Grandparents do not always take center stage in the family. This is apparent when their children no longer value the traditions that accompanied their growth and maturation. They look at their parents as over the hill and lacking the foresight to accept current trends as important changes for the future.
I was brought up a Catholic under the very strict beliefs of my mother. Swearing, not attending mass or skipping catechism classes were signs of rudeness or laziness and were never tolerated. My father was not a church goer but supported my mother to the letter and provided the proper punishment for me when she shared her feelings with him. Yes, I was slapped on the derriere and sent to my room without dinner.
Slapping by today's standards is called abuse. Children should never be touched unless you are hugging them as a sign of approval and love. This is the credo of my children who coddle their children, my grandchildren. When I tire of hearing how much they get away with, I try to instill in them a sense of what is right and wrong. However, the kids don't listen and neither do their parents.
I so want to be close with my family once more. I want to communicate regularly with them, but their refusal to accept my traditional perspectives makes it practically impossible. Refusing to send them cards or gifts for Christmas or birthdays is not acceptable to me. Neither is refusing to call and speak to them over the phone, or not writing emails. Communication is so important in any relationship, and despite my antagonism toward foolish changes in bringing up children, I will continue to try to contact them. At some point I am sure they will wake up and smell the roses. If not, we are literally outcasts, and our world is filled with loneliness and despair.
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