I was putting Isaac’s snack in his backpack and found a “what I’m thankful for” packet. The first page read “I’m thankful for mom”, and had a picture he drew of us sleeping side by side, in pencil. He often comes into my bed in the middle of the night and sometimes I am too tired to face the upset if I say no. I was honored to be on the first page and that this is something he thinks of and is grateful for. I smiled and flipped to the next page. “I am grateful for dad”, Isaac had drawn them in color, with a soccer ball, and big smiles on their faces. I flipped to the next page. “I am grateful for dad baseball” - another cute drawing in color with smiley faces. I flipped to the next page, “I am thankful for dad baseball” - another one. He didn’t even like or play baseball, I thought. I flipped to the last page. “I like to be thankful in my heart! Dad” - Surprise, another colored drawing - this time with hearts everywhere. My stomach dropped and my eyes filled with tears. It wasn’t that I felt what I was feeling because Isaac was thankful for his dad, it was that clearly, I was not the fun mom I thought I was or wanted to be. I did the laundering, the cooking, the tidying, the providing, the cleaning, the weekday shuffling, the scheduling, etc… I was short on weeknights because I was tired and the boys didn’t get to enjoy my easiness on the weekends (because I didn’t have them). Of course, I wasn’t about to bombard them with the reality of why things were the way they were. Why their dad could not give them what they deserved in order for “us” to balance it all, and why I was so tired doing everything in between, because of his inabilities. So, therefore, I had to be stability. But then I remembered, that every time I walk into my bathroom (mom’s bathroom - the boys have their own), I see the hand towel on top of the back of the toilet instead of the little rack. And every time I see it I smile (before reminding Isaac that it needs to be hung back up after use). So it was then that I realized, no matter where or when or how or what, your home will always be your home. You will always be… mom. You will always be you. You will always teach the things, be the reminder, and the thought in the back of their head of why they do the things they do… And I was more than okay with being that thoughtful voice. Although I was drawn in pencil and not in color or marker, Isaac drew me in bed, alongside him. In my apartment - the one I work so hard for so they can have a home base. While co-parenting will be different for all of us, it’s important to remember the importance of how YOU parent. Never discredit the harmony in your home, the healing in your heart, or what is heard from your humility. Bitterness will always try to steal the show, but you can choose to be better than that. Make the best of every moment, memory, and model. Be it, embrace it, embody it. You are you and your kids need that too.