Be Thankful for Your Parents - from charactercounts.com

On this Thanksgiving Day, I'd like to remind children of all ages to think about your parents and all the things you could feel thankful for. Even if you didn't have a perfect home life or ideal parents, it's a good day to appreciate those who need affirmation, approval, and encouragement as much as you did when you were a child.

It's natural to criticize your parents and be preoccupied with your own life, but this doesn't free you from the basic responsibility to be courteous, kind, empathetic, respectful, and grateful.

Children, especially teens and young adults, often become so self-absorbed with their own lives that they really believe they're too busy or too poor to be attentive to their parents' emotional needs. They don't make thoughtful phone calls or get even symbolic birthday, anniversary, or holiday gifts (with parents, it really is the thought that counts). Because their parents forgive them, they think what they did or didn't do is okay. Well, it isn't.

You have an enormous power to cause happiness or hurt. Sharing good news, even asking for advice, can give your mom or dad great pleasure and pride. If, however, you ignore, demean, or shut out your parents due to thoughtlessness or malice, you can cause enduring distress, even misery.

Good parents -- the ones who are easiest to hurt -- change their lives in thousands of ways for their children. They don't do it for gratitude, but they deserve thankfulness. In a moment of despair, King Lear utters an age-old truth: "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child."

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

The best time we have at Mom's is the walk down memory lane. We know it's coming, and it's almost exciting. After everyone eats, we (me and my four sisters sans the hubby's) clear the table, wash the dishes, and then sit around Mom's dinning room table and talk about when we were growing up. We give Mom and Dad all the credit, and she just beams. We laugh and laugh and laugh. Especially, it seems, at me. I was the one always getting into trouble. No, no...don't stop me, I know it's hard for you to believe, but it's true.

Anyway, we always end up with tears, mainly because Daddy isn't with us anymore, but then someone usually points out that he is...just look around the table. Lordy, I love my family.....Tell them NOW people. Every day.

My dad called this morning to ask my hubbies advice about my mom's car not starting. He felt it was the starter and wondered where we had gotten our started fixed.

Long story short -- we went over and my hubby replaced my mom's starter -- but while dad and hubby were outside - mom and I were doing our usual chatting and we got talking about how much I missed my grandbeauty. She said that we could always move up there (to N.C. from Florida) and I reminded her that she and dad still needed us here. I told her that we had stayed here for the last 20 years because of her and dad (my sister and brother live in NE and MT) and I wasn't about to leave them now that they were in their mid 80's and needed us more than ever. She said -- well the only time we ever see you anymore is when we need something and I said -- but when you need something mom -- we're only 15 min away !

Now even though my dad and I talk on the cell phone several times a week (he still works 5 days a week in real estate and calls me about the dern fangled computer that ate his email) and mom and I email several times a week -- she still felt they never see us anymore -- so I guess I need to remember that while my life is very full and busy -- mom and dad need to physically SEE us more often.

I will try to be a better daughter