
Parents are human, and they too can make mistakes
When I was a kid there were no other greater people in the world to me than my parents. I remember that we used to go for walks and the three of us would hold hands with me in the middle. I used to close my eyes for really long periods of time feeling completely safe— that’s how much I trusted them. I knew I could close my eyes, and just keep walking and they would never let go on me.
As I started growing up, things changed quite a bit. My parents got divorced, and even though I know they tried their best to keep things smooth, inevitably my brother and I got to see many of their imperfections.
I’ve always struggled to see my friends getting into situations I feel could hurt them or put them in danger, but I try to accept that I can’t live their lives for them. However, I did not give the same prerogative to my parents.
As a teenager I used to be a little bitter about knowing my parents’ flaws. I didn’t like to think of them as my equals, I needed them to be MY parents, I needed them to be “grown ups”— and I think to me that meant I needed them to be perfect.
Now as an adult I feel that knowing both their great virtues and their glitches is a great privilege, because not everyone gets to really know their parents, and I am lucky I can learn from them, their lives, their experience.
In a weird way, I think I trust them more now than I did when I was kid, because I know they made mistakes but were strong enough to keep going. That trust is definitely not blind anymore, it firmly rests on the fact that I know they will give me their honest opinion and support in whatever situation I get myself into, and that makes me feel safe. I know I will keep walking in this life along them, and they will never let me go.
-Daniela