Thanks Mom and Dad

I saw this group writing project about what your parents did right and it sounded interesting. I'm not sure these are the most important or biggest things mine did right, but they are the first ones to come to mind.

Books, books, and more BOOKS! I grew up surround by books. My parents read to us all the time. Little kid books. And even as we got older, great classics like The Hobbit, Little Women, and Island of the Blue Dolphin (among many!). We took trips to the library and everyone came home with a nice BIG stack of books. We had books of our own at home. Book shelves in the living room, in our own rooms and books every where. We had classic books, like the ones already mentioned, and junk books, like The Baby Sitters Club. I read fiction and non-fiction. I read books on every interest I had. I still love reading and blame them for my ever growing collection of books. But my love of reading has served me well.

Imagination. My parents always encouraged my sister and I's imagination. We went on pirate adventures with my dad. We had forts in the back yard. We were the characters from "Little House on the Prairie," complete with costumes made by Mom. We were Indians, again with costumes. We had baby dolls and had families and orphanages (you can have more kids that way!). We explored so many worlds this way and our parents always encouraged it and provided so many tools to make it more exciting, clothes, props, etc.

Adventure! We were always going on some kind of adventure. We went camping. We went sailing. We went to the park. We went bike riding. We went creek stomping. We went on vacations. We climbed trees. Played in the rain. Dug in the dirt. Built fires. Shot bows and arrows. There was always something exciting to do. We didn't worry about what Mom and Dad would think if we came home dirty. It was fun! And that sense of adventure has carried over into my adult life. I love traveling and exploring. I don't mind going some place, even if I don't know anyone. I don't mind getting dirty. I'm adventurous!