SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 11

FROM A PARENT’S 
PERSPECTIVE
My three children (now 
adults), I’m sure, have only 
wonderful things to say about 
their mom and me as parents. 
But, seriously folks, I know 
they love to talk about our lit-
tle foibles in the same way my 
siblings and I share (mostly) 
fond memories of our parents. 
 I recall those “wonder 
years” when our kids were 
small. There were certainly 
many conflicts to resolve, 
often with two kids teaming 
up against the third. The issue 
of “fairness” was a frequent 
point of contention. 
 Sometimes, family game 
nights would serve as an outlet 
for these conflicts, but often, 
mom and dad had to referee 
an argument in a hotly con-
tested game of Aggravation. 
Years from now, when our 
then much older offspring 
reflect and reminisce together 
as my siblings and I do, I’m 
sure they’ll recall growing up 
in Beacon Square and learning 
to swim at the neighborhood 
pool. They’ll remember our 
family trips, including yearly 
trips to Camp Michigania. 
They’ll laugh about the 
famous dinner in Las Vegas 
where their dad (me!) for 
some reason ordered pancakes 
and soup. They’ll also recall 
our own versions of games 
and songs in the car to pass 
the time on road trips. We 
already never fail to laugh 
hysterically when we watch 
a karaoke video from Disney 
World that features my eldest 
two kids when they were 
12 and 9, rolling their eyes 
as their mom and I busted 
some great dance moves. Our 
youngest, who was 4 at the 
time, was wise enough to opt 
out of that singing, dancing 
fiasco preserved forever (as 

long as we have a working 
VCR)!
Thinking about my children 
and my siblings gets me to 
wondering about that age old 
“nature vs. nurture” debate. 
Our whole family shares a 
love of music and games. 
But of course, each of us sees 
the world in his or her own 
unique way. I am proud of 
how we usually find a way 
in our family to tolerate our 
differences. We certainly have 
had a few heated discussions, 
but, so far, nobody has tried 
to sell his or her siblings down 
the Detroit River to Toledo. 
Instead, we all continue to 
explore what it means to be a 
sibling and how it feels to be a 
part of this crazy London clan. 
When I think more deeply 
about my brother and sister, I 
have also seen the unbelievable 
value and connection of 
siblings when there is a crisis 
in the family. Suddenly, 
nothing else matters and we 
are just there for each other. At 
more mundane times, we have 
our occasional disagreements, 
but mostly we share concerns 
about our struggles with life’s 
day-to-day challenges and 
remind each other to celebrate 
the joys. 
My world has been enriched 
by the presence of my siblings. 
And I know my kids feel the 
same way. I see them talking, 
laughing and teasing each 
other, and I also have observed 
them responding to personal 
and family crises with caring 
and support for each other 
and for their parents. 
Witnesses to the scene 
of the crime? Perhaps. But 
also witnesses to the messy 
wonderfulness of family. As 
I once wrote in a song to my 
dad, “When it comes to poker 
games and families, it’s pretty 
hard to beat a full house!” 

