Debby Tepper Glick is looking ahead to the next act:
I messed up. I stayed too long. It’s not like me. I usually have impeccable timing, knowing how to make an entrance and when to exit. But I relished my role on center stage so much that I stayed on well past the curtain call. As a more seasoned performer, I’m searching for a new script; a role that has the right size and fit. Fingers crossed, it will have a happily ever after ending.
Thirty years ago, I landed the perfect part, Full Time Mother, seven days a week, no nights or weekends off.
As every mother must know, it’s not easy:
I learned early on I wasn’t going to be the perfect parent at every stage of my children’s lives. Most days, it was a miracle if I hit anywhere near .500.
I had hoped the adage “with age comes wisdom” might apply to parenthood. Now, as the mother of adult children, I know otherwise.
Now that Glick’s children are all grown up, she has some advice:
If my older self could go back in time and advise my younger self, I would tell her to be a little less fervent about parenting. Lighten up. It will all work out. Remember that there was life before children and there will be a another act after they’ve left the nest.
Keep investing in your friends. Not the ones who give advice by telling you what they think you should know. Cut those people loose. Instead, cherish the friends who know how to listen and have your back. Sit less. Walk more. And if you are very lucky, find an activity or interest that excites you. Because those are the gifts that will provide sustenance long after the applause dies down.
Read more of this excellent article in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette here.
Happy Mother’s Day!