Sometimes, when I’m really frustrated about something one of my kids did or not, I have to byte my tongue to not say: “After all I’ve done for you!”
I don’t want my children to thank me for what I’ve done. Taking good care of them is not a good deed, it’s an obligation. It’s something I owe them while they owe me nothing. I don’t want them to honor me. To see that they honor life would be enough. It will break my heart when they leave to explore the world. But I rather have my heart broken then knowing that they feel tied to their own childhood, like I feel tied to mine sometimes.
Children are not a gift, they’re a loan, granted under the condition that we do everything to make them flourish. On the day we fulfill our debt, we should expect a free and vigorous child instead of gratitude.
