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PARENTING
My 5-Year Rule and the Power of Perspective
Sometimes, letting go is the wiser choice
It happened again. My adult daughter, lovely yet exasperating, was ordering me around like I was her servant. I calmly told her to handle it herself. One incident is manageable, but this piled on top of several other equally annoying events.
That night, I had trouble sleeping as the irritation bubbled and seethed. Why is she so kind and patient with her friends, yet brusk and disrespectful with me, her own mother?
I decided I should speak to her about it. Then I paused.
That behavior is her norm — it always has been. One conversation wouldn’t change her.
I stopped to ask myself a question I often turn to when emotions flare: Will I care about this in five years? If not, why let it consume me now?
My daughter is fine — she’s proven her emotional intelligence and ability to thrive in society.
Sometimes, letting go is the wiser choice.
