Sorry, I couldn’t put the whole question in the title. Erik asked, “What are the qualities of each of your children you admire?”

Rather than go through each and every child, I know the one quality they all share that I admire.

Resilience!

My children have been through many experiences most adults don’t have to deal with. Many happened before they were 5. Not only have they had trauma (which varies with each one), they have been removed from the very people who were supposed to keep them safe.

They have had to adapt to new smells, new routines, people,  beds, clothes, schools, language, food, sounds and environments. They have had to change parents, birth order and more.

My children have had to become someone else’s child. How hard that must have been and continues to be for them.

If nothing else, they are resilient. They have done their best to let go of the past, trauma and realize life moves forward.

Are they perfect? No way! Like me they continue to make mistakes and have to make changes. This is the quality I think about most in regards to my children as a whole.

They have so many unique and individual qualities, I could go on and list them all day long. They are each an amazing asset to our family. While I never imagined I would still be actively parenting children, I can’t imagine my life without each and every one of them. They are my heart and my life.

To see them have joy brings me joy, to see them suffer makes my heart hurt so much. I am grateful for the opportunity to bring each one of them into my life.