Domingo Soto: Because Freedom Isn't Dumb

WHAT KIDS TEACH US
Carlos lives with his mom. I was miffed at him the other day because he hadn't called me in a few days. When he came over for the weekend I was so happy to see him that I let it go. But that night when we were having a quiet moment, I thought about it. I reminded him that I worry about him, that it hurts my feelings when he takes me for granted, and that he's old enough to take responsibility for letting me know he's okay.
And then I told him that if he was "ever, ever lucky enough to have children" he'd know what it really means to love someone and how important a child is to a parent. "You'll also have a lot of regrets about things you did or didn't do and you'll miss me. But know, this, I love you with all my heart and nothing that you do can change that," I told him.
He had tears in his eyes and apologized. I assured him that everything was okay, that I wasn't nagging and that It really was a sincere effort by me to let him know that everything was okay between us, that I was proud of him, that I loved him tremendously, that everyone makes the same mistakes and has the same regrets and that what I wanted him to know was what kids teach us - true, full, real love.