Parental wisdoms.

[Lonelymum]

My parents have just been for the day and we had a lovely time but it was all over and done with too quickly. I confess I shed tears after they had gone. I really wish my parents would spend more time with me but they have their own life to lead and thank God they are so fit and active in their 70s. Anyway, many of you may know I have been having a tough time lately (in fact, most of my life seems to have been a tough time one way or another) but my parents help me see the light and bring a little sanity into my life, talking through some of my gripes and stresses. One of the key pieces of advice I will always remember from my parents is them telling me to "travel hopefully". Trouble is, I rarely do when they are not here to remind me of it. Don't get me wrong, I don't have the perfect relationship with my parents, but mostly when I see them I overwhelmed by how great they are. I don't know how I will go on without them.

So in honour of our parents, I was wondering what things your parents say/said to you which make you appreciate their influence in your life.

Ah,that's lovely and so great that they've managed to give you a bit of a boost.

My parents are wonderful too.
For some reason the way my mother would hug me and whisper 'Think of it as an adventure' whenever I was about to do something I didn't really want to (like going back to boarding school)has always stayed with me and helped me do some tough things.

My dad tells my mum how proud he is of my and my brother because he can't tell us himself (tough upbringing with no love shown particularly so he finds it hard to show it although we know he feels it). My mum says "hug your daughter" and he does LOL!

My mum has been my rock, always strong for me, always supportive, always there, never judges me, (I'm going to cry in a minute).

I appreciate all they have done for me and I'll never be able to tell them so I will repay them by hopefully being as good a parent as they were.

phew.

Yes that is great Moondog, and I think you sound as though you have taken that advice on board, from the way you write about things on MN.

I wish I could have my parents' optimism and belief that all will be well in the end, but maybe that is something that will only come with age.

KBear, how emotional you made me! How can we ever repay our parents?

lol Lonelymum..am grimly repeating it to myself today after an extrememly tedious day in Van and a huge row with dh.

Dying to get on the first plane home!

Saw a mention of that on the toddler not going to sleep thread. Hope you are OK.

Ah thanks..just one of those things...

My parents are such wonderful people b/c they accepted me no matter what - never put any pressure on me to be anything other than a woman who is happy with herself.

My dad's mantra has always been, 'We can't always chose what happens to us, but we can always chose what we do about it.'

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Lonelymum. What a lovely and thought provoking thread.

I'm grateful for what my parents gave me as I was growing up - a happy and loving childhood. I grew up feeling so secure in our family unit, always safe. I remember as a child waiting for them to come home if they'd been out, so that everyone would be 'in the right place.'

Sadly two members of my family died at far too young an age (eldest brother at 32 and dad at 63)
But the legacy of a happy childhood lives on and has made me want to recreate the same feelings for my own children.

I'm pleased you had a lovely day, there's something in all of us that wants to go back to a (happy) childhood, or to be our parents' child again, isn't there?

Oh yes, that is true (about only appreciating what your parents went through when you became a parent yourself). My relationship with my mother has never been that good and I think she found being a mum rather than a high achieving professional (which was what she was first) very hard. I so understand what her frustrations were now and wish I could have been a bit nicer to her at times.

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