Parents can be awful and despicable to their adult children. I will not be one of them.

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After years of listening to stories about the suffering that my adult friends are forced to endure at the hands of their meddlesome and controlling parents, I have decided to create a list of promises to my children that will protect them from such behavior in their future.

While I can’t imagine myself engaging in any of this despicable behavior when my kids are adults, I can only assume that these rotten, interfering  parents felt the same way when they were my age, and yet somehow they ended up acting like selfish, petulant, overbearing jerks.

This list will serve as an insurance policy in the event that the same happens to me when I am older.

I plan on adding to the list and re-posting it as often as needed.

Please feel free to offer any additions to the list.

It should also be noted that as of this moment, my in-laws are not guilty of any of these offenses, nor was my mother when she was alive. These items are based solely on the experience of my unfortunate friends.

Thus far I have been exceedingly fortunate.

This does not mean, however, that I would not include them on this list in the future if their otherwise reasonable and respectful behavior takes a turn for the worse.

Promises To My Future Adult Children

  1. I will never criticize or attempt to manipulate my children’s choice of names for my grandchildren. Doing so is a selfish, intrusive, despicable act. It is also one of the most asinine things a grandparent can do.
  2. I will never pressure any of my children to get married. Doing so is hurtful, insensitive, narrow-minded and potentially damaging to a child’s future.
  3. I will never criticize my children’s choice of occupations. Doing so only serves to impose my own values and personal estimation of happiness on them, which is selfish, narrow0minded and despicable.
  4. I will never criticize my children’s decisions related to religion. Doing so fails to honor them as individuals and free thinkers and is selfish, self-serving, antagonistic and despicable.