Lessons from my Beauties

I have 3 daughters, that I call Beauty #1, Beauty #2, and Beauty #3.  Respectively, they are 16, 11, and 5.  Each one is completely unique in all aspects and each one has taught me some important life lessons along our journey as parents that have carried over into my teaching career.

Beauty #1 is has seen me work hard, working a full time job, and having gone back to school full time at the same time.  She has taken this to heart and shows me every day how driven she is and rock steady she is in her life.  She reminds me a lot of myself at that time in my life, but as any parent would most likely say, she outdoes me and I'm proud of her for that.  She has taken a full course load at her high school, where almost every class is either dual credit or AP type for 2 years now.  She even went to summer school, earning more dual credit, when she could have rested all summer.  She's on track to graduate HS with nearly 1 year of college credit under her belt.  She is my reminder to never give up, to set goals, to work hard towards those goals, and to not let obstacles get you down.  She is the essence of the word perseverance.

Now, Beauty #2 is unique in the looks department with her crazy, long, unruly, naturally curly hair, that causes me much anguish, but causes her great pride.  She is my most disorganized child, but also my most creative.  She finds joy in being different and never takes others criticism personally, just telling me that they are just jealous that she has something unique that they wish they had.  Beauty #2 is also gifted in her education, but is a very well rounded child, who loves to read, sing, and cook.  She reminds me daily that it's ok to be different, for after all, how will you stand out in a crowd, if you aren't different.  She is the walking embodiment of unique.

Beauty #3 came along in our life when we thought we were done being blessed with children, and she is a joy in every sense of the word.  She loves, laughs, and plays with her whole being.  She is a total family girl, always asking to go to Grandma's and her favorite cousin's home.  She is an attached Mommy and Daddy's girl, our shadow.  Beauty #3 is a chatterbox, loving to talk about anything under the sun, play games, and just be together with those she loves.  She is my daily reminder that it's ok to have fun, to laugh, enjoy time with family, and to just be.

While Beauty #1, #2, and #3, all are my pride and joy, they have each taught me some important life lessons that I hope we can all teach to our students at school.  Work hard, never give up!  Embrace who you are, God gave you those gifts! And love, laugh, and enjoy now...the present is a special gift you can't get back!