Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Chronicling the Older Ones Too

You may be excused if this blog feels less like "Huang Kids Khronicles" and more like "Asher Huang Khronicles."  What can I say, the little guy is photogenic.  Also, as kids get older, you kind of ease off the over-sharing.

But you obviously don't ease off the parenting.  Indeed, wading through pre-teen and teen issues is like a second toddler-hood, and marks a crucially important phase of childhood development.

Without going on and on, much of this phase is about giving kids space, but also being in their space in ways that they can feel safe, learn right and wrong, and know you are there if they need help.  And so you have to put in the time, in order to establish that presence in their lives.

Which is why I took Aaron and Jada out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse in the suburbs after Asher went to bed on Saturday night.  Between that and hitting the grocery store afterwards, it made for a way later evening than I'm used to.  But it was worth it to have quality time with the older kids, to talk real talk with them, and just to watch them be.

As with Asher, Amy and I love Aaron and Jada dearly, and are so honored to be in their lives.  Their evolution into young adults is scary but also wonderful, and I know I'll be glad when I look back that I took time for things like Outback.

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