Of course mutual affection is expected but not out of nowhere. What I mean, is I don’t want them to care for me just because I’m mom and gave birth for because of things I did as a mom when they lived with me. The one thing mom title entitles me too is respect, even if they think I am wrong, but love is a voluntary thing that I hope we will always continue to share because they like me. I’ve heard people say, I love my parents but I don’t like them. Or the other way, I like my parents but I don’t feel connected to them, so I don’t love them the way other kids love their parents
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I hope to always maintain a relationship of both love and like but relationships go two ways. I can’t ignore my role in it and expect them to carry it all alone. That means sometimes calling them when they haven’t called in a while. Or making the drive to visit them if they haven’t come over in a while. Or be available to give some support at 4 in the morning when you are dead tired.
My kids and husband are my closest friends. We aren’t in constant communication, like daily or weekly. But they have lives of their own, and one really lives too far away with a 13 hour difference, so it’s not easy to always keep in communication, and all relationships have their ups and down because it’s easy to let relationships fall through the cracks.
So I expect to get back what I put into the relationship and so far, I as happy with it the way it is. If I could have it my way, though, I would wish to live with them nearby and the rest of my family. That would be perfect. But everyone is so far. I guess that is the one thing that disappoints me most.