This morning, as I do every morning, 

I gather my coffee, my computer, my phones and I 

go on Facebook. This morning, my cousin, Lauren

has posted pictures of her sweet Alyssa and her friends,

the one all the way to the right happens to be my very own, Malaina.

It seems that Lauren has taken them to see Justin Bieber in concert.

 The picture get better and better as she snaps away when

her little daughter and her friends see "The Bieber"

 Priceless memories are made on this night,

which happens to have been a school night and

I am so happy for all the girls, so happy that Lauren,

who also is a teacher, did something which is not a norm for her,

and brought the girls, on a school night, to a concert.

 I mean, look at this, look at Alyssa's face, look at Malaina

in the background. Everything good surrounds this memory.

I asked Lauren if I could share the pictures.

I also wanted to make a statement that the pictures seal as true.

Raising children is not always easy.

As the world changes, it gets even harder for parents.

There is technology, there are others always judging them.

Lauren, being a teacher may have thought long and hard before

buying these tickets worrying about school, the girls being tired the next day.

Yet, she did it, and she will never, never regret this.

I mean look at her beautiful girls face!

It is so important for parents to have rules and to enforce those rules.

Yet, it is also important sometimes, to break a rule or two 

to make these memories that forever will remain in these girls hearts.

Gyspy baby, she is 23 now. Yet, from the first year she started school,

I would take off work and she would play hooky from school on 

her birthday. It was against my normal, which was you go to school unless

you were dying. Each birthday, she would choose what the day would bring

and we would take an adventure.

Baby boy's birthday was during summer so there were a few days 

during his growing up years that I would just check him out of school to 

spend a day just he and I. One of those days was the year he was in 8th grade

and there was a dance. I thought he was too young for a dance at that age

but told him he could go if he wanted.

The night before, he explained that he really didn't want to ask a girl to

a dance, that he would rather just spend the night just he and I.

I was so touched by this, and knew that this would probably be 

the last year he felt this way about me

(I was right, by the way, about that)

so I took the afternoon off of work and surprisingly checked him

out of school. We went to New Orleans and ate out then saw a movie.

Yes, it was quality times and some of the best decisions I ever made

as a parent. Break the rules sometimes, and enjoy these moments.

You and they will never forget them.

Good job, Lauren!