Saturday, January 01, 2022

When Adult Children Send Parents on Vacation

One of the joys of parenthood is when you travel halfway around the world on premium plane tickets bought for you by your now adult daughter who paid for them with spare money she’s earned after going through the American high school and college meat grinders and coming out the other side with a senior job working for a top 10 tech company along with a wonderful husband and beautiful baby girl and close family members in five countries on four continents.

Enough said.

But I’ll say more.

There are moments when one realizes it’s worth it. To struggle and worry and win and lose and strive and push and crawl in the dark without a “how to” manual or the slightest assurance of success for years and years to bring to your child something that you, yourself, never had. What I always needed, but never received, was the reliable backup, love, and guidance that only a father can provide. But I did give that to our daughter. Together with the font of light and love and fine example of womanhood provided by her mother, it seems to have worked well.

The parenting my wife and I gave our daughter was far from anything resembling perfect. But it was good enough. And that’s good enough, apparently.

No one knows the future, and that's fine. No pressure. The point is that I was able to discharge my duty as a dad. And it feels good to know that.

[Girl in the picture not our actual daughter.]

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