Amanda Lamb: I guess I did something right

One of the best parts of being a parent is when you see your child do something that you know you did not have the courage to do at his or her age.

My youngest has become involved with Peer Educators at Interact. They are a group of young women and men who go around and give talks to other young people about safe teen dating practices. They cover everything from sexual assault to domestic violence to emotional control. And they do it all with confidence, clarity and integrity.

This past weekend the group, along with my daughter’s high school classmates, hosted an auction to raise money for Interact. As part of that auction they had a panel discussion where they shared their views on these issues. My daughter took part in that panel.

It’s hard to describe when you see your child with that kind of courage. At this point in my life, I live in the arena of courage, but I know I didn’t live there when I was 15.

It’s a journey, and it takes most of us a lot of life experience us to get there. But living in that arena requires taking chances, often failing, and getting back up again. So, seeing these young people, including my daughter, taking a risk, having difficult conversations about difficult topics, makes my heart swell like the Grinch on Christmas Day.

I think these are the moments when you know you have arrived as a parent. Teenagers certainly still have a long way to go as they approach adulthood. But you get glimpses of who they will be in these moments of courage. And that’s when you take a deep breath, and say I guess I did something right ...

Amanda is the mom of two, a reporter for WRAL-TV and the author of several books including some on motherhood. Find her here on Mondays.