In hind site though, I realize a few things. First, with a roof over my head, food on my table and a loving family, I never knew neglect. There are children all over the world right now who do not know when they will eat next, where they will sleep or if they will see their mother or father in the next 24 hours. There are children who hear that they are unwanted and unloved or who feel the slap of a hand or worse. Neglect is not a joking matter.
Second, as a parent, I know there are times when I don't do what my children expect me to do. Because of exhaustion, there have been times when we have enjoyed cereal for supper. There have been times when I pretended to listen to their stories while I was busy doing other things. There have been times when I did not notice the emotions they were afraid to voice because I was too busy trying to control my own. I am sure at some point in their future, they too will complain about a laundry list of perceived negligence on my part. But they too will, hopefully, have children. Then they will understand that sometimes it is difficult to give children 100% of their time.
What struck me most about that conversation though was that I once again realized how lucky I am. I am sure I have not told my parents enough how appreciative I am of all they did and continue to do for me. Parenthood is one of the few jobs that can be accomplished only through on the job training. Getting it wrong would be easy. But I see that Mom and Dad did their absolute best. So, thanks Mom and Dad.
