So...My Promise To My Children

Someone sent me a meme recently, it went like this...

My promise to my children ~ as long as I live ~ I am your Parent 1st -your Friend 2nd. I will stalk you, flip out on you, lecture you, drive you insane, be your worst nightmare & hunt you down like a bloodhound when needed because I LOVE YOU ! When you understand that, I will know that you are a responsible adult. You will NEVER find someone who loves, prays, cares & worries about you more than I do! If you don’t hate me once in your life – I am not doing my job properly. Re-post if you are a parent and agree

Now I have no idea why the person felt compelled to share this with me, it was an acquaintance and presumably they connected with something in this writing and felt I might too.  Perhaps they felt so strongly about it they forwarded it to everyone on their mailing list and it wasn't specifically meant for me?
Indeed after looking into it it appears this sentiment has been shared and agreed upon by thousands of parents worldwide, if not hundreds of thousands.

It certainly did invoke a response from my side, and I can assure you I am NOT re-posting in agreement!

Honestly I can't imagine a more unpleasant relationship with my children, or my own parents.

It saddens me that there are parents our there holding this twaddle up as some sort of ideal of what a loving relationship with your child should look like.

Some words that spring to my mind when reading it are 'controlling', 'possessive' and 'needy', which are the complete opposites of what real love is.

While trying to find out where this meme originated from I came across another 'promise to my children' which is much more aligned with my own feelings and I share them in the hope it will resonate with other parents out there.

PROMISE TO MY CHILDREN

I will love you, nurture you, talk with you, share with you, hold you, support you, respect you and trust you. I will know you are doing the best you can in any given moment and I hope you know I’m doing the same. May you find many people who love, care for and respect you like I do.