I have a group of female friends-- Nancy, Sheila, Lynn, Susan, Kaikay. I call them the "sisters," they are people with whom I connected immediately and permanently. In one corner of my heart I believe that they are the lost sisters from my past lives. I never feel a need to seek approval or support from these women; it's a given. Friendship does not need to be sought, or affirmed, or renewed, or nurtured. It simply is.
And yet, despite having these strong connections, I find myself investing my emotional energy in seeking approval and affirmation from people who are never going to give it. My boss, in fact, every boss I ever had except for Susan and Lynn (who are each one of the sisters). I have a positive knack for finding bosses who are stingy with approval, or insecure about accepting input from subordinates. Or perhaps it's not that I have a knack for this, but that the sorts of people who seek administrative positions are people who thrive on this sort of petty bullshit, or who need the affirmation of the title to feel a sense of worth.
Probably this stems from some emotional need not met in my childhood. I'm constantly seeking praise from a father or mother figure, or something like that. Which makes me wonder what neuroses, what bad decisions based on misunderstood emotional needs, my kids will suffer?
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Wei-sun with Nin-nin in China 1951
On life, and being the parent of adults
Followers
I seem to have an opinion on everything
Check out my other musings
Artistic Hang-ups, on trying to make art
Mahlzeit, so the kids will cook their own food
Artistic Hang-ups, on trying to make art
Mahlzeit, so the kids will cook their own food
Xanku, poetry
I never really got into the Mommy Bloggers (partially because my kids were already older when the phenomenon started), but I got a bit of the bug after they left.
I have a son and daughter,currently in their early twenties pushing over thirty, and out in the world, getting along just fine without me. Some days I return the favor by not thinking about them. Some days I miss them like a physical pain.
I have a son and daughter,
Wei-sun with Nin-nin in China 1951
About Me
- Alexandra
- A gardener, a cook, an artist. My hair is pink and my soul is old.
2 comments:
Cool. I was never close with my dad's father and in a way my interest in plants is a result of me seeking approval from him.
I always forget you have other blogs. I know exactly what you mean--I've tended to seek approval, too, and never realized why cause it doesn't match other independent characteristics I have. It dawned on me some time ago--yeah, I'm still trying to please my parents--isn't it crazy?
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