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June 17, 2024

Parenting Lessons From My Kids

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Opie Cooper Editor Apparent

Mirrors That Clarify Instead of Distort

I’ve watched my son become a father, and my daughters become mothers, each embracing parenthood with a grace that leaves me both humbled and awestruck. They’re better at it than I ever was at their age—a truth that is both comforting and a tad disconcerting, like seeing your reflection in a funhouse mirror that’s somehow more accurate than the one at home.


Bilingual Lullabies and Tiny Ambassadors

My son now lives in Vietnam with his wife and their little boy—my second grandson. They’re raising him to be multilingual and multicultural, a tiny ambassador between worlds. Imagine that: a child who can switch languages as effortlessly as flipping through picture books, each language unlocking a new universe of stories, games, and lullabies.


The Irony of Who Leads Whom

I recall holding him for the first time, his eyes wide with the kind of wonder that makes you believe in magic all over again. He gripped my finger with surprising strength, as if to say, “Stick around, old man. There’s a lot I need to show you.”

And isn’t that the irony? We think we’re here to guide them, to impart wisdom gathered over decades. Yet, more often than not, they’re the ones leading us—back to simplicity, back to joy unfiltered by cynicism.


The Luxury of Simply Watching

Watching my children parent their own, I can’t help but marvel at the cyclical poetry of life. It’s like standing in a hall of mirrors where each reflection adds depth rather than distortion. There’s my daughter, soothing her baby girl with a lullaby that I used to hum—a melody that now spans three generations. There’s my son, teaching his boy to greet the morning sun in two languages, each greeting a bridge between his heritage and his future.

I see them nurturing, teaching, laughing—crafting childhoods rich with experiences I could only have dreamed of providing at their age. And here I am, the observer, the grandfather, the man who now has the luxury to sit back and simply enjoy the show.

But let’s not pretend it’s all serendipitous smiles and Hallmark moments. There’s a pang—a subtle, lingering note of introspection. Was I ever that patient? That inventive? That… good? It’s a question that floats in the air, unanswered but also unnecessary.

Because perhaps the goal isn’t to have been the perfect parent, but to have raised children who strive to be.


When Distance Measures in Heartbeats

The other day, I received a video call from Vietnam. The screen lit up with the faces of my son and grandson, both sporting matching grins that could outshine a supernova. “Say hello to Grandpa,” my son encouraged in a language I didn’t understand. And then, clear as a bell, the little one looked into the camera and babbled a string of syllables that might have been gibberish or the most profound poetry ever uttered.

“He’s trying to say ‘Grandpa’ in Vietnamese,” my son laughed.

“Well, points for effort,” I chuckled back. But inside, my heart did that peculiar flip-flop dance, the kind that reminds you you’re alive in ways that defy anatomical explanation.

It’s moments like these when you realize that distance isn’t measured in miles but in memories shared—or missed. Yet, there’s a strange comfort in knowing that love isn’t bound by geography. It stretches, adapts, finds new pathways like roots breaking through concrete.


Roots Finding Their Way Through Concrete

So here we are, a family scattered across the globe yet intricately connected by threads unseen but deeply felt.

My grandchildren are growing up in a world vastly different from the one I knew—a world that is both breathtakingly beautiful and bewilderingly complex. They are the embodiment of cultures blending, of languages intertwining, of histories converging into something wonderfully new.

And me?

I’m the lucky spectator, the seasoned traveler who’s found that the greatest adventures aren’t in far-off lands but in the unfolding lives of those we hold dear.

I used to think that being a parent was the pinnacle of life’s experiences. Then came grandparenthood—a role that is less about responsibility and more about revelry. It’s like being handed a VIP pass to the greatest show on earth, with all the perks and none of the pressures.


Love Letters Written Without Words

As I look at these new photos—my son holding his son, my daughters cradling their daughters—I see more than images frozen in time. I see legacies in motion, stories that began long before me and will continue long after.

They’re visual sonnets composed of light and shadow, laughter and sleepless nights, first words and endless questions.

They are, in essence, love letters written in the universal language of the heart.

And so, the wondrous cycle continues—ever turning, ever true.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you never stop being a parent.

But perhaps more importantly, you never stop learning how to love.

Sons Holding Sons

How do you capture a moment where your son cradles his own son?

It’s akin to photographing the horizon where the river meets the sea—two forces of nature, distinct yet inseparably entwined.

The currents of heritage and hope merge effortlessly, crafting a tableau that speaks of journeys begun and destinations yet uncharted.

These images are more than keepsakes; they’re chapters in a story written across continents and whispered in multiple tongues.

You can sense it in the way they look at each other—the seasoned gaze of a father who was once a son, and the curious eyes of a child who holds the world in his tiny hands.

It’s life composing a symphony, each note a blend of legacy and new beginnings.

The echo of a lineage that transcends borders, cultures, and time zones.

AUTHOR AND CREATIVE DISCLAIMER:
This post is a collaborative draft generated with the assistance of AI, developed from my original notes and reflections. For those interested in the creative process, I’ve included a link to the original notes as well as the full dialogue with ChatGPT that led to the creation of this piece.
-Opie Cooper

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