The Patty project

This is the first Christmas in 27 years that we haven’t started or spent Christmas Day with our kids.

It’s a strange feeling, I’m not sad, it’s just obvious when everyone else has their families and children with them and we don’t so it gives me time and opportunity to think and reflect.

We had the four grandkids for a couple of hours and that filled any void.

It was a strange feeling.

Our adult children have all reached an age where they have their own lives and something I have never wanted them to feel is any guilt from doing their own thing.

I have lived almost fifty years with a parent who has used guilt in ways that have caused detrimental effects to my mental health and wellbeing so there is no way that I’d do to them what had been done to me.

My goal as their mum has always been for each of our kids to be happy, healthy and independent and we’re just about there which means our ‘jobs’ are almost done.

We’ve just about graduated from parenthood and whilst it may take a bit of time to adjust I know we’ll be fine. ( I’m currently writing this in bed as I prepare for a well deserved nap – this is something that I could have never done before with little kids) .

Here’s to the future, freedom, growth and change.