Gratefulness, Episode 2

I think it's quite natural for children to take their parents for granted, and for parents to take what they do for their children for granted. If the parents are there, doing their jobs well, the child just is used to it. It's just the way life is. And the parent does his or her job without thinking about it. It's just what you do.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was planning to tell my mother how grateful I am for how much she taught me. I don't think I've ever told her that, so it seemed very important to do it now, this time when I saw her.

Last week I was at my parent's cabin in New England. One day, while my dad was out running errands, my mom and I were just sitting companionably and talking. So I told her:

As I've gotten older I've realized just how much of what I know, she taught me, and I really appreciate that. She taught me some major skills, like how to cook, sew, knit, and crochet, and I've been passing on some of what she taught me. I taught my daughters how to crochet when they were younger, and one of them, who's been more interested in crafts, how to knit. My granddaughter and I bake cookies and other treats together pretty frequently. At 5 years old, she could separate eggs by herself.

Other little tricks, like putting a slice of bread in a container of freshly baked cookies to keep the cookies moist, my daughters and granddaughter have learned from me. I told my mom how one day when my granddaughter was 3 or 4, she had cookies in her lunch at preschool. She didn't eat all the cookies, so she carefully wrapped up the remaining cookie with a slice of bread to take it home.

I told my mom she also taught me, just by example, how to keep a family running smoothly, looking ahead at what could go wrong, and trying to stay one step ahead.

I think my mom was surprised to hear how grateful I was. As I said, I think parents take all the things they do for granted too. She thanked me. I think it made her feel good to realize the impact she had made, and the ripple effects to at least 2 generations beyond me. And I was grateful that I taken the opportunity to tell her.