Camano Island, Washington, about 50 miles north of Seattle. A quiet, semi-rural place where it’s easier to buy farm fresh eggs from a roadside stand than it is to find a restaurant open past 8:00.
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Our son earned a commendation medal for his work in Qatar late last year/early this year. The citation is written in typically bad Army jargon, but he did deliver a “first” that raised his profile quite a bit and was instrumental in his recent selection and move to Cyber Joint Forces at Ft. Meade. We are hoisting a glass to him and his labors this Labor Day. Once again, well done, son.
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Awesome!
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Yes indeed, well done!
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That’s great!
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Congrats!
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Fantastic! Congrats to your S.
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Sweet! Zendaya is sporting a leather corset designed by D for her new Lancôme ad campaign - the entire outfit was styled by Law Roach.
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The conference my son’s college team plays in has 5 of the top 25 teams in the country, including his.
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Even though it happened several decades ago and even though my high school did not offer AP courses, I still brag about earning 1s on all three AP exams that I took.
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And I still brag that I can tie a cherry stem with my tongue. 
(This was my first brag on this thread.)
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I routinely remind my younger brother that I had a higher SAT score than him.
He went NESCAC>Ivy>Stanford and built generational wealth in 20 years. 
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I want to see this!
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My DW can do that too.
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ShawD had a big summer. Bought a two-family house, became medical director of the clinic where she works doing primary care, and then turned 30. She also walked the West Highland Way in Scotland, hiked an alpine route in the Canadian Rockies and hiked on several New Hampshire peaks this summer.
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My husband got an unexpected promotion from manager to director! The new compensation package is a significant increase and, with bonuses, in the best years the total compensation could be twice his current salary. 
But mostly, I am so happy and proud of him because this promotion is something he has wanted for 15 years. He has always been great with the technical aspects of his job, but less so the people-interaction parts. He has worked really hard to build the skills that he needs and to learn things that 20 years ago he thought were worthless. Along the way he really has grown to see thing s from other people’s perspectives and value mentoring other people, for example. 
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Older son (Edinburgh class of 2022) just got a placement in the Peace Corps! He’ll be doing public health work in Moldova for two years.
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@CuriousInCincy congratulations to your son. Our daughter is a returned Peace Corps volunteer, and so is her husband. Both absolutely loved their experiences with the Peace Corps. What very very cheery news!
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I’ve had a successful business career and a long, happy marriage, but I’m most satisfied by what I’ve accomplished with my kids.
When I was young there was a constant cycle of argument and corporal punishment in our home. When I attempted to reason with my alcoholic mother I was accused of “talking back” and subjected to more punishment. I remember trying to tell my mom at age 8-10 that when I grew up and had kids it would be different, and I’d treat my kids respectfully, only to be told that my youthful idealism would change when reality hit, which was followed by more corporal punishment for “arguing”.
Well, reality has been great. We didn’t treat our kids as children, or adults, or friends, we just treated them as rational beings worthy of our respect. Our kids were never “in trouble”, never felt the need to lie to us or do stuff behind our backs, were never grounded or had their phones confiscated, never spanked, and always seemed motivated to excel academically, athletically, and financially.
Both were National and State AP scholars and captains of their college athletic teams (both at top 10 colleges) and are now successful in life and love.
Nature or nurture? Impossible to fully know, but I’m proud to brag about it.
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Went and visited D23 at school for parents weekend. She didn’t want to come home after being there for 6 weeks. That is a win in my book.
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