The Parenting Apocalypse Is Upon Us!

I’m 77. I was raised by people who didn’t care if I liked them on any given day, week, or month. And so, given tacit permission to do so, there were days, weeks, and months – even stretches of months – during which I did not like them one bit. I even wasted my time HATING them at times. Loathing the ground they walked on. I could ramp my loathing to the max. They didn’t care.

Never, in the face of palpable dislike, did they ever sit down with me and try to resolve our “conflict.” If I had a problem with their rules, decisions, or instructions, that was MY problem, and they were not going to help me with it. THEY DIDN’T CARE ABOUT MY FEELINGS!!!

I’m so glad. At least 90 percent of the problems parents bring to me – nearly all of which are “run of the mill” – are the result of them wanting to be liked by their children. That’s the domino that falls first.