Did you raise your family to resemble a manicured garden; traditional, with exquisite shrubs and stately fences? Or did you raise your family to resemble a wild garden; left mostly to nature with a mishmash of wildflowers, grasses, weeds, and some open spaces where wildlife can creep in?

Don’t you sometimes shake your head at this strange group of genetically matched organisms you call your family and say, “This is not going according to plan!”

There is no right way to raise a family; there is only ‘your’ way. You raise your family based on what you believe you need to teach: integrity, independence, love of earth, street-smarts, ambition, strength, tolerance, patriotism, compassion... and who can argue with who you are? You were germinated from the seed of your parents’ beliefs.

Soon, as the flowers and trees start to bud it might be a good time to stop, put down your clippers and bug spray, and simply enjoy your garden.  It may not have turned out exactly how you planned but it is simply spectacular in its presentation, its quirkiness, its spirit, and its originality. And all of this is a result of ‘your’ way of doing things as a proud and devoted gardener.

Congratulations on your magnificent, unique, family.