A Love Letter to All Parents
To parents around the world—I am thinking of and appreciating you as we continue to struggle with COVID and societal collapse. Each of you is my hero! You are dealing with so much:
- You may live in a country where vaccines aren’t available.
- Your young people may be missing their friends and staying in their rooms and may be playing computer games all day.
- You and your young people may have COVID.
- You may not know if you’ll be sending your young people to school tomorrow.
- You are having to handle racism and/or classism aimed at your young people all the time.
- You are worried about the climate emergency.
- You are worrying about paying the bills.
- You are fighting with your co-parent.
- You are isolated as a single parent.
I remind you that you are a good parent! When oppression is coming at us, some of us blame ourselves for the difficulties. My dear parents, please don’t do that.
I encourage you to do the following:
- Reach out for each other.
- Remember that you are not alone.
- Remember that when we were young people, none of us got the attention we deserved, and COVID can restimulate that isolation. We can discharge on it. I know several people who have discharged on early isolation and are now in a different place. They understand that the horrible feelings are a remnant of the past.
- Don’t be hard on yourself for your mistakes and your patterns. Be gentle and kind with yourself. Society doesn’t allow us to parent in the way we would like to. And our patterns are a direct outcome of society’s failings.
- Have fun, play with, and enjoy your young people.
And thanks to all the grandparents and aunts and uncles who are helping!
Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders of parents
(Present Time 207, April 2022)
Last modified: 2022-12-25 10:17:04+00