Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Parenting is very hard sometimes.

Sometimes your children hold a different view to your own. As parents it is so often that we wonder if we made the right decision, and if we were right to stick to our guns. Tony Blair who as we all know is exiting the Government today, once said that being a parent is harder than being a Prime Minister.

In the case of the flood the other day, all three of my older children were more than a little upset that I had suggested that it would be safer to stay on the bus than to try to make their own way home.

Today, Hubby saw this on the Times website and sent it to me by email:

The others to die included Ryan Parry, 14, who was swept to his death in a swollen river in Sheffield while returning home on Monday. His father Chris said that the teenager phoned him after school to say the buses were not running and he would make his own way back.

Mr Parry told the Daily Mirror: "I've been over that short and sweet conversation 10,000 times. I can't think about it now. I'm in bits.


Sometimes as parents you know that you have made the right decision.

And when teenagers make their own decisions, it can go horribly wrong.

My heart goes out to the Parry family.

15 comments:

pierre l said...

Absolutely. I am sure that ED will forgive you eventually, and may even realise that you were right. There also seems to have been a case where a man was swept away in his car, I think (or maybe he had got out of the car). Always difficult to avoid being over-protective, and even worse when you are not there to assess the situation.

Akelamalu said...

I read this today Sally and my first thought was how I'd read on your blog yesterday about you telling your children to stay on the bus and they'd decided to walk! Parenting is very, very difficult. I too feel for the Parry family, the loss of a child is just too hard to bear. :(

Anonymous said...

Not a nice situation for anybody :(

Anonymous said...

How awful!
You just don't think it could happen around you, then it does.
The poor family.

pierre l said...

My comment is beginning to sound insensitive. I too feel for the families who lost loved ones in the recent floods.

Alice Band said...

When my son returned safely from his runaway excursion to London - the first thing I said to him was "This is going to sound boring and yada yada yada but you will have no idea how much I love you until you hold your own".
Life is sometimes so arbitrary that it scares me. What is it without love?

sallywrites said...

Pierre - Yes, I hope so. And no you are not insensitive. No-one would ever think that.
Ak - I know. It makes me go cold.
Ig - No it's not..
Lisa - I agree. We all think that somehow we are immune. But none of us are. Esos went off on a school trip to France to day and I know that I won't be completely happy until he returns. You always want your children to go on these trips ...... but the angst!
Alice - I agree. And no, they definitely won't understand until they have their own. How could they?

FH said...

So sorry to hear that.Yes,they will not understand until they have their own children indeed.Very sad situation.
Parenting is hard,specially when on vacation when they whine most of the time and you are dying to have some fun after a long time!

Anonymous said...

There are moments when you want to say, "See, I told you so" - but instead just hug those kids and be glad they are safe and sound and snug in their beds.

Flowerpot said...

That poor Parry family. They'll always live with the What If question, poor poor things.

Beccy said...

It's hard to let our children out into the big bad world but we have to try and equip them with the knowledge to cope and hope that all turns out well. How sad for the Parry family and their recent loss.

Anonymous said...

Just had to fly by to check on you...haven't had time to visit in a long time. Since I haven't been reading, I don't know how your leg is. Please stop by and catch me up on the latest.
Glad you and yours are fine. My daughter and I were caught in a flash flood in Garden City, Kansas one summer. Had to be rescued by firefighters from our car. Had we gotten out, we would have been swept away.
I'm so sorry for the families who had suffered losses.

headless chicken said...

What has happened to the Parry family is so awful. Of course as parents we always do what we think is best for our kids. When they become old enough to make their own decisions (or rather they think they are!),it is so hard, especially when we know that the decision is wrong....but we often have to let them learn for themselves, unfortunately sometimes with bad consequences. We can only do our best and it is so true that they will only realise this when they themselves are parents. I've said as much to both the Renegade and Rose many times...as you know!:|

sallywrites said...

Asha - Enjoy your holiday!
Karmyn - Yes I know, but sometimes you teh odd "I told you so" with the hug doesn't hurt!
Flowerpot - Yes, they will...
Beccy - I know. You can't wrap them in cotton wool. You just hope that when you offer a bit of cotton wool they accept!
Swampwithc - Well therein lies a tale. Thank goodness you are all right!
HC - Yes. You are right. As my Dad always says "Did you do you do your best?" And I try to always!!

la bellina mammina said...

I'm sorry for the Parry family too.