Thank you, Dennis. I did learn a lot in that time. Independence, self-sufficiency, and resilence. The one thing I vowed to do differently with my kids was to allow them their wings. My father derailed my plans to go into the Air Force to become a nurse and then later when I decided to go to a local hospital nursing program. I didn’t get to college until I was 30. But with my own kids — I always tried to tell them yes. To let them spread their wings, while still having a safe place to land when they needed it.

So yes, you’re 100% correct. “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want” — Randy Pausch