why, when I am endlessly patient with all sorts of unreasonable old ladies, disaffected youths and wobbly clerics, I am totally incapable of remembering for half an hour what it felt like to be 17....
Feeling very ashamed of myself, as I had a Major Row with beloved daughter, who is, not unreasonably, feeling a bit deprived of social life, since I've dragged her 2o miles in the wake of my ordination, failed so far to insure my car for her to practice driving on, and vanished cheerfully out the door calling "Mustn't be late for Evening Prayer" just when she was about to talk to me....
I guess that blogs are not intended as alternative confessionals, and there aint alot of absolution to be had anyway, but I do hope I'm not developing into Rev Jekyll/Mummy Hyde...only worth knowing when I'm in "uniform". The thing is, it's not just professional niceness...I really do feel tremendously fond of and concerned for all these people....Of course, I feel considerably fonder and more concerned for my nearest and dearests, but showing it, that's another matter :-(
just found your blog! Excellent.
ReplyDeleteI spend bits of each day trying (and often failing) to remember what it was like to be 6.
Re your daughter - despite inevitable failings, perhaps you should congratulate yourself that she actually still WANTS to talk to you. You must be doing something right...
maybe its the balance that's wrong and an occasional foray into being utterly impatient with unreasonable old ladies would even things up. I find it quite theraputic, and rumour has it that I'm even setting up in business...http://onepedestrianaway.blogspot.com
ReplyDeletewell ... you are paid to be patient with the old ladies :) ... maybe if some hard cash was to change hands ... don't sweat it ... i reckon on balance parents are not expected to be perfect ... just get a balance ... i think kids respond better to a flawed loving mad hugging parent than a picture perfect version ... they certainly grow up more balanced if they have seen the warts and all of life ... i always go with honesty ... i do love you but i have to be somewhere else right now oh and tidy your room :)
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