. "Closeness with our adult children is not an entitlement, but it can be the goal. It is nothing we can assume. But it is something we can hope for."
These quiet words of guidance are from Joshua Coleman, psychiatrist and author of "When Parents Hurt:: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don't Get Along"
Here's a light but trenchant observation by Nora Ephron on the adjustment to the post-college era, when the kids finally move out and are on their own--or trying to be. [Paragraphing is Ephron's.]
“But eventally college ends, and they’re gone for good.
The nest is actually empty.
You’re still a parent, but your parenting days are over.
Now what?
There must be something you can do.
But there isn’t.
There is nothing you can do.
Trust me.
If you find yourself nostalgic for the ongoing, day-to-day activities required of a modern parent, there’s a solution: Get a dog.”
Nora Ephron, “I Feel Bad About My Neck”
I've filed this one under one of my Notes to Self: Keep Up Your Own Interests
.
