YOUR parents - what do you expect?

I expect my parents to be interested in my life & that of my children (and am often dissapointed), I expect sympathy when it's needed (again with the dissapointment) and I expect to mainly know what's going on in their lives (again, more dissapointment, lol).

I should have learned by now NOT to expect anything, but for some reason I can't!

XX

Now I come from a very "involved" family so what I expect from family members I am also prepared to give.

I expect time, interest, love, assistance, friendship, attention, space.
and probably lots more that I can't think of!

Anybugger wrote:Now I come from a very "involved" family so what I expect from family members I am also prepared to give.

I expect time, interest, love, assistance, friendship, attention, space.
and probably lots more that I can't think of!

This sums up my family as well. We're very close and I know I could turn to my parents for help no matter what, the same with my brother.

Yes I would expect to be able to go to my Dad for help if I needed him. Luckily that it is exactly what I can do. My Dad is ALWAYS there for me. Sometimes a little too much and I wish he'd let me get on with my life lol. Dh on the other hand is the total opposite. Once he reached 16 that was it. His mother was no longer interested and couldn't be less bothered if she tried, which causes him no end of pain. Somewhere in between those two extremes has to be the ideal scenario.

From my parents....I don't really expect anything. They chose to leave the country just after I turned 19 and after that I was lucky if I heard from them by phone or e-mail once a fortnight. When they first flew over they didn't even contact me for five days after they got there to let me know they had arrived alright. These days I speak to my mum about every two or three weeks for just under an hour (and I usually have to phone HER) and I haven't spoken to my dad in over a year. Apparently he is happy about the baby, but I wouldn't know.
They are very good at financial support, I guess. Since I started university they have given us £100 a month and it is invaluable. When we were desperately broke they also gave us quite a bit of money and pretended it was all for our birthday's. They've always been much better at showing love with money. They didn't come from particularly loving homes and I sometimes suspect that it doesn't come naturally to them. My mother was banished to a home for unwed mothers when she got pregnant with my sister and wasn't given any choice about keeping the baby, and my dad was sent to boarding school at 7 and then every holiday was shipped off to his uncles farm instead of home. Then it was straight into the army, then the SAS, at war at 18. In my more forgiving moments, I think 'well, how would I have turned out given their circumstances?'

Things I wish I could expect:
Emotional support
Regular contact

Tats about it I think.