Have you ever seen your kids through someone else's eyes?

I don't mean when you're at the store and the kids are crying and you can feel the cold, judgmental stares of elderly citizens and other moms wondering why you can't keep your children under control. Haven't we all been there? Well I don't know, maybe you haven't experienced that, but let me tell you - it's no picnic!

No. I'm talking about when someone sees your kids as "kids" and simply appreciates them for that.

We went to the pool today. My kids were good- not great- but ok. They were just excited to be out of the house and doing something. Connor is really quite good in the water now. All he needs is water wings and he's good to go. So at some point we were in the "hob tub" (as he calls it) and he was throwing a ball, then swimming to get it. Once it landed near an older woman and she grabbed it and started teasing him. He swam over to her and they looked as if they were having a little conversation. He came back over to us, ball in hand and I just assumed things had gone ok.

Later on in the changeroom, this lady came up to me and was just so full of compliments about Connor.

"He's just so friendly and polite. What a great home he must have!".

At that moment it didn't matter to me that he sometimes throws things and maybe can't speak as articulately as other boys his age. I didn't even feel the need to tell the lady that he knows his shapes, colors and he can count to 16. That he memorizes songs and can tell us how to get home from wherever we are in town.

I just smiled and said "thank you" and realized that today, I will just appreciate him, for him.