I booked some tickets for my In-laws recently to visit my BIL upcountry and have been procrastinating printing them out despite several requests, so I ended up dropping them off this evening on the way from work because I felt so bad.
My FIL turned 80 in January and my MIL is of undisclosed age (i.e. not far off), but they are absolutely amazing for their age. They still travel, still drive, still live in the same house Etienne and his brothers grew up in and still take very good care of themselves. I often joke that they are “younger” than my parents that are almost 20 years their junior.
They were SO genuinely happy to see me today I ended up visiting for a while, the first time in absolute ages that I could have an uninterrupted conversation with them.
I was struck again tonight at how they are so much alike and yet so completely different to my parents. This is not a post of comparisons, and they certainly have their faults, but I feel incredibly lucky that they parented this awesome guy that I got to marry. Not just him either, his brothers are also so good with their parents.
I see so much of them in him. The way he really engages with his kids on a level I could only dream of. The way that he is so affectionate with them, just like he is with his parents.
So tonight I remind myself of this:
Never ever underestimate how far making your child feel secure and loved unconditionally will go.
And never underestimate the importance of spending actual time with your kids. They shine in the light of our love.
Ok. I’m stopping now, I must be PMS’ing or something. But you know what I mean.
And we shall be cooking up a storm on Sunday when all the Grandparents come over for lunch.