As parents get older, I think that we as children with a not-so-perfect parent start to realize that our relationships don’t have to be perfect…sometimes they just need to be given space to just be.  Learning to accept is never an easy process…so through rose colored glasses from my own father-daughter relationship…here are some thoughts and lessons that just stood out to me in the new docu-series, The O’Neals on the Oprah Winfrey Network.  While my sister gets to write the review, recap and reflections…I’m just too outspoken to not add my flavor to the pot.  Here are my lesson notes so far…

• Some people are selfish. It is who they are.  You can’t change them. 
• Communication doesn’t come easy for many people…but that’s no excuse for being mean or angry.
• Getting physical or being abusive is unacceptable at any time.  OWN your feelings AND your actions.
• When people disappoint you,remember their actions are less about you and all about them.
• OWN who you are. CHANGE if you need to.
• Life is too short for fighting…
• Parents are human…not super human like we believed when we were little.
• Sometimes you do things for people you love because they ask you to.
• It’s never too late to say “I love you.”         
• Love may mean never having to say you’re sorry…but those two words are POWERFUL. Say them if you need to…and if you mean them.