Dates With the Kids

Today, Nicolas took Gillen with him on produce deliveries in Atlanta. On the way home, Nicolas bought himself a new notebook (his last one had been duct-taped together one too many times) and Gillen decided that it was time to move his own duck/turkey(and someday quail) business into a three-ring notebook as well. He had been using a small handmade wooden book that has seven pages and was made at a book fair. I loved it very much but can see that it has been outgrown. Here they were tonight, while I made space around them to serve dinner, excitedly filling in facts and figures in order to track the progress of their businesses, taking pride in the order of their lists, labeling their new dividers, sharing their numbers. I am so glad that Gillen had Nicolas for this endeavor.
On the other side of the family, on long rides to and from his new Thursday classes, Jesse and I had the chance to do what we do best together - have long, meandering conversations that move from how our minds work to Calvin and Hobbes,to Elizabeth the First's father's many wives... to a theory about islands to the new smoothie-filled cupcake that Jesse plans to "invent" later this week. He asked questions, made the connections, added the seven year old humor and practiced his newly learned crochet stitches while we babbled, no one there to roll their eyes or imply that we should be quiet by raising the radio volume.

Anyone remember my less than stellar moment on the day when it was time to sign up for these classes - where I lost sight of the value of Renaissance-living-history and crochet, an hour's drive away, or rather, thought I could teach them right here? Especially if Gillen didn't want to take classes as well...

Thank goodness my kids know what they need and know how to get it. It really seems to work when we keep our agenda out of their way, trust, and give them the resources they need when they need them.