I have always thought I was a pretty cool parent.  Both my husband and I focus on spending time with the kids, enjoy the minutes, versus worrying over the small bits.

We let the kids be independent, we don’t freak out over bags dropped to the floor as the kids rush home from school, and we let them stay up TOO late … frequently! Especially if they are getting their play on.

I “thought” we were cool. Until this past week.

Our eldest daughter was welcoming her exchange twin from Quebec to our home, and the true colours (and thoughts and feelings) were showing.

She had some “suggestions” for us, for items to complete before her guest showed up.  There was a lot of cleaning on the list, some repairs, and construction projects.
And we had to be on our BEST BEHAVIOUR.

We could’t talk about farts.

Or fart. Ever.

We had to be professional, and not too loud.

There were RULES.

And that was the moment that my husband and I realized that perhaps we aren’t the cool parents. Perhaps we are the embarrassing ones.

We worried about this, to be honest.  We want our kids to be proud of us, to appreciate who we are and the life we live.

So we cleaned. And baked. And fixed and tidied.  And with every little project on her list that was completed we saw her relax a little bit more.  She became more of herself, and the worry and stress in her eyes disappeared.

When her friend came, she smiled and welcomed her. We she introduced us, happily.

And I realized that it isn’t about being proud of us, or embarrassed. All she needed was that we showed a little commitment to this pivotal event in her life.  That we worked together to make it special.

And, we didn’t fart the whole time her friend was with us…. so that’s good.