Having had the next generation of the family with us has been awesome. It was so great to spend time with the boys and be part of their lives as much as possible. Watching them play in a way I remember from when I was their age is a great reminder of how my generation of family were. However it also raises questions in my own life that I had long considered resolved.
I distinctly remember when I was growing up that my great Aunt Hilda, whom I've written about before didn't have kids. I wondered about that in the way that children do without malice purely seeking the information. I was told by my parents that it was rude to ask such questions of other grown ups, so i didn't. I just got back to whatever ever other shiny thing had distracted me
And now I regret it.
If I could I'd ask if she and her husband Bill wanted to have children but never did or if they had had the conversation Em and I had many many years ago. Kids were not part of either of our plans and like responsible people we talked about it when we started to get serious about each other.
I can think of nothing worse than not having that conversation until its forced on you by marriage or a broken prophlactic.
Anyway having spent time with the generation that our kids would be if we had taken a different path it put me in mind of how Hilda and Bill would have been when we were growing up.
The things I have of Hilda now are photos and keepsakes but they hold no answers for me. They can't tell me if she regretted her choice not to have children as one day I might.
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