Taught By The Best

What is your most reliable strategy for shaking off a bad day? All I have to do is stop and reflect on the relationship I have with my thirty-year-old daughter.

That reflecting often brings me back to my parents. Although my parents came from a generation not known for discussing feelings or considering the "relationship" they had with their children, I still fantasize about having a conversation with them about those things. Sometimes that fantasy includes telling them about the intense bond my daughter and I share. Oddly, at other times in my pretend conversations with my folks, I'll underplay that bond. Am I worried their feelings might be hurt if the bond they felt with me wasn't as intense?

My parents were terrific. I can't recall an instance when I ever felt unloved or under-valued. There's no doubt they taught me - without realizing they were doing so - to be the kind of parent who could develop the kind of bond my daughter and I have.