Erma Bombeck wrote that parents are frequently unpopular as they guide youngsters toward maturity. Peck says children need to feel valued. You show love through the time and care you consistently give someone. Parents, relatives and teachers lay a foundation during the crucial early years. Later it's up to each individual to take charge of personal growth while being willing to nurture others.
Persistence is needed to overcome problems and set-backs.
Yet people do it every day. It took real maturity for Dr. Angela Diaz, director of the Adolescent Health Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, to overcome a difficult childhood. When she was eight, her mother left the Dominican Republic to work in the United States. Angela was deeply hurt that she'd been left behind. It was six years before Mrs. Diaz had enough money to send for her.