I still maintain that children mold and sha
pe their parent's lives as much as parents shape their children's lives.I see some things in a different way now that Jill-the-biologist has taught me a little more about the natural world. Whenever I see a flower I wonder "Is it is pollinated by moths, birds or bats?" Maybe this flower hanging from vines is pollinated by hummingbirds...
Look at this tree...It has a big squirrel-hole, or is it an owl-hole? Why is there fungus? Has it dripped to the foot of the tree?
Two things:
When my children show me something new I rejoice so much that I'm glad I let them grow to adulthood and didn't kill them when they were larvae (as Valerie says)
Also I am glad to recognize them as peers and equals that I have shared my life with in their short time living at home and find pleasure in their company.
