When I say 'talk' to your adult kids I really mean 'do you ever have an informal chat with them on an emotional level'. So not a transactional discussion about feeding the dog or borrowing the car......but a discussion about how you are both feeling, what the current hopes and fears are. These sort of close communications are not that easy.
Your agenda has probably changed so that you are no longer worried about their school report or what they are having for dinner. They are now chasing a career or partner or kids or all of them. Do you still have time for each other?
Well life is short and the number of hours you will see your kids between them leaving home and your eventual demise is pretty limited. But the question for all of us is how to make it happen.....how to create the opportunity to get together and chat? I think the answer is to find a place where you have a common interest. I remember years ago a work colleague telling me that golf was the only opportunity he had to talk to his kids. The problem is that my partner, my kids and myself are all 'non-golfers'. We need to find another opportunity....and I think the solution is to find a common interest. The closest example I have is at Quattro Archi (www.quattroarchibarga.com) where we have had three sets of mother-and-daughter couples coming to our printing courses. They spent five days sharing a glass of wine, some Italian food or a walk in the countryside but with the overarching purpose of the printmaking course.
And printmaking works really well for this because it can start with a stock image or photo (no particular creativity required) or an original sketch or painting for those that have the skills and confidence. The magic of the manual print process then takes over with cutting, inking, printing etc to produce a final image. And there is something seductive about printmaking which yields great results for everybody. So if you are looking for an opportunity to talk 'with' your kids (or other relatives), have a think about a creative art course in Tuscany sharing a common sense of purpose. Our 'Intergenerational Printmaking Course' is 28 July-3 August 2024.
So far we have only had mothers and daughters but I'm pleased to say we have a Dad and Daughter couple coming on this course. Who will be the first to bring their son?