Tomorrow, my sweet father-in-law will have been gone 2 years. On the 15th, my Daddy will have been in Heaven for 3 years. And Christmas night, my mother will have been dead 24 years. My mother always hated the way people tiptoed around, saying the words "died" or "dead." She told me to say she DIED, not that she had "passed", "gone away", etc.
So often I hear adult "children" being just plain rude to their parents. Don't get me wrong, I was not always a paragon where mine were concerned. But, I can't imagine talking to mine (as a grownup) this way. By the way, I am not talking about parents who have been severely abusive, drug or alcohol addicted, neglectful, etc. I am talking about parents who were "there." Who sacrificed for their children and tried hard to be good parents.
Now that all my parent and in-laws are gone, I just want to shake these people (yes, I admit it, sometimes I want to do more than just shake them!!) and tell these "kids" how much they are going to regret some of the things they said and did to their parents when these parents are gone. I want to tell them to be kinder and treasure the time they still have left. We tend to think that our parents are going to be here forever, but my mom was only 57 when she died. Two years older than I am now.
It also would not hurt for parents to refuse to allow themselves to be disrespected. There is a popular meme that states "If I had talked to my parents the way some kids do now, I would not be around to share this status." Whoever said this must have known my mama!
Disagree. Express feelings. But, do it with civility, kindness, and, if possible, love.
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