Yo u r R o le a s a C h i l d
So, you’re a grown-up now and probably don’t recognize your-
self as a child. But you are still a child, although you’ll get
strange looks if you park in a “parents with children” space if
you happen to go shopping with your mother or father.
Until both of your parents are passed on and you have been
promoted, so to speak, you remain a child. And you have a
responsibility. You have a duty—now you are a Rules Player—
to be courteous, thoughtful, patient, and cooperative toward
your parents.
Ye s , y e s , I k n o w t h e y d r i v e y o u m a d , b u t f r o m n o w o n y o u
have a role and it is simply this:
- To b e h a v e i m p e c c a b l y w i t h t h e m
- To l o o k a f t e r t h e m i f t h a t ’s w h a t t h e y w a n t / n e e d
- To b a c k o f f i f t h a t ’s w h a t t h e y w a n t / n e e d
- To l i s t e n t o t h e m w h e n t h e y c h a t t e r o n , w i t h o u t l o s i n g
your patience or sighing - To a p p r e c i a t e t h a t t h e y h a v e h a d a l o n g a n d h a r d l i f e a n d
gathered a lot of experience—some of which may be of
some use to you—and you won’t know if you carry on
shaking your head and ignoring everything they say - To v i s i t , w r i t e , p h o n e , c o m m u n i c a t e m o r e o f t e n t h a n y o u
think you should—but probably not as much as they
think you should - Not to bad mouth them in front of your children but to
talk them up as being the greatest grandparents in the
world