Attachment in Detachment by Sudha Murthy is one of the best parenting advice for Indian parents. If you want to maintain a healthy and happy relationship with your kids throughout your life, then you will definitely find this post helpful.
Image: Star of Mysore
I have a controlling mother-in-law, who interferes a lot.
My father is overbearing, or authoritarian as most of the times he tries to tell me what to do undermining my intelligence.
Does this sound familiar?
If yes, then you will find this beautiful post written by Sudha Murthy interesting.
Sudha Murthy, who is an Indian engineer, teacher, philanthropist, and writer, shared some beautiful words that might explain why is it difficult for our parents to let go.
It might be a great lesson to all the new parents to learn the beauty of attachment in detachment.
Sadly, like most of the Indian moms and dads if you are also struggling to “let go” of your grown-up children, then you might find the answer here.
When my daughter, the older of my two, wed and left home, I felt a part of me was gone.
With a daughter and a son, I know what both mean, differently.
When she was in her teens I felt as if she was my “physical extension”!
So when she left home to set up her own, I felt I lost a limb.
Next time she came to stay with us, I was astonished how her priorities had changed.
We too must’ve given the same shocks to our own parents!
When she said Amma, she meant her mother-in-law, not me!
I felt she was always in a hurry to go back to her house and not stay with me for a few more days.
That was the first time, it dawned on me that I have to start practicing detachment with attachment.
Two years after my daughter’s marriage, my son left for higher studies to the U.S.
Having experienced a child’s separation once, I was better equipped emotionally.
I plunged headlong into various classes held in the city starting from Vedanta to healing to ikebana.
I just wanted to be away from home since my husband was a 24/7 workaholic.
My son used to write how he was missing my home cooked food, how he was waiting to come back to live in Chennai with us.
After a few years, he did come back and we got him married.
He started living separately with his wife and we were also happy that they wanted to be independent since the beginning…
But now, it was all changed!
When in the US, he missed my cooking, now if I called him to come over with his wife for a meal, it was always some excuse like “oh, amma, we have other plans for the day, please don’t mistake us if we don’t drop in today”!
I could see that his priorities had also changed completely.
We talk so many things and give so much advice to others, but when it comes to our own children, acceptance comes very late. Our next step is to just leave them undisturbed in every way.
It was at that time, that I made the following, my ‘new profile’.
In all my relationships, rather interactions, I give my best and do my best to live up to what I say.
My attachment to them is complete.
However, I remain detached in the sense that I do not expect them to reciprocate my affection.
Most importantly, I make a conscious effort, not to interfere or pass judgments on the lives they choose to lead.
My concern for my near and dear ones will not fade with my detachment.
If you let go of the ones you love, they will never go away –
this is the beauty of attachment with detachment!
I have learnt to love and let go.
This dictum has developed tolerance in me.
When I let the people live the way they want to, I learn to accept them for what they are.
Most importantly,
I learn to tolerate the world around me and this tolerance brings in me a sense of peace and contentment.
Since both my children live in Chennai, I follow this very strictly, you know why!
Now I have realized that we start growing mentally much more only after the children leave the house and we have to tackle the emotional vacuum, that arises, along with age-related problems.
I specially dedicate this post to my friends, who are totally dependant on their children’s lives, to nurture their own selves emotionally.
Please develop your own interests, hobbies, etc, however mundane they seem to be.
We must learn
To love whatever we do instead of Doing whatever we love !!
