New look at parenthood

lj-tags: parents, love, relationships
Who would have thought a book about a South African college professor
who is forced to resign after an affair with a 20-year-old student
would be a source of insight into parenting. Seeking refuge with his
adult daughter, a new generation of farmer, he is introduced to
worlds he would have never known. The characters love and admiration
for his daughter is the most sincere and human expression of
parenthood I have encountered. It is one not tainted by
sentimentality and possessiveness. Yes, he is proud to know this is
the living legacy he will leave behind. There are choices she has
made he does not understand or like, but none of this interferes with
her love of her as a person, as a wonderful individual, connected yet
separate. For the first time, I seriously thought that adopting a
child might not be such a bad idea, to be able to provide someone
with the love and stability to allow her or him to become uniquely an
who she or he is.