Parents and their Children!

DACDjr · January 4th, 2003, 09:02 PM

I recieved ths in my e-mail today and thought I would share it with everyone.

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Is there a magic cutoff period when offspring become accountable for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become detached spectators in the lives of their children and shrug, "It's their life," and feel nothing?
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When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital corridor waiting for doctors to put a few stitches in my son's head. I asked, "When do you stop worrying?" The nurse said, "When they get out of the accident stage." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
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When I was in my thirties, I sat on a little chair in a class-room and heard how one of my children talked incessantly, disrupted the class, and was headed for a career making license plates. As if to read my mind, a teacher said, "Don't worry, they all go through this stage and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy them." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
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When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come home, the front door to open. A friend said, "They're trying to find themselves. Don't worry, in a few years, you can stop worrying. They'll be adults." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
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By the time I was 50, I was sick & tired of being vulnerable. I was still worrying over my children, but there was nothing I could do about it. My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing. I continued to anguish over their failures, be tormented by their frustrations and absorbed in their disappointments.
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My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life. I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted by my mother's warm smile and her occasional, "You look pale. Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home. Are you depressed about something?"
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Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry? Is concern for one another handed down like a torch to blaze the trail of human frailties and the fears of the unknown? Is concern a curse or is it a virtue that elevates us to the highest form of life?
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One of my children became quite irritable recently, saying to me, "Where were you? I've been calling for 3 days, and no one answered. I was worried." I smiled a warm smile. The torch has been passed.

DACDjr · January 4th, 2003, 09:05 PM

So in other words, we as parents will never stop worrying about our children? We will worry when they are 2, 10, 30 and 60.

Parenting is a lot f hard work, even when your children are grown wth families of their own.

mosquito · January 5th, 2003, 02:42 AM

A Reader's Digest contributor has another take...

Several women were comparing stories about their toddlers' activities. One woman said, "I'll be glad when these terrible two's are over." Another said, "It's not much better when they turn three." One lady, the only grandmother in the group, said, "Just wait til they're 30!"

DACDjr · January 5th, 2003, 05:50 PM

lol, awww mosquito!

January 4th, 2003, 09:02 PM	#1
DACDjr Senior Memeber Join Date: May 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 864	Parents and their Children! I recieved ths in my e-mail today and thought I would share it with everyone. _ Is there a magic cutoff period when offspring become accountable for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become detached spectators in the lives of their children and shrug, "It's their life," and feel nothing? _ When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital corridor waiting for doctors to put a few stitches in my son's head. I asked, "When do you stop worrying?" The nurse said, "When they get out of the accident stage." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing. _ When I was in my thirties, I sat on a little chair in a class-room and heard how one of my children talked incessantly, disrupted the class, and was headed for a career making license plates. As if to read my mind, a teacher said, "Don't worry, they all go through this stage and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy them." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing. _ When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come home, the front door to open. A friend said, "They're trying to find themselves. Don't worry, in a few years, you can stop worrying. They'll be adults." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing. _ By the time I was 50, I was sick & tired of being vulnerable. I was still worrying over my children, but there was nothing I could do about it. My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing. I continued to anguish over their failures, be tormented by their frustrations and absorbed in their disappointments. _ My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life. I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted by my mother's warm smile and her occasional, "You look pale. Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home. Are you depressed about something?" _ Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry? Is concern for one another handed down like a torch to blaze the trail of human frailties and the fears of the unknown? Is concern a curse or is it a virtue that elevates us to the highest form of life? _ One of my children became quite irritable recently, saying to me, "Where were you? I've been calling for 3 days, and no one answered. I was worried." I smiled a warm smile. The torch has been passed. __________________ KAP-AJS

January 4th, 2003, 09:05 PM	#2
DACDjr Senior Memeber Join Date: May 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 864	So in other words, we as parents will never stop worrying about our children? We will worry when they are 2, 10, 30 and 60. Parenting is a lot f hard work, even when your children are grown wth families of their own. __________________ KAP-AJS

January 5th, 2003, 05:50 PM	#4
DACDjr Senior Memeber Join Date: May 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 864	lol, awww mosquito! __________________ KAP-AJS

January 5th, 2003, 02:42 AM	#3
mosquito Registered User Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 219	A Reader's Digest contributor has another take... Several women were comparing stories about their toddlers' activities. One woman said, "I'll be glad when these terrible two's are over." Another said, "It's not much better when they turn three." One lady, the only grandmother in the group, said, "Just wait til they're 30!"