When you are a parent of 12 children, there is never a lack of personality to go around. While there is no doubt they have been affected, or more appropriately "infected" by parental behaviors, each has developed, whether we approved or not, into a very unique person. Parenting has been a cultural study for us. Six children sharing our own mixed genetics (woe unto them) and 6 who bring great diversity and genetic improvement through adoption, they are close, and good to one another and full of strength. I take no credit.
One of the things I delight in is what they find "fun" and how much this varies. Dread, my third son, who is now 17, loves to dive with me, and has had some great experiences. One of the things he finds fun is taking underwater selfies featuring some of the marine life. It brings me great joy not only to share the experiences first hand, but also to see the pictures that bring him so much joy.
Dread photobombing a goliath grouper
Dread sharing some selfie with a barracuda.
Dread catching me on a head first decent to attack him from above. Spoil sport.
You'll have to have good eyesight, but if you look to the right of the base of his snorkel (his left) you'll see the ghosty image of an approaching Reef Shark... Note his wide eyes... Dread's, not the shark's.
I thought these were cool pictures on their own merit, but since they represent the play of a young adult, finding joy in cool things, they are imbued with even greater meaning.