I want to write this as a tribute to my mother (passed now 5-1/2 years) and my brother, Lee, (passed now 34 years tomorrow). I think of how lucky we were to have our mother home while we were growing up and the important role that established in our lives. She was home when we got home, home when we went to school, made a hot breakfast for us every day of our lives before we headed off to school, knew where we were at all times, who we were playing with or dating, and we never even went to a movie without her knowing the rating of the movie and ‘the worst word that is said’ in it before she would agree to let us go. I realize that the need for two career families has displaced this luxury but it has not replaced the need for it. Our kids are being exposed to more and more through video games, the Internet, through friends and exposures that they have to external forces beyond our control and even beyond our comprehension. Pressures are greater, support is less than ever before and families are faced with the same and increasing demands for their time. Simple things that can be done is 1) eat a meal once/day together 2) turn off the TV 3) play board, card, video or computer games with your kids 4) travel, camp, and have fun outings on the weekends to build your closeness and the expectation of having fun together. Know what your kids are putting into their brains. Know the people who are influencing them. Talk to them about what you expect (graduating high school, going to college, for them to keep their noses clean and save themself for their marriage partner) even if you know they are going to do some of the same things that you did. Teaching them the best possible course for their life and being there to support and protect them is about all you can do as a parent. Do the best you can with the time you have available with them. Nothing is more important than their positive growth into healthy, happy as possible, adults. Kids are the human infrastructure that we can work on during tough economic times and just requires a bit of slowing down and putting first things first. I think of my mother’s tireless expectations and unconditional love to me, my brother and my two other sisters. That made his 14 years on earth the best they could possibly be and created a lifetime of love for the rest of us. I miss her every day and think of him often and the man he would have become. To him and to her – in the Great Beyond – I love you both!

To My Mother & My Brother,

Tracy

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