What kind of parents did/do you have?--Al

-- Al Schroeder (al.schroeder@nashville.com), October 20, 2000

Answers

I sat here at the keyboard for a while pondering. What kind of parents did I have ? Depends on what age I was when the question would have been posed to me.

My mother was a hard working woman who also did things for us all, cheerfully, taught me much in her gentle way, was always writing her Mother and reading the return mail. From my first days until the day she died, she was an angel personified her, loving ways seemed to make an aura about her. At least I could see it.

My dad was a dedicated, hardworking man. Shy, I found out in later years -- but when I was little it terrified me. He was inaccessable to this kid, I never knew how to talk with him. I was whipped occasionally and all those times I roundly, soundly needed a whacking. He and I never really reached a full understanding of each other until we brought him to his home to live out the rest of his life. He was a victim of several strokes and did need assistance at home. But he was so very patient and so very good to our pre-teen daughter. He never complained once, nor did he show any signs of being in a bad mood. True he never laughed, but that was Dad when he was much younger. In his final years I finally understood what a fine man he was, and thank God it wasn't too late to let him know.

-- Denver doug (ionoi@webtv.net), October 21, 2000.

My dad died when I was very young, but I was old enough to know he loved me. My mother was great. She loved and believed in me, no matter what.

-- Becky (becky-says@diaryland.com), October 21, 2000.

I think I had the perfect kind of parents. They didn't smother me and they didn't (and couldn't) spoil me. They let me be independent and learn things for myself, but were always there for help & encouragement. I was happy for all the leniency when growing up. I didn't have a curfew, and could stay out as late as I wanted as long I told my parents when I was going to be home. If I wasn't going to be home at that time, I had better call. I could always spend the night at a friends or have a friend sleep over. There were very few rules and all the rules were fair. I believe that my closeness to my family was born of this lack of strictness & smothering. I don't have resentments. Of course they weren't perfect, but neither was I, and we were al able to deal with each others faults.

ally

-- ally (ally3223@aol.com), October 25, 2000.

My father died when I was 3..My mother left me with older grandparents. When I went to live with her at the age of 12-she didn't know "how" to be a mother-she would have been, I like to think, if we had stayed together and bonded thru my formative years as a child.

-- Peggy (degal@dol.net), December 05, 2000.