If we were ever parents....

... Matt would be The Helicopter Dad and I would be the Laissez Faire Mom. Surprised? I was too. You see, when you start gardening together, you see a whole new side to your spouse that was hibernating.

I planted the first round of seedlings several weeks ago. It took them about 2 weeks anyway to poke out of the soil (in their yogurt cups), but once they were out, they really went through growth spurts--so much that I sometimes didn't recognize them from Monday to Wednesday. I was moved.

Matthew, on the other hand, decided he would plant his own seedlings once mine were toddlers, except he had a different approach. While I watered mine and basically just let them do their thing, he hovered over them, intensely staring into their soil (several times a day), waiting and watching for them to poke through. It was hilarious and creepy at the same time. In the end, I was annoyed on behalf of the poor babies. Day after day he would move them with the sun (wherever it shone into the house), carefully spritzing them with water and searching through the soil (litterally, with a gentle finger) for a little green head. Sure enough, one day when I was working in the livingroom, he called me from the childrens' room to say "I SEE ONE!!" I was obliged to take a look. He told me to guess which yogurt cup. I searched and searched, peering through the bits and pieces of the soil, trying to find evidence of something green.

Once that stage was over, his parenting eased up a bit (now that they were alive and well and growing visibly), thank goodness. I wasn't sure how to handle him anymore and I apologized to the babies (on his behalf) for embarrassing them like that.

Today, our babies are all grown up and it was time to let them go. They moved out of the house and into their own place. Granted, not too far away (poor Dad), but enough that they have their space. They are teenagers afterall.

Here's their empty home. They will have roommates soon.


Some parents just spoil their kids rotten. Look at those snobs.

Dad, doing the dirty jobs:

Mom, doing the decorating:

There, all moved in!

Be good! We'll miss you!