Unconditional Love.

I recently read a moving article in the July edition of Candis. In it Lauren Booth described how, as an adult, she broke off all contact with her Mother, after a difficult Mother-Daughter relationship that started to go wrong as early as when she was two!

Lauren seemed to put it down to the fact that she looked and sounded too like her father Tony Booth, who was very famous for his role in 'Till Death Us Do Part'. Lauren even described her mothers feeling towards her as hate.

One thing that particularly stuck in my mind was her description of her Mother's reaction, when at the age of twelve, she proudly produced her school report. A quote from her year tutor read, 'Quite simply, Lauren is an asset to the class'. After reading the report and exhaling a single word in a cloud of cigarette smoke: 'Creep'.

I can only imagine at what such a comment would do to a young girl, especially from her mother! Now a mother herself, I can only identify with her delight, as her daughter Holly ran up to her, flung her arms around her, saying 'Mummy, you are really, really nice!'

Such a simple statement may not sound much, but the love of a child is one of the the most amazing things in this world! As adults, whether we are aware of it or not, we are constantly judging people and having deep rooted unconscious thoughts about them.

A child is completely different, all they need is your time, for you to show an interest in them and to show them love. What do you get in return is worth all the money in the world... their unconditional love. Something to be nurtured and treasured for a lifetime.

My daughter Kim will be eighteen in a couple of days time and as I look back over the last eighteen years, I am proud to say that not only is she the best daughter I could have ever asked for, but she is one of my best friends. Thanks Kim.