A very wise friend told me that a parent is only as happy as his or her least happy child. And with an only child, that seemed to place a lot of pressure on him to keep us all in good spirits. But what I have come to see is that a parents role really doesn’t change when a child reaches adulthood. We are still the ones who try to be the voice of reason, calm during the storm, and above all, the loudest cheerleader supporting our adult child.
And when times get tough, all adults know that it can be difficult to take your eye off of the immediate issue or challenge. That is when a parents role becomes even more critical. We are there to provide that somewhat safer view from a step back. We can afford to look past the current issue to the horizon where we see that there is a bright future awaiting our adult offspring.
We become that little voice whispering in his or her ear. We are the reminder that the sun will shine again on our child’s cheek and warm his or her heart. Our mantra is to have faith and keep moving because, from our vantage, we can see that success is possible. As a parent, we know that our child has what is needed to weather this dark time and come out the other side an even better human being than before. Parents are sometimes the one who reminds grown children to See The Good.
I know. Because of the wisdom, love, kindness, understanding, foresight etc., parents give, our work is never done. And all we give will be renewed in children and grandchildren and will keep on renewing itself.