Since I had twins 10 years ago, I have learned that parenting is complicated and exhilarating at the same time. I like to compare parenting and its many stages to Astronomy. When our children are small, we move with them in the same orbit to keep them safe.

As they mature we may move within another orbit, one with more freedom and choices, like the years in elementary school. The choices become vast, what friends to hang with, what to wear, what sports to join, or clubs. This is the orbit we are in now, my kids are in fourth grade. We are still orbiting in the same path, but I can feel the gravitational pull. My kids are becoming smarter and more opinionated each day.

I know that middle school will bring even greater changes. Already as we enter the tween years, my daughter occasionally resembles a supernova, “an immense explosion that disrupts an entire star.” (or household) : )

On the other hand, my energetic son is comparable to a gamma ray burst, “an intense outburst of gamma rays that comes without warning from a random spot in the distant universe.” We are presently in the same orbit, at least for the time being, as we enjoy our journey through elementary school.

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