being interesting, intelligent, responsible human beings.  Trust me, they still have a ways to go, but I am happy to say that they are getting there.  When your kids are small, it all feels like work and you have no idea what the outcomes will be.  

Parenting is an act of faith.  You don't start seeing the results until they get older.  Good or bad, the rest of the world has to live with your results as well.  So there is a tremendous amount of pressure to do a "good enough" job.  Especially for mothers.  We get the credit when they say, "Hi Mom!" to the camera at the Olympics.  But we also get the blame when they are showcased on "America's Most Wanted". 

So I am going to take a break and rest on my laurels today.  For the next 24 hours, I am going to bask in the warmth of a job done well enough.  Now, I got to go, I have a date with the orthodontist.  My kids may be damn near perfect, but their teeth are another story.