Triumph

best I could do:)

I love a podcast from Slate called Mom and Dad Are Fighting. I often finish up the podcast learning something, but what is even better is relating to the start of each show when they talk about parenting "triumphs" and "fails".

Lets be real here...I have many, many parent "fails". Being lazy with potty training Duncan, bribing my children to not act a fool at a party, slacking on making them pick up after themselves, and the list could go on. Today, I had a "triumph" and damn it felt good. We went to lunch at Ghyslain after church and found a spot on the patio outside. Our food seemed to take for-ev-a to be delivered and the boys were getting a little squirmy. We pulled out the colored pencils, adjusted the beverages, and really just talked to the boys until the food came out. When the food finally came, it was worth the wait because it was all so tasty. 

As we were walking back to our car, I noticed one of the couples that sat next to us on the patio leaving on their bikes. The gentleman rode past us on the sidewalk and said "I just want you to know you have very cute children". I thought "thanks, man!".  It is always nice when a stranger extends a compliment. He followed up his cute comment with "and they are both very well behaved". I literally felt my heart expand with a little pride. Compliments are nice, but throwing out the "well behaved" takes it to an entirely new level. There will always be more "fails" than I care to admit, but I am going to tuck this one away as a "triumph".