My kids are 9 & 5 years old.  A boy & a girl, respectively.  I shudder at the thought that, in a few years time, they will enter the proverbial difficult teen years.  Friends talk about perennial communication challenges, streaks of independence, raised eyebrows over their choice of friends, over and above the mundane concerns like chores, allowances, and the search for the right acne treatment.  The list goes on.

Still and all, the rewards of parenting become fuller, richer, and complete as one goes through the full circle of ups & downs.  One sits back, perhaps tired, and yet appreciative of the lives that come to our home folds for a few years.  Later on, only the memories of the true, the good, and the beautiful stay in our hearts.