my children

What I have learned from my son:

* There actually is a male version of me in this world.
* Perfectionism is less of an attribute to inspire success than an attribute that weighs you down.
* Some people really are *that* shy.
* It is really possible that more chocolate ice cream can remain on the outside of your mouth than can make it inside.
* It is also possible that a 5th grader can understand more of the real science behind global warming than a large sector of the nation that continues to deny it could be possible. (I'm talking understanding it to the level of global warming potentials of various greenhouse gases...in the scientific sense. It's a little frightening).
* Musical genes can be passed from generation to generation. This is not limited to the ability to read music. This is the awe that some people have from the simple fact that melodies and harmonies blend together to make emotions.


What I have learned from my daughter:

* I wish I had been a tomboy when I was a kid. It seems like a lot of fun.
* You can be a tomboy but still like sparkly silver toenail polish.
* The fact that daughters can wrap their daddies around their little fingers is most definitely NOT a myth.
* It really is *that* cool that all the angles inside a triangle always add up to 180 degrees. And pink protractors ROCK.
* It is difficult to decide whether to save hard-earned money on a Nintendo DS or to spend it on nachos at the ballfield. It is difficult to the point of tears.
* Some people have a way with dogs. Really a way. Like freakishly a way.