This is an excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda’s book A Piece of Mirror and Other Essays. The essay is titled Fatherhood. page 50
There are many ways to keep communication flowing, as the example of Indira Gandhi, and her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, shows. He was jailed nine times during the Indian struggle for independence, and while he was in prison, Nehru and his only daughter exchanged letters frequently. Once Indira wrote, “I miss you so much. I keep your room closed for I hate going into it and finding it all empty and unlived in.”
In his reply, Nehru wrote, “Shall I tell you know how I reacted when you were studying in Switzerland and England? I kept the door between your room and mine wide open. Every morning I visited your room and every night I went there to bid it good night. I wanted the room to look bright and airy….as if you had just gone out and might come back at any moment.” After receiving this letter, Indira followed his advice and gave his father’s room a thorough cleaning. No matter how high the walls of physical separation, the door between the hearts of father and daughter was always open.
2013 Cynthia Klein, Bridges 2 Understanding, has been a Certified Parent Educator since 1994. She works with parents and organizations who want more cooperation, mutual respect and understanding between adults and children of all ages. Cynthia presents her expertise through speaking and private parenting coaching sessions. She is a member of the National Speakers Association and writes the Middle School Mom column for the Parenting on the Peninsula magazine. She works with parents of 4 – 24 year-old children. Contact Cynthia at bridges2understa.wpstagecoach.com, cynthia@bridges2understanding,com, or 650. 679.8138 to learn more about creating the relationship you want with your children.
