Wolf – it is the same in reverse. I am proud of the affect of my beautiful upbringing that would never have been if not for my zaidas and bubbes.
Don’t you want your children to be proud to have you as a father?
There’s a very big difference between being grateful and having pride.
It would be wonderful if my kids were grateful for all the hard work I put in and acknowledged that it made a difference in their lives. I, myself, am extremely grateful to my parents and grandparents for all the love, time and effort that they put into me.
I would not, however, expect my kids to be proud of something that they had no part in accomplishing.
I had no part in shaping my grandparents — and I would not feel shame if they were horrible people (since I was not in any way at fault for that) — so why should I feel pride for the wonderful people that they are? It’s not through my efforts that they became so.
The Wolf