1st CAMPFIRE - Blazingly Beautiful!

You never know what it is that you teach your kids. You know what you think you are teaching them. The glorious surprise you get when they are grown and living in their own home and you can sit as a guest on the furniture they moved with them is about the best miracle gift next to having become their parents. My son and his girl had their first campfire last night and we were invited. It was supposed to have been the night before, but the first day of spring rain pushed the event to the gloriously beautiful 2nd day of spring.

The week before we were helping him set up his new washing machine (which he researched and bought on his own - which is so much a bigger purchase than expensive tequila or a new cat toy for Crush their kitten) and Rodney (my husband - his dad) was lamenting that he should have shown and taught him more house-tool-car-fixit kind of stuff.

Sitting at his campfire we learned something about what we really taught him. He and Nikki had gone grocery shopping, $100 each and he was telling us about the chicken they bought - with pride. Grocery shopping was a family event for us - still is. We liked roaming the isles, finding new things and buying more than we would use. Later shopping trips would have Mic lecturing us on the necessity of organic - he would be proud to know that we have adopted much of what he taught us.

Mic asked if we had seen Crush and his new toys. I love his cat Crush. We have had pets - furry family members really - since before Mic and his sister Chrissy were born. There are family pictures with all of them and we have the backyard cemetery for the gerbils, iguana and fish and the boxes of remains of cats and dogs.

Earlier in the day he wanted a rake. I know I had not taught him to rake, but I raked, and we jumped in leaves and made a path to the front door with leaves at Halloween.

So the first clear, warmish 2nd day of spring he throws a campfire. He stacks the wood, clears the fire pit and places logs for sitting around it. When we arrive the fire is perfect. It is beautiful. His friends are there, his girl next to him, his sister and brother-in-law and us - Mom and Dad.

Here's what we really taught him - grocery shopping is family fun, a big yard is a necessity, your friends will be there, cats and dogs are family, campfires are blazingly beautiful. We went home at a parent appropriate hour, proud and happy. We did good. Kids really just need you to love them, love yourself, love your everyday life....and when they grow up, they will too.