When people bring a baby into this world, they have desires, dreams and aspirations for this child. Naturally, “in good health” is primary however, we also want them to be so many other things. The question is why?
It should not be our role, to live vicariously through our children, to enjoy the successes of our own youth or even worse, corral them to a pathway which would satisfy our own perceived inadequacies.
So, what is our role as parents?
To love our children unconditionally, despite the pain and heartache they cause us at times.
To always be there for them, when they feel adrift in this world without a safe harbour.
To believe in them, despite often times not agreeing with their choices.
To always try to engage them in conversation so that we have a means of imparting our values, love and experiences to colour their sense of where they came from.
This is not a nice-to-do list, this is our obligation to HaShem.
Children, on the other hand, have no such list of obligations, just one to “honour one’s parents”.
But what does “honour one’s parents” actually mean?
Don’t break their heart.
Don’t betray their love.
Don’t forget where you came from.
Don’t forget that they would rather die than let anything bad happen to you.
Don’t forget that, no matter what they miss you terribly and want you back.
