Nancy Gibbs

摘要

The life cycle is at once miraculous and cruel, launching us as soft, smooth, frail creatures, until we grow and harden, then curve back toward infancy, our final days spent once again being fed and bathed and gently tended. It's the stage just after infancy and just before infirmity that tests those of us in between. As parents we tolerate adolescent rebellion because we know it's a necessary stop on the road to responsible. But what about parental rebellion? As they age, our parents need constraints, but the context shifts. Just as with teenagers, we put limits on their freedoms: No, you can't wear those heels, drive at night, explore that city alone. But this involves taking away freedoms they've had, not preparing them for new ones.