Since it’s Father’s Day,
I figured I’d keep in the spirit of things and write about one of my favourite
quotes:
”When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so
ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be
twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.”
– Mark Twain
If we all lived perfect lives, we’d like to
like ourselves. This means doing the things we want to do and saying the things
we want to say. And being right… all the time.
But, clearly, things happen and this isn’t
always possible. We want to do something but can only do it given a certain
situation, like during the summers or after college.
Still, we like being in charge. And that’s
when parents come in.
When you’re young, they tell you what to do
− when to eat, what chores to do and what you should be doing for school. But,
as you get older, YOU want to be the one making the decisions. Especially in
our culture, you feel like you have a right to control the little things you
actually CAN control.
And too often you look at your own family
and criticize them, saying, “look, they’re such fools! I can live life better
without them. Not listening to their advice is a good decision”.
Of course, is it? Sometimes. There are
things they don’t know. If you’re from a blue collar family who’s trying to get
you a white collar education, starting a business or going into theatre’s probably
going to be looked down upon. Does it mean it’s wrong? No. Just, given your
family’s experience and belief system, it’s wrong for them.
But there are things that your parents,
Dad’s included, do know about. How to shave best, for example. Or what plants
to stay away from when camping. Or even, once in a while, how to have a fun date with that girl you met on St. Patrick’s Day.
Simply because others have different
viewpoints to us doesn’t mean they’re ignoramuses. Oftentimes there’s plenty we
can learn from them. They just don’t know everything. And guess what? No one
does.
In this age of broken families and
divorces, I’m glad I still have my Dad and my parent’s marriage has endured.
Whether your situation is the same or different, give your parents some slack,
whatever your age.
After all, you owe them BIG TIME because,
without them, there wouldn’t be a YOU!
Happy Father’s Day, guys!
Alex H.
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