Silver lining

Our oldest child is what some child care experts refer to as a "spirited child". I could share all the crazy, difficult things about raising a child like him, but today I'm going to focus on the good things.
1. He inspires creativity. To keep boredom at bay, I need to think of things for him to do. I make chores into games, think of crafts and science experiments, and distract him with funny jokes when I just DON'T FEEL VERY @#*% funny.
2. He makes me feel grateful. I can see how I've been prepared to deal with his unique challenges by the people and situations I've dealt with before.
3. He challenges me to new levels. Patience? Oh, yeah, I thought I had that before he came along. Confidence? Mm, yes, I remember when I thought I knew something about parenting. Understanding? Comes in handy when your six year old is having a tantrum over cookie distribution.
4. He encourages me to reach out to others. Help! I don't know what to do! You don't know how to handle your kid either? Yay! Let's be friends.
5. He helps me develop communication skills. Empathy 101 goes something like this: Oh, you're mad at me, aren't you? You think I should have given you another cookie even though you already had twelve today and it's only 2 days before Christmas, don't you? You want to rip out my guts and eat them for dinner. Oh, that's too bad. That must be really hard for you.