I am fortunate to have good parents, so it is easy for me to identify the qualities that make them good. These qualities are unconditional love, trust, and respect for me and my siblings.
All parents love their children. They nurture them and keep them from harm. But not all love is unconditional. Some parents would not love their children if one fo them married someone of a different religion or ethnic group. Some parents would not love their children if they were of a different sexual orientation. My parents aren’t like that. My parents would love us regardless of whom we married or whom we chose to love.
Part of unconditional love is trust. My parents trust us to do what is right. They know we would never do anything to hurt them or disgrace them. They trust us, so we trust them. We are confident that they would never do anything to hurt us.
Because our parents love us, they also respect us. They treat us as mature individuals. They accept our differences. They do not expect us to be like them. They want us to develop our own personalities. They want us to make our own way in the world, not to follow in their footsteps.
Without their love, I would not be as confident as I am. Without their trust, I would not be free to do what I want. Without their respect, I would not feel comfortable being on my own. All children should have wonderful parents like mine. |