Road trip benefits

My oldest son at home, Tyler, accompanied the baby boys and I to the children's doctors for appointments yesterday. The drive is about 4 hours one way so I really enjoyed his company. He also is much stronger than I am. By the end of our day, I was really ready to hit the pillow but he helped empty the car and get the boys in. One of the best things of having individual time (well, plus the babies!) with the kids for the medical trips is that I get their undivided (mostly) attention. It's fun talking about drivers training, politics, religion and relationships. It's also nice to see him interact with the boys and to watch him meet their needs, whether it's sharing snacks,or wiping drool. I was even surprised when he fed Gborlee before he even began eating his own lunch. I really want what's best for each of my kids as they grown and learn, but I must say, there are parts of Tyler's growth that I am thrilled to be witnessing. It hasn't been a basket of roses for tyler to learn to know and love us, just like it has sometimes been more like a bin of thorns to love and accept him. But for the record, I think he is growing up to be a pretty nice teenager these days, and it makes me appreciate him even more as he attends to our disabled boys. For me, this is all I need our family to be. Helping each other to become people they can be proud of. I am proud of tyler this week.