knowing them

Sometimes I look at my kids and realize that I talk to them all the time without actually looking at them....into their eyes, deeply, to know who they are inside. I am taking advantage of the fact that they are here but while they are here, shouldn't my heart's desire be to know them? Who are these two people that we are raising, and who will they be? How do they feel about themselves, what are their hopes and fears? Do they trust that I really care about them? Or do they feel that everything is only surface relation? Whoa, this is something that's really been on my mind. It's hard to even know who you are in yourself, and I don't think any of us ever really knows fully the depth of our own beings, but even as I am on my own journey, I should be whole heartedly commited to knowing my children. They spent 9 months in my inner-most parts but now I need to spend my time with them, getting to know their inner-most parts. I don't know if this will touch any of you or not...but I want to look at my kids and while looking into their eyes, be able to see the person they will become, because of knowing who they presently are.