Today was the final day of our little girl’s Summer Day Camp and they had a “banquet” for all the parents to attend, showcasing some of the activities the kids have been a part of throughout the summer. The kids were seated together with their fellow campers, and the parents were in the audience.
At one point in the evening they were handing out “awards” to the kids for different things. And our little girl received a ribbon for one of the track and field games during the Summer. It was all just for fun, but when our little girl received her ribbon and came off the stage, I saw her eyes searched through the seated parents and found me, and she held up the ribbon and flashed me one of her trademark “kiss-your-heart-goodbye” smiles.
All of a sudden I realized that I do the same thing. Everytime I speak in public, everytime I play a concert, everytime I perform, my eyes almost involuntarily search through the audience to look for my parents. After the Crazy Hope Concert a couple of weeks ago, all of us felt good about the wonderful feedback from everyone. I was feeling so proud of what we accomplished. But somehow, nothing felt quite as good as the following morning, when my phone rang, waking me up. I picked up and it was Dad on the phone: “Great show last night!”
For all the parents amongst us: Let us never stop telling our kids we are proud of them. It means more to them than we realize. 
