Perspective

Sometimes you have one of those days.  Days when your younger child is ranting about how she doesn't know how to highlight things on her computer or how writing an outline of something she's read is a skill that will never be useful in her life . Ever.  And then it takes your elder child half an hour to put on her shoes so she can go outside to feed her rabbits, which will take another half hour, and you have TEN minutes until you have to leave.  And then the two children meet in the hallway, like ships passing in the night, except those ships are loaded with cannons and snipers and an epic battle ensues over nothing.

Finally you shove them both in to the car.  You'll only be fifteen minutes late for whatever activity.  Now the children are in close proximity to each other.  Eyes narrow, lips curl.  Epithets begin to spew and then next thing you know, a jar is thrown at a sister's head, a pinch is administered that MUST have broken the skin (it didn't.)

You've modeled and taught patience, caring, understanding, non-violence.  You wonder where you went wrong with these children.

Then, someone tells you that your children are leaders. Multiple someones, actually.  They take charge of situations in a calm and kind way.  They help out children who are struggling to understand. No one is left out or left behind on their watch.  They have empathy.  They don't disrupt situations, but lead them in the right direction.  They are model citizens.

And you realize, you're doing alright after all.  They will become helpful citizens of our world.  You have not failed as a parent, you have succeeded, they are giving, caring human beings.

The rest is just noise.