Where do they get it from?

If you where to ask Aarron if I was a sharp guy he would probably laugh and say
" Yea a sharp pain in the butt" and if you ask my mom she will as proud moms do say "Oh my child is very smart" But I'm a realist. I consider myself bright with a quick wit, but their are people in this world that are much brighter and quicker than I am. That's why I like to read and exchange ideas. It stimulates me to think deeper and process new ideas and different points of view. So maybe someone could explain to me how my childeren got to be so smart. Yea I know your thinking it must be Wendy but she would disagree. Are kids are smarter than we are and it's a joy to watch. Yesterday while driving home we where having a discussion about leaves and yard maintinence. Grayson's solution was to rip out all existing fauna and eliminate the work all together. But Tanner disagreed and here was his reasoning. "If we kill all the plants then they will not be able to take the bad air we breathe out and turn it into good air." I know...its elementary school stuff right. Those kids on smarter than a fifth grader would roll their eyes like the uber champion of jeopardy does while he toys with the the other contestants. So I asked him "How does that work?" and I quote " The trees take the bad air and that's what they breath then through photosynthesis they combine the bad air and water and dirt and sunlight and in the end they poop but not really poop but whats left over is good air that we breath. I doubt a scholar could have made it any clearer save the poop comment. Tanner's view of this world is so much larger than mine was and Grayson...well don't get me started. My little sponges never cease to amaze me in what they know and what they are paying attention to. This is the ultimate as a parent. I thought it would be wonderful to watch my sons learn from me but it is so much more gratifyng to watch them learn and process the world form the seats. I have equipped them with the process not the answers. I didn't think this way when I was eight or five. Different times I guess...different world. I mentioned earlier that I have been wingin this parent thing since the very beginning. Everyone thinks they know how to deal with parental problems. You know what I have noticed...Parents usually do not give other parents advice. I think this is because as much as a parent may evaluate the way the other parent does their job, in the end, it's better to keep your mouth shut. You never know what your kid may do the next week. (this only applies to the rest of the world, parents are usually full of advice they wish to pass down to their childeren when they become parents.) Some freinds of ours have had problems with their childeren not sleeping at night. They are wonderful parents and even though wendy has given them the whole program on how to get infants to sleep through the night. It has not worked and I say SO WHAT. When the child is 25 they will be laughing about how they missed 2 years of sleep. In the end, there are things in this world that matter and things that don't. You know who seems to know alot about parenting and will tell you so, people without childeren. People without childeren are experts and vocal about it. They have just the behavioral modification tool that will stimulate the childs inner need to please and feel accepted and useful as well as independant and self assured. And with that, after they have changed the childs eternal course with Skinners rules of behavioral modification, it's off for a mohito and a movie. They will never appreciate what parenting is until they realize the miracle for themselves. I do not discount their advice, as I said, their are some very smart people out there.
But parenting is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days for the rest of your life. Wendy and I watched Juno last night. Hilarious movie but disturbing as well. My favorite part however is not the sarcastic wit of Juno or her freind but the character that Jennifer Garner plays and the last scene with her and the baby. Great moment! I won't wish for my kids to grow up quickly because I am enjoying them too much. My Uncle who is usually pretty steady was obviously moved to tears when his daughter graduated from high school recently. Some would coo at how a Father could be so proud as to be moved to tears. But I don't think it was his pride that made him tear up, it was the realization that she was grown up. The sleepless nights as an infant, the first steps, first words, pre-school, sports, an ever changing world where parental intervention is slowly eroded until this moment. Ready to take on the world. Not seperated but independant, Not self reliant but reliable. I could not be sure but a sigh of relief and a realization that they get it from you.