Posted by Toph on May 8, 2005, at 12:57:37
My brother and I took my mom out for a Mother's Day brunch. She's 75 years old and as I watched her reminisce at the table I began to have morbid thoughts about how I probably have a diminishing number of times to tell her I love her. Then I began wondering why it was so hard to tell her I love her. It dawned on me that while I love many people in my life intensely, but for whatever reason it is easier to tell this to some than others. Here's my list from easiest to hardest.
-It's easiest for me to tell my dog I love him maybe because he tells me every chance he gets.
-Next, it's easy to tell my girls that I love them (even my step-daughter) because they usually say it first.
-Then it's the wife. We say I love you ritualistically when we part for work and now I'm saying it again before we go to sleep.
-Then my son. It's a male thing in our family to not show affection to each other so as not to look weak or something. My dad is 80 and he is beginning to hug us now awkwardly. But he can't say I love you. Me neither.
- Then comes my mom. For whatever reason I seemed to have doubts that her words of affection were genuine. We all knew she loved my older brother best. I attempted to prove this theory by rejecting her passionately as an adolescent. She never gave up on me though, even when I started getting ill.
-My dad (see above).
-Myself. I have never been able to say to myself that I love me. It seems a little late to start now.
poster:Toph
thread:495214
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050503/msgs/495214.html