If I only knew as much...

Aah...if I only knew as much as my college student daughter. Or half as much as my soon to be married son. Or even a third as much as my grown son who is the father of one. If I only knew what they knew, my life would probably be bliss. My cup would probably "runneth over." And, my life would no doubt be "complete." This is where every mother reading this says, "For Real?" Other mothers know my children (and theirs) are full of themselves, and...well, full of malarkey!

It occurs to me that I spent less dollars (and Euros) on a week for two in beautiful Florence, Italy, than I did getting our daughter off to her first week, of her first semester, of her first year at college! When my spouse and I traveled to Italy after a 13-year wait we knew that we knew nothing about Florence; the Italian language; or the train to Pisa. We didn't need anyone to tell us what we didn't know. Yet, our children find it imperative to inform us we "don't know what we're talking about" and the many things we, "don't understand."

How I long for those beautiful Italians who looked at us and smiled, maybe they too were thinking, "those ignorant people." Our foreign hosts handed us a glass of wine, a slice of pizza, and took our photo on the historic Ponte Vecchio. Maybe we paid more Euro's than we should have, but no one told us we didn't know how to convert correctly. Our daughter is at this moment settled in her dorm at college and probably still thinking we are, "ignorant Parentals." I am thinking that I don't recall her handing us a glass of wine or a slice of pizza or taking our photo in the front yard...or anywhere really. Probably because she is underage and we don't ever have liquor laying around the house; she only serves pizza to people who come in to Domino's; and she'd rather take action photos of her friends jumping in the air.

I suppose if we put stock in the comments of our children, we, or someone overhearing them, might be inclined to believe that we have lived half-a-century and know nothing about college experiences or being young! We don't know anything about relationships, their struggles; longevity issues; demands; or the heartbreaks that come with any relationship. We don't know anything about raising children, or making sacrifices for the needs of a growing family. Certainly, we don't know ANYTHING about money management, landing and keeping employment, or the similarity between interest rates and throwing a lasso around a tornado! We have never learned anything about spirituality or the overcoming of sorrow; grief; or temptations. We have been remiss in our developing an understanding of both politics and human frailties. Foreign affairs is...well, foreign to us. I am of course being sarcastic. Except for a rare instance when our children have commented that we, "know everything," we regularly fall into their "knows nothing" category!

Aah, but I am hopeful for the future. One son is approaching thirty and has a school age child himself. Parents have a different appeal now for him and our advice is requested, sometimes even followed. In time, his siblings may also come around to think their "parentals" have some knowledge that might be useful on a minimal intrinsic level. Not yet so far but I am convinced that day will come. I hope they don't wait too long because I am beginning to feel "old."

Aah, when I finally know all our fledglings know and if I still have the finances; vacation time; health; and a current valid passport, I'll do Italy so much better a second time! Then, on foreign soil drinking local wines and eating local produce while enjoying the hospitality of gracious strangers, I will finally toast to my children for all they have taught me about youth; relationships; sacrifices; finances; commitment; struggles; faith; strength; failures; and weakness. I won't care how many Euro's toasting to them costs in Dollars because my offspring will have "arrived" at being self-sufficient nest building grown-ups and I will have the satisfaction of boasting of it!

Here! Here!