Apologies

In my life I’ve grown to know that I needed to apologize to my parents.  For the things I’d done to them, and the things I’d felt they had done to me.

And I have had to apologize to various others for breaking their toy, backing into their car, or popping open their last beer.


But the people who I most owe an apology is my children.

And as often as I do, I know it is not and will never be, often enough.

Not for the times I was too strict.

Nor for the times that I was too demanding.

Or even the times I didn’t listen enough.

No.


The apology I will forever owe them is because while the saying goes “The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree”, it doesn’t say “the dang thing gets caught in the roots on the way to the ground”.

My children have spent, and will have to spend, far too much effort in their lives trying to shake off my more pronounced traits in their efforts to live in this ‘new world” society.

Shaking off the inbred alpha personalities, demanding expectations, and rigid standards will forever set them apart from what passes for humanity.  

And apologies aside, they have already proven themselves to be my better, in every human way.

Hinting at what they could be, if only I hadn’t…………..

For that I am eternally sorry.

 © 2016 Marty Vandermolen