By Winnie Bolton
We who are past the parenting role and on to the stage of grand or great grandparent roles sometimes find ourselves reminiscing about those bygone years when energy and youth were our forte yet at those times we running about like chickens without heads, so to speak, accommodating everyone’s needs in the family.
At least I remember it that way, and it brings back hilarious, sometimes awkward and explosive memories; the whole gamut of warm feelings and reactions.
No other human activity demands as much hard work as raising children in these immoral and greedy times of being all about “ME” and I want it “NOW” – values which wreck families, cultures and even our souls.
Giving the Love that Heals by Harville Hendrix, Ph. D. and Helen LaKelly Hunt Ph. D. is a book that addresses issues of who we are today that originated in our own childhoods.
My mother listened to endlessly to me – such patience she had.
My dad asked lots of questions making me ponder the choices I faced.
My parents interacted and acknowledged my presence. Unfortunately, what some parents tend to do is react to the child’s behavior, instead of understanding what is causing their child to behave they way they are.
By empathizing with your child and being open to listening, parents validate young minds, engaging in conscious parenting at these troubled times.
Habits of the heart, measures of success, spiritual well being, the ultimate goal and purpose of life are the invaluable lessons we owe to our children – parent, grandparent, great grandparent, all of us.
It’s called integrity.
