By Margi Washburn
I was cleaning out one home office and stuffing things into the bigger one when I found a quote that used to hang on the corkboard near my computer. It reads, “One of the oldest human needs is having someone wonder where you are when you don't come home at night.” These words, attributed to Margaret Mead, offer an insight many of us often overlook.
Those of us who have children can identify with wondering where our kids are, especially after they've reached a certain age and that usually continues until they've become responsible adults.Once they have kids of their own, or if they meet that special someone, then they suddenly understand what we really meant when we wanted to know where they were going and when they were coming home.
In the pre-teen and teenage years, the nights and weekends can seem unbearably long. Who are the kids with? What are they doing? Have they tried drugs? Alcohol? Has someone talked them into doing something stupid? The questions are as endless as the night, and sitting by the window staring into the empty driveway can bring the worst kind of scenarios to mind.
Children do eventually grow up and become responsible, but while we wait, we age a bit. As a humorous aside, I found out recently that according to one important source, I am listed as ten years older than I really am. I could be getting my coffee a lot cheaper at restaurants if that was true, but hey, 63 will come soon enough.
Worrying about our loved ones comes too naturally, don't you think? We don't assume they're all right; instead, we imagine the worst. Hubby's mom and some of the family were making regular trips out of state to visit a relative, and without fail, we would hear nothing for days. People would tell me that if anything bad had happened I would have heard about it. That didn't do a thing for me, except make me want to slap them and keep on wondering when the phone call would come.
I guess it doesn't matter how old our kids get, and it makes no difference if deep down we know better, we love our families and friends so much we can't help how we feel.
While on our way home the other night, hubby and I saw an Amber Alert for a missing child on a marquee on Main Street. My mind started down a path and before I knew it, I was asking myself how does a mom and dad deal with a missing child? What kind of thoughts run through their minds?
There is a huge difference between your son or daughter going out for the evening, and you're wondering it they'll hit a party or two before they return safely home. It's another matter entirely if they suddenly disappear and leave no trace. As someone who strings words together for a living, I have none to describe how this must feel.
Wait, there is one thing I know for certain.Wherever that child is, no matter their age or yours, there is something they must surely know and that is this: dad, mom, brother, and family everywhere do wonder where you are. We wonder, we care, we love you beyond measure, and some of us still sit by the window every now and then just in case. It's something we need to do, as much as you need us to. Margaret Mead was right about that.
I was cleaning out one home office and stuffing things into the bigger one when I found a quote that used to hang on the corkboard near my computer. It reads, “One of the oldest human needs is having someone wonder where you are when you don't come home at night.” These words, attributed to Margaret Mead, offer an insight many of us often overlook.
Those of us who have children can identify with wondering where our kids are, especially after they've reached a certain age and that usually continues until they've become responsible adults.Once they have kids of their own, or if they meet that special someone, then they suddenly understand what we really meant when we wanted to know where they were going and when they were coming home.
In the pre-teen and teenage years, the nights and weekends can seem unbearably long. Who are the kids with? What are they doing? Have they tried drugs? Alcohol? Has someone talked them into doing something stupid? The questions are as endless as the night, and sitting by the window staring into the empty driveway can bring the worst kind of scenarios to mind.
Children do eventually grow up and become responsible, but while we wait, we age a bit. As a humorous aside, I found out recently that according to one important source, I am listed as ten years older than I really am. I could be getting my coffee a lot cheaper at restaurants if that was true, but hey, 63 will come soon enough.
Worrying about our loved ones comes too naturally, don't you think? We don't assume they're all right; instead, we imagine the worst. Hubby's mom and some of the family were making regular trips out of state to visit a relative, and without fail, we would hear nothing for days. People would tell me that if anything bad had happened I would have heard about it. That didn't do a thing for me, except make me want to slap them and keep on wondering when the phone call would come.
I guess it doesn't matter how old our kids get, and it makes no difference if deep down we know better, we love our families and friends so much we can't help how we feel.
While on our way home the other night, hubby and I saw an Amber Alert for a missing child on a marquee on Main Street. My mind started down a path and before I knew it, I was asking myself how does a mom and dad deal with a missing child? What kind of thoughts run through their minds?
There is a huge difference between your son or daughter going out for the evening, and you're wondering it they'll hit a party or two before they return safely home. It's another matter entirely if they suddenly disappear and leave no trace. As someone who strings words together for a living, I have none to describe how this must feel.
Wait, there is one thing I know for certain.Wherever that child is, no matter their age or yours, there is something they must surely know and that is this: dad, mom, brother, and family everywhere do wonder where you are. We wonder, we care, we love you beyond measure, and some of us still sit by the window every now and then just in case. It's something we need to do, as much as you need us to. Margaret Mead was right about that.
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