Adult Children?

Is that an oxymoron? You know, like jumbo shrimp? I've been thinking a lot lately about my role as an adult daughter and about my role as a step-parent to John's adult children. I don't know whether it's the step part or the adult part that makes it hard, but these are definitely the hardest roles for me to fill in my family. I feel like I'm constantly and unwittingly offending someone, or disappointing someone, or making someone feel left out, even when I'm making a distinct effort not to do any of those things. I've even been checking out books on it from the library, which are so wildly different from each other that they're not really all that helpful. One says it's your duty to give your adult children whatever they need/want at the expense of your own finances; one says it's sink or swim and you have to watch from a distance...I guess at least no matter what I do, I'll be able to find a book to support it. All I know for sure is that it's strange to be on both sides of the adult parent thing, especially over the holidays. One day I'm in charge of coordinating everything and being the host and buying the good presents and being the grown-up; the next, I'm feeling twelve years old again and trying to be a good daughter. Maybe I'll figure all of this out and write a book about it that is actually useful. In the mean time, if you have any sage advice, send it my way.

Blog posts are no fun without pictures, right? Here's David, celebrating his 25th birthday (Dec. 12 I think - why don't I have this in my calendar?) with his little sister Grace (11 months - birthday Jan. 14!). They are totally in love. Grace is a huge fan of his beard (now gone) and ear-hole thingies. And of course, of him in general.