James….. honestly. As a mum of three adult kids, 20, 22 and 24…. If any of my kids just wrote your post, without your “poem”, I would be so proud of you. I have tears!
Life is life. As a parent we accept that our kids have their own lives, the immature selfishness and we just hope and pray that they don’t beat themselves up when we are no longer here.
I regularly say to my kids… when I’m no longer here you will regret silencing my texts, not responding to my texts, and those texts might be “whoever left their shit in the sink and worktop, SHIFT IT!!!”
It’s life. I did it to my mum too. Each day my mum texts me first with a x. I keep thinking one day I will miss those texts.
The fact you posted this…. Your parents are proud. Take it from me, a mum of 3 adult selfish shits (I say that with love) x