it may be time to reassess much of your life. Asked by my first born to help her bake a cake for a friend, I said I'd advise, but would not help with the actual doing.
OF course, that resulted in a loooong conversation because we needed to be certain what constituted advice as opposed to participation. With that resolved, she started with the cake making.
It wasn't until she presented the jello mold she had greased for the cake batter for my inspection that I realized she had not learned major pieces of practical knowledge. SO mea culpa. My responsibility to prepare my child(ren) for life was not carried out successfully, in some cases.
It isn't too late; she can still learn. And she did; she got out the right pan and baked a fine cake. Besides, she and I both chuckled about the whole thing.
Guess I wanted most of this stuff to be behind me. Could it be I overlooked such things because I couldn't cope with all of it? Not unlike the ostrich with its head in the sand, I didn't see the problem but it didn't go away.
OF course, I must say that while mundane things may not have been passed along, my children are really great folk (well, they aren't kids any more) whether they can bake cakes or not.
I am sometimes amazed that these two fine people are my offspring. Two knowledgable, functioning, contributing adults, successful in chosen careers. Two people from whom I learn things because their experiences differ from mine. It's a good thing.
As I withdraw from managing children, I can pay more attention to what I should be doing. Shoulda, woulda, coulda---that's a long list. Think I'll start with the mundane stuff in my life and work my way up to significant.
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