• I'm a mom of five, and when they were kids, I had to be ready to clean up their messes. • I chose not to continue monitoring their activities and consequences after they moved out my house. • One of my sons once told me that I needed to let him make his own mistakes.

The first time I was called to the principal's office was to discuss some questionable artwork my oldest son had created in 3rd grade.

The principal expressed his concern that the picture of bloody, beheaded snowmen was a warning sign. It wasn't. In fact, my son and his classmate had drawn the snowmen after watching a particularly graphic, but PG cartoon on TV. Given that he now makes a living as an artist, perhaps more than a red flag, this was a preview of the talent he would use to craft a very lucrative career.

It

See Full Page