gray is the new black

                           When I was younger, everything was either black or white. There was never any middle ground, or shade of gray. To me, gray was an area of indecision, and area in which there was no real answers.I always had to have real answers or the semblence of right and wrong, with no room for overlapping, or explaining why some decisions were made. You either did the right thing or you didn't, Black or White.It was simple.
                             Well, over the years of living as an adult, and most especially as a parent, I have come to realize that there is way more gray than there is black and white. For every decision you are making , there is a good and a bad consequence. Even if the bad is just a small thing, it is stil manifested by the decision you choose to make therefore it could fall into grayness. I never analyzed things as a younger person, I just did what I thought was right without regard for how others might fare as a result. Most times this way of thinking served me well. But there were times when my own selfishness hurt others, of this I am now certain.
                              So now I am watching my children make decisions. Sure I have guided them, and hopefully shaped the way they think and view the world. But I know that there are decisions being made that are not Mom approved, and I know that they fall a lot of the times into the gray area. I hope they learn quickly to think before they act, and realize that a lot of times there is more than one answer, or sometimes there is no right answer.In those times I hope they just weigh the collateral damage that could ensue and decide for the best.
                               We are not overtly religious people in my family, but I have tried to instill values and humanity into my children and know that there is a greater being than themselves and they need to respect that and live their lives accordingly. I feel there will be a period of years where I will be biting my tongue or constantly lecturing on decision making and how it effects not just themselves but those around them.I think this period in my life has begun, and I hope that I can deal with it by teaching about the gray, and how, with a little thought, we come to realize that is the color of most things out there.