[twitter]There are moments, every now and again, when it clicks.  When your kid drops something out of the routine that says “This is all worth while.”

Maybe it’s a kind gesture, or it’s a piece of wisdom, or it’s an acrobatic feat.  It’s just a little thing that breaks the everyday drama of parenting that shows you your kids are listening and learning.

We had one last weekend.

After our camping adventure in Dinosaur Provincial Park, I decided to take the long way home and do some geocaching on the scenic back roads of Alberta.  While the boys enjoyed the first 4 or 5 caches, they soon tired of the loading and unloading at each cache a few kilometres down the road.

We arrived in Duchess, a small town of a few hundred, and home to about half a dozen caches.  One was across the street from a church and featured a huge playground with half a dozen slides, climbing nets, swings, and more.

“PARK!” they shouted in unison.  “There’s a geocache here too, guys,” I responded. “I want to go to the park,” Charlie asked.

“Well, how about you guys play at the park, and I’ll look for the geocache in the trees on the side?”

“Hey, Daddy! That’s a win-win!!”

And I smiled.  Yes, it is a win-win.  Zacharie’s kindergarten class has been following the 7 Habits For Happy Kids throughout the year. They’ve learned to be proactive, sharpen the saw, synergize, and look for win-wins.

It was a small moment at a park at a middle-of-nowhere town, but it was a proud moment.  Zacharie was learning. He was growing.

It was a moment that reminded me that this is all worth it.

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