My youngest daughter, mother of two adult children telephoned last evening and cut immediately to the chase with a question she posed seeking an urgent answer. My interest quickly peaked due to the tone of her voice...I listened carefully as the inquiry resonated, "Dad, she started, when you blow your nose do you blow one nostril side and then the other or do you blow with both nostril sides open?"
Immediately, all kinds of thoughts began running through my mind. My goodness, this daughter is 51-years old and somewhere in her early training I missed a parenting teaching responsibility. How did this happen? I began going through a mental check list>I remember impressing upon her to look both ways crossing streets, explaining proper table manners, how to budget study time and to respect reasoning behind teenage curfews. Oh, for sure I gave that 'Birds & Bees' lesson. But how did I overlook the nose-blowing lesson?! I set my shame aside and answered her question: "You should blow one nostril-side and then the other nostril-side." My daughter laughed with delight as she yelled at her husband standing nearby listening on the speaker-phone, "See, I told you that you were blowing your nose wrong," she told him. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing my son in-law's parents screwed up...not me. But then perhaps I am guilty of not thoroughly vetting my son in-law when he was dating my daughter.
Soon, I'm going to muster the nerve to ask my daughter another critical question: "Does your toilet-paper come off the roll the proper way, which is over-the-top?" Meanwhile, I need to make a list of things' to share with the grandkids. Oh my, when does this parenting guilt end?
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