I'm spending a lot of time with my parents now, having taken on the job, for the most part, of getting them to doctors' appointments, making meals, etc., and I've also tried to help them adjust to creeping limitations of what they can do the older they get. At 86, those limitations have creeped pretty far, but have thankfully not greatly impacted their mental processes (logical but sometimes forgetful). As a result, I've been able to try out my rhetorical abilities with them in small doses that now seem to be having an impact.
Keep in mind that at 86, my parents are the product of the Great Depression, World War II, and all that came after. They've known some tough times. Their mindset of watching pennies is born out of a time when it really needed to be done to survive, and so they are "conservatives" in the true sense of the term.
In the beginning, I was hesitant to even voice some of my progressive viewpoints with them. I thought they'd be upsetting, or disturbing, and make us feel farther apart when I was trying to get closer. But 'the truth will out', as they say, and comments directed at the TV or inserted in a conversation that revealed my thinking began to make their appearances.
And guess what? The comments led to conversations, some less than thrilling but some more satisfying, where I really tried to listen and felt they really heard me. And then, one day, my mom started bashing a Republican for what he had said about the economy--a Republican!--and I felt a movement had been born.
Well, of course things haven't progressed quite that far in my parents' minds, but here and there I'm detecting some critical thinking on their part that shows they are getting past emotional responses rooted in their past and that echoes, just a bit, some thinking I have shared with them. Just a bit, but it's very encouraging.
Keep in mind that at 86, my parents are the product of the Great Depression, World War II, and all that came after. They've known some tough times. Their mindset of watching pennies is born out of a time when it really needed to be done to survive, and so they are "conservatives" in the true sense of the term.
In the beginning, I was hesitant to even voice some of my progressive viewpoints with them. I thought they'd be upsetting, or disturbing, and make us feel farther apart when I was trying to get closer. But 'the truth will out', as they say, and comments directed at the TV or inserted in a conversation that revealed my thinking began to make their appearances.
And guess what? The comments led to conversations, some less than thrilling but some more satisfying, where I really tried to listen and felt they really heard me. And then, one day, my mom started bashing a Republican for what he had said about the economy--a Republican!--and I felt a movement had been born.
Well, of course things haven't progressed quite that far in my parents' minds, but here and there I'm detecting some critical thinking on their part that shows they are getting past emotional responses rooted in their past and that echoes, just a bit, some thinking I have shared with them. Just a bit, but it's very encouraging.
It's wonderful to be able to connect with people and having you read my blog has helped me connect to your blog which I enjoyed and found really interesting. Of course, I'm over here in Wales and things are very different to the States. But I did live in Texas for three brilliant years in the 1980s and my last few holidays have been in New York because I just love it there!!! Keep on blogging, it is so interesting to read about other peoples lives, thoughts and opinions. I eagerly look forward to your next post!
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