Sunday 19 September 2004 No Two Children Have The Same ParentsOne of the things I have learned over the years is
that no two children really have the same parents. Not
even identical twins. I am speaking
relationally, of course, not biologically. Each
child has a unique persona, and each child finds its own dynamic of relating to his or her
parents. Perceptions of the dynamics and
shared experiences of life often differ to an amazing degree. And for whatever reason, sometimes the best
parental intentions are not enough to fix the incompatibilities that exist. One of the most famous examples of this is the
biblical story of the twins Esau and Jacob. Esau
was a hairy outdoorsman, rough and ready. Jacob
was a more domestic and delicate type, a mothers boy. The differing family dynamics that situation
created went on to yield several of the best tales in the heritage of Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam. And those tales are
still haunting the three religions nearly four millennia later! Another example is found in the grand existential
drama of The Lion in Winter. Over the
years I think I have nearly memorized all the classic lines uttered by the late Katherine
Hepburn in award-winning film. (For instance, If Id managed to produce sons for Louis
instead of daughters, we, my children would never have met.
Such is the role of sex in history!)
The interweaving misunderstandings and rivalries and quests for love and
acceptance projected onto the family of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine during their
Christmas reunion in I could carry on into reflections on poor old King
Lear and his daughters
but I suspect I have made my point. Sometimes parents and kids are simply
incomprehensible to one another, and face each other wondering how on earth
He/she could have come from me? Or,
how I could have come from them? The sad bit for all concerned in the real-life
drama of the current royals is that it seems the current Prince of Wales just wasnt
quite fitted out from the womb to mesh easily with his rather phlegmatic parents. Perhaps he was a bit too much of a Jacob in a young
family more suited for an Esau? (The latter
role being somewhat ironically fulfilled by the tomboyish Princess Anne.) But in this drama, at least, there was a
sympathetic and bereaved Granny standing in the wings, one for whom the handling of shy
princes was a lifelong specialty. Once before
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon had taken a sensitive and ill-at-ease young Thankfully, at least this weeks reports also
include the affirmation of Charles own success as a father, in the wonderful snap of
the relaxed So, are the Queen and Prince Philip right and
justified in their views of the Prince of Wales? Probably. Is the Prince of Wales right and justified in his
view of his parents? Probably. Are they all a bit off or wrong in their
perceptions? Probably. In the realm of human relationships truth is always
perceptional and multiple. It is never quite
as simple as just the facts, Maam. The
main challenge, I think, as we all age and gain perspective is for each and all to let go
of our reactionary urges about what ought to have been and to embrace and
cherish one another with such grace as is available to us.
And as the Princess Royal comments in Brandreths book, compared to
some families the Mountbatten-Windsors have really done fairly well. So, then, having dealt with that distraction, I hope you will all keep an eye out for when the Queen of Scots strolls across from Holyrood House in a few weeks to welcome her new neighbors the Scottish Parliament into their new digs next door.
- Ken Cuthbertson |
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