Well, Rambi, I think you have very successful children. And you should be very proud, because you and Mr. Rambi (Rambo?) had a lot to do with that. Even though I am waxing nostalgic about Grainette's childhood at the moment, I read a statistic in an article in Newsweek last year about how 40% of 28-year-olds were still living with their parents. Now there were several reasons for that--the recession was still a big thing then, and a lot of high techie children came home, having lost their jobs. Also, because of more modern childrearing practices--less spanking and older, more mature parents probably being the most important--children in their twenties are closer to their parents than was typical before.
Now I would love to be close to Grainnette her whole life, and she is very, very easy to live with. But I think if whe was almost thirty and there wasn't a definite end date to her return stay, I would feel like I failed her. The empty nest hurts so much, but in reality we are getting older and the extra time I have to myself is also a gift in a way (well, if I didn't spend it here it would be).
When I was 21 my family took a trip from southern California, where my parents lived, all the way to British Columbia and back, very slowly, along the coast. My parents divorced the next year, and I soon graduated from college and went my own way, but the luxury of that time together in splendid scenery is still very fresh in my mind. So what I am saying is that even though children grow up and leave, most of them would still love to travel with you someplace very special. I know it is a bit difficult to arrange with everyone's schedule, but so very worth it. In the same way that they are your memories, you are their memories as well . . . |
