Everything School Forgot

Time and Your Parents

peoplerelationshipstime

There is a lot to say on this topic, but for now I am only going to discuss one thing.

When you're a kid, it's really easy to overlook how important the mundane is to your parents. Things that you think of as annoying or boring are more important to them than you could ever know unless or until you become a parent yourself one day.

Sitting down to eat a meal together. Riding in the car on the way to and from school. Having a game night or a movie night. When you're a kid you are learning so much and experiencing so many new things that you almost always overlook how precious that time is with your parents. Sometimes as parents we too overlook how precious that time is with our kids. But sometimes, it hits us. The reality that you're growing up, and that eventually you'll probably move out. And to you, that will be so exciting. And yes, to parents the prospect of "having our house and our schedules back" can be exciting. But it's bittersweet because on the otherhand that means less time seeing those young people who we love more than anything in this world. And it's in those little moments, where we help you put on your coat or pour you a bowl of cereal that we realize how amazing it is to have you in our lives. And those little moments, the little hugs, the kisses on the cheeks, when your favorite song comes on and you smile, when you hit a shot at the basketball game and look for us in the crowd... Those little moments mean everything to us.

So if you can do anything for your parents, it's to give them back just a little bit in those moments. Tell them you love them one more time before you leave for the time. Hold the hug just a couple seconds longer because not only will they not be there every day one day... but one day they won't be there at all.

And as parents, that is another thing we think about and worry about all the time. Not what our own mortality means for us, but what it means for our kids. That not only one day will you be out in the world without us watching over you every day, tucking you in at night, but one day, you won't even be able to come to us for advice. That one day, when something goes terribly wrong, we'll no longer be there to pick up the pieces, and we hate that.

And I suppose this doesn't only go for parents, but for other people who mean the world to you and who you mean the world to as well. Just please, don't forget to stop and appreciate them every now and them and let them know. You don't always have to say it if you don't want, but find a way to show it. Because one day, you won't be able to, and it's going to be so hard because you'll want them there to pick up the pieces and they'll be wishing they could be.

Tim Urban puts it much better than me: https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/12/the-tail-end.html

And here's another similar post from him: https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/life-weeks.html