What are you proud of your kids for?

For those of you who have kids, of any age, what are you proud of them for?

For anything at all. Not only because they may have gotten accepted into law school or because they represented their country in their sport, but also for the every day things or grass-roots things that make you proud of them.

Or even if you don't have kids but know what your parents are proud of you for.

I'm wondering what sort of things parents are proud of their kids for doing (or not doing as the case may be).

Haha. Don't start me!
I'm proud as all get out that my son took fire-twirling in the backyard to a globe-trotting professional level of presentation, choreography and class, give or take some bad jokes. And has been able to maintain a group of up to 9 people far longer than most bands ever make it! And kept the vow he made when he was a nipper never to work in fast food or go on the dole.

I'm proud of my daughter that she came to Indonesia and learned more language and got a better sense of the place in a few weeks than most 'tourists' ever do. And that she just pulled off volunteer coordinating a decent sized festival at the age of 19.

And both of them that they are decent kind people who are proud of me too. A lot of kids never grasp how much it means to (some) parents to have their kids' respect.

I'm proud of my 3 1/2 year old for no longer being afraid of the dark. Monday night I walked him him from preschool and he was fairly freaked by strange shapes and noises. Once i got him home and explained how things look different in the dark and how everyday things like trees can look scary and sinister in the dark, he seemed OK with it.

Then Tuesday,before I walked him home, I gave him the same talk and as long as he pretended to be a baby dinosaur with excellent eyesight the dark was no longer a problem. I even lit him pick the route home ( as long as it was in the right direction) and he picked straight through a huge park with a stop off to play at the playground, in the dark.

Tonight I'm going to outfit him with LEDs, wearable Christmas lights, and work a little more on "just what those strange sounds really are"

hmmmm...stumped.(had a bad day with two teenagers and a toddler yesterday.) Can i think about it?....ummm,they are all good at talking,tantrums and cuddles!!