In an earlier post, I mentioned situations where I was confronted by the fact that my children are grown and independent. A family trip during this past Christmas season brought a few more such occasions to mind.
You know your children are grown when . . .
1. They pick out thoughtful gifts for you and other relatives that show they did their shopping before December 24. (The gifts may have been designed to upgrade my husband’s and my wardrobe and technical gadgetry, but the gifts were still thoughtfully selected.)
2. They voluntarily buy dinner for the whole family. (And I didn’t have to worry about whether I would need to reimburse them later so they could pay their credit card bill.)
3. There is no doubt that they are better suited to carrying luggage up the stairs than you are. (Although in my family, this shift in relative toting abilities came about the time the kids entered high school.)
4. Your family vacation is delayed by their work obligations, not yours. (One child kept us waiting in a Safeway café while she spent an hour on the phone with another attorney. The other skipped half a day of skiing to sit in on a conference call with his co-workers. Do they even see the irony in this, after all the years they spent bemoaning my dedication to my job?)
Yes, my children are grown, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Often you seem to be thinking of the same situations I am focused on, Theresa. I recently questioned my daughter about how she was choosing to handle a business situation and she replied,”Mom, you taught me to be responsible.” Yes, they are growing up. You also triggered another story. Thank you.
Stories are everywhere, aren’t they, Carole?
Thanks. Theresa
I love this, Theresa!
Bravo, to you, Mom, for rearing them so well!
Phyllis
Thank you, Phyllis, but I often think they are doing well DESPITE me! (They probably think so, too.)
Theresa
But you have instilled a great work ethic in them, Mom.
Thanks, Sally. But I don’t think you can instill such things. You can only model the behavior you want, and hope they pick up on it.
Theresa
Well, you’re an excellent model!
[…] I’ve written before about the change in perspective I’ve developed now that my children are grown. See here and here. […]