You Can Pick Your Nose...

...but you can't pick your family. Or, is it you can't pick your friends? Wait, no, I think it's actually something about not being able to pick your friend's nose (a policy that I think we can all agree should stay firmly in place). Whatever the old adage is, it is true that we don't get choices about our biological acquaintances. It's also true that every family has its own set of issues. At 27 years old, I've finally figured out how to truly appreciate and value my family. When I really look closely, I see the amazing qualities that each and every member of my family possesses. My dad's ability to communicate and elicit cooperation from people, my mother's zany creativity and child-like joy, the amazing way my sister can paint pictures with her written stories; then there are my brothers, who keep me constantly laughing but also surprise me frequently with their integrity and willingness to do the right thing - even when it hurts. And my husband and daughter... they could have a separate blog altogether. Wes is the best daddy I have ever seen. It sometimes literally brings tears to my eyes to watch him with Ellie and see his love for her and the tenderness with which he handles her. I could go on forever gushing about them.



This epiphone of sorts has allowed me to finally ditch the childhood baggage that seemed to manifest as a giant chip on my shoulder starting when I was about 14. Admittedly, I had an easy childhood, for the most part. I had two parents who stayed married (and in love, which is even more rare) and raised the four of us kids to be responsible and have integrity. But, let's face it, even people who are products of the cushiest childhoods have issues with their parents. Maybe one offhand remark your father made sticks out in your mind, or you remember being punished excessively for something that wasn't really that heinous of a crime. Perhaps your parents were more strict than any of your friends', and you've now grown up to watch your younger siblings who still live at home get away with everything.



Be that as it may, I've learned that the difficult part of being open-minded is usually accepting the fact that people have radically different beliefs, opinions, etc, even if you don't accept the views themselves. Additionally, people change. Their rules for self-governance change as new information comes about. This is true for pretty much anything or anyone.

No parent is perfect, and today I can only imagine what kind of issues we will give Ellie as she grows up. But my parents worked damn hard for us, and any kid would have been lucky to have them. We don't always agree on everything, but I love my family, and I accept all of them - parents, brothers, sister, grandparents - as they are.