'EVERYTHING IS FINE'

We went to this Robert De Niro movie over the weekdn thinking it is a comedy, which turned out to be a quality family drama that speaks volumes about the pains of loving parents with adults children. Remember a previous blog I did about our grown kids who are really adults? This film is apparanetly a remake of an old Italian version 'Stanno Tutti Bene'. The operative words are, naturally, 'loving parents & adult children'. De Niro is extremely impressive playing a lonely widower who tries to seek solace from his grown kids, only to find that their lives are far from picture perfect. They lied about their issues at home in order not to upset him. Being a loving father he could see through every charade, and kept asking each child, ' ... but, are you happy? .... ' Tears welled in my eyes every time he asked that as I, like all you loving parents out there, can identify with De Niro. We will never stop asking our grown kids that very question. I will not give the plot away but once they crossed the bridge together as a family, Dad concludes that 'Everything is Fine'.

I believe the western interpretation of this approach is 'take hold & let go' or 'be philosophical' or 'just karma'. To the Chinese we like to believe 'prosperity & fortune are innate to all our children & grandchildren'. This is where the classic Aussie jargon becomes most relevant ' ... They'll be Right!'

To all loving parents, reagrdless how young or old your offsprings are : let us stop worrying, let us give our kids the space to create that state of happiness only they can define, let us remind ourselves we did the best we could to bring them to where they are, let us accept that we cannot reshape what we did, let us bestow confidence on our kids, and simultaneously on ourselves that things will work out. Finally, let us join in unison .... 'Everything is Fine'!