Most days I want my kids to stay 4 forever.

They are adorable. I love to hear the random things that come out of their mouths, and they love me even if I'm having a really bad day.

But every now and then, I think how fun it will be when they get older.

I expect one of those exciting times to come will have to do with hosting a foreign exchange student, or sending one of my children abroad to be a foreign exchange student.

When I was a teenager, my family hosted exchange students on several occasions and it always presented an opportunity to learn things about other countries and people you can't find in a textbook.

Of course, it's risky because you just don't know much about the student who will be living with you. There can be problems if the student doesn't get along with your own children, or was raised with different styles of parenting or disciplining.

However, I will say that as someone who at one time worked for a placement organization, they do work hard to make sure the student they are placing in your home understands that they will be expected to acclimate to their new environment.

We even hosted a student once who was sent home early because he participated in activities that broke the contract he signed with the placement agency -- but I find that, in general, the benefits outweigh the problems.

My brother studied abroad for a semester in college. He spent months in a small village in Spain. To this day, 10 years later, he still considers his peers in that family to be his brothers and sisters and respects the parents as if they adopted him.

I think because students are so vulnerable when they first arrive, relationships are built quickly and become solid as a mutual respect is developed.

My brother has returned to Spain on several occasions to visit the family, and his "brother" has even come to the United States to visit.

The nice thing about hosting a teen is that they can be friends with your children, but at the same time they will go out and forge their own relationships and find ways to experience this "new world" by themselves.

When I was in high school, I was in charge of a Foreign Exchange Committee in the Student Government Association. In that capacity, I coordinated with exchange students from across the county in an effort to arrange events and trips that would benefit and interest them.

The students, from around the world, were outgoing, social and looking to meet new people and experience new things. I learned as much from them as they did from me when we hung out.

I spent three weeks in Russia when I was a sophomore in high school and a close friend of mine spent several months in Holland around that same time.

We both felt the experience helped us develop a sense of confidence and a perspective on life and the world many Americans don't grasp until they are young adults or later.

I know when I was in high school I was a part of a small close knit group of friends. Going abroad forced me to fend for myself and explore myself as a person. And, being in Russia before the Iron Curtain fell forced me to see the world in a very different light.

We always enjoyed opening our doors to foreign exchange students. If nothing else, it forced our family to do things together, like trips to museums and sports events, at a time when it would have been otherwise difficult to get four teenagers to do something with their parents.

I know we're a good decade away from hosting an exchange student. Who knows, by then we'll probably be able to teleport them to our home with a click of the mouse. But I'm already getting excited about the idea of hosting a foreign exchange student when our kids are teenagers.

Kym Byrnes writes from Finksburg. Please e-mail her at kymbyrnes@gmail.com.

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