ejly, it sounds like you have a very wise mom, which is the surest route to being a wise mom, yourself. Sometimes I think there's so much cultural (or self?) pressure to be parents who are authoritative, in charge and always right, that we miss many great opportunities to demonstrate to our kids that we're always learning and growing, and that they can be great teachers, too, even when they're still very young. 

Heather, thanks for saying that! My kids sure know how to impress their parents' friends—I'll give them that! :) Of course, we all let out the worst of ourselves around the people who love us most, and those are important learning moments, too. (We missed you at the Safe Haven cookout!)