I've thought a lot about what matters most to me today. Many things crossed my mind, from the emotional ones, like everlasting happiness, to the material ones, like never running short of money… The truth is that we human beings, even if we hide it, are materialists. Otherwise, why do we rush so frantically through this world, if not for money? We would have set off to the seaside barefoot, without worrying that we had no decent lodging and without googling "the top 10 best restaurants in Mamaia"… we would have given inexpensive gifts that come from the heart, a flower from our own garden, or the neighbour's, as the case may be; we would have spent our time reading interesting books to our children, we would have given them time instead of money, instead of a tablet… TIME!
And so, after the filters buried deep in my mind, the ones that sift out what matters most to me, what remained was the child… in my case, the children. I don't give them enough, I don't feel that I give them enough… and although my love for them is unconditional and immense, I sometimes catch myself not giving them my free time when I could… and then I try to win them over with a pancake I let them spread with chocolate… and why do I do this? Because I feel guilty… because I feel I am not giving them enough… time!
And, goodness, how much my time is worth!
We parents are not perfect, the way they see us, and we make mistakes. But the essential thing is to put our mistakes right. I believe the very best teachers at the "School for Perfect Parents" are our own children. So let us sit down at our desks, two by two, and listen to them, prick up our ears, open our eyes wide, watch them closely. The graduation ceremony of this school takes place every evening at bedtime, when the embrace of little hands wraps around your neck and, all at once, the emotion of today's achievement wells up in our eyes… the fact that we are good parents!