The father started across an intersection and the son took his elbow protectively as a car approached. Their relationship had changed. It was deeper and richer. There is nothing like being part of a family to understand the topsy-turvy message of the Magnificent. One minute we feel loved and confident, and the next we feel sure that no one appreciates or understands us.
Parents offer advice, and the children see it as criticism.
Children offer opinions, and the parents see it as insolence. Families also teach us how to make choices. As Fulgum's story illustrates, we choose to stay with the mess or to run away. We choose to interfere or to let someone learn from a mistake. We choose to accept a certain amount of pain and conflict as part of life, or we choose to let it wipe us out.