“Parents who are afraid to put their foot down usually have children who step on their toes” ~ Chinese Proverb
I'm not venting today! Whooop! Instead, I want to take a moment to reflect on the value and importance of our parents/carers.
If your reading this, then at some point in your life you would have been dependant on an individual to nurture you and care for you during your early years. Whether that person was a parent/carer is irrelevant, it is the fact that they did so that is important.
I have worked in a nursery and had to look after children from as young as 3 months old. If I'm honest I thoroughly enjoyed it, but knowing I would give them back at the end of the day helped me through a lot of rough days. Our parents have no option but to care for us, they woke up in the night to feed us, to calm us and to change us. They may not have wanted to some days, but they still did. We would cry endlessly through the teething stage yet they remained calm and diligent, tending to our every need. When we grew up they spent their earning on a treats for us, uniforms, books, stationary, and so much more - yet they never asked for anything in return. They did all the above because they loved us, they felt a responsibility towards us and they fulfilled it in the best of manners.
Now for the teenage years, the time when we thought we could do it all by ourselves but our parents knew we couldn't. We were probably the most ungrateful at this stage, our parents continued to fund our needs, but we continuously told them they were doing it wrong! We thought they were always against us, telling us more often than not what we couldn't do that rather than what we could. But yet again, they bore it with patience and saw us through it.
Guys n gals, the whole point of this is to remind us why, when we get older, we need to bare the responsibility of our parents. Whether you get on with them or not is another issue, but they saw you through the most vulnerable times in your life and so now you need to show them some gratitude. Send them some money every month if you don't want to see them, so they know your thinking about them and want them to be comfortable. But I strongly suggest we all make an effort to see our parents, honestly as much as they moan and groan they are always pleased to have the company. Make an effort to go around once a week to help clean the house or any DIY jobs that may need doing. It seems like a lot to ask for, especially in this day and age when we have so much going on work-wise and personally. I assure you, on the day your parents depart from this life, if you have made an effort with them you can live the rest of your life without any regrets. When you know you did all you possibly could to make sure your parents were comfortable, happy and safe during their end years it means living the rest of your life content and guilt-free.
Finally, when you respect your parents your children learn to respect you. When your children see you care for your parents they want to do the same for you. However, if all they ever see or hear is you disrespecting your parents then they can justify doing the same back. Your actions speak louder than your words...be the example you want your children to be.
