Surpassed

It was bound to happen eventually. It's happening now.

My children - and their friends - are developing skills and talents that surpass those of my own. And it is such a beautiful, uplifting process for me to witness.

They started out so tiny, of course. I was much bigger than they. And better at everything. From the day they were born, I could eat more neatly, color in the lines more precisely, run faster than their toddler legs could carry them, reach things up higher, spell better, and do thousands of other things better than my babies could. Obviously.

But they're not babies anymore. My girls can sprint faster than I can. My son can explain any technology better than I ever will. One of my daughters has such a gift for song that some nights, after I tuck her in, I linger outside her door just to hear her sweet voice as she performs a concert for her Webkinz. The other daughter is a faster reader than I am. {I'm not slow - I just never got the hang of skimming. Afraid of missing something important, I read every word on the page.} My son seems to have a desire - a need almost - to compete in triathlons, whereas swimming and bicycling hold negligible interest for me.

Likewise, my kids' friends are developing some amazing aptitudes that I admire. One is becoming quite the creative and knowledgeable photographer at the age of 12. Another writes imaginative and engaging short stories with ease. Yet another is destined to become a famous cinematographer someday, as evidenced by his talent and intuition behind the camera at the ripe old age of 13.

Yes, it was bound to happen. And I feel so fortunate to see it unfolding before my very eyes. Someday, I'll be able to say, "I knew them when..."