I still regret not spending enough time with them. That is the only gift our parents need. Nothing else. – Ashok Ramachandran
I’m 41. And share a good bond with my parents.
But it wasn’t so always.
7 Mistakes I’ve made with my parents, and I wish I didn’t make them
1. I used to rebel at the discipline they imposed at me.
Now that I’m a parent, I realise it was the most precious gift they gave me.
2. Drove to Bangalore on a bike, despite my Mom warned me not to.
I met with an accident en route!
It helps to learn from the experience of others.
3. I still regret not spending enough time with them.
That is the only gift our parents need. Nothing else.
4. Used to get impatient with them as they took their time to grasp technology.
Today, as 20-year-olds know better technology than me, I understand that it takes time to understand the novel.
5. Not sharing my grief with them.
I used to think it would make them more worried.
Rarely realising, me living with grief alone would instead make them worried.
No one could be our best friend as our parents could be. They know us inside out.
6. Not understanding the role reversal of time.
As kids grow into 30s and 40s, they ought to become parents to their parents who are now becoming kids.
Understanding the role reversal is what keeps the relationship and bond strong.
7. Never understood my Mom’s sacrifices.
Today as I see my wife making those sacrifices, I realise the powerhouse of strength a woman is.
I share these mistakes, not to show how flawed I was. Perhaps I was.
Rather to help you reflect, and see how you can avoid these in your own life.
Fin.
