What relationships have a positive impact on you?

While I have had many relationships with people over the years, the relationships that have had the more positive impact on me are the ones with my children.

Mountain Kid 1

Our oldest kid is my only daughter. She is strong-willed like her dad, smart like me, a cheerleader for other like her youngest brother and willing to try new things like her middle brother.

She is wiser than I am and more self-confident than I have probably ever have been.

She has taught me to be patient. She has taught me that how I treat and talk to myself and other women matter.

Mountain Kid 2

My oldest son is the most like me — both the good and bad.

He is good with technology and is a bit of a perfectionist. He had a hard time trying new things.

In the past year or so, he’s trying all the things. He tried golf. He ran cross-country and loves it. He’s trying swimming, which he has been kind of afraid of for a while.

He keeps trying, which makes me want to keep trying.

Mountain Kid 3

This guy was my workout buddy. We played together in parks, rail-trails, etc., all the time during my fitness journey.

And now, we’re in the teen vs. parents phase. It’s challenging.

He has taught me how to listen, how to be more patient, and how to be brave when I’m scared.