If it’s good advice, take it

My husband can’t resist giving a little advice to Jay, my 21-year-old son, a college student who is working and living at home this summer.

Why is so much easier to notice when he is giving advice to Jay than it is to notice when I’m giving advice to Jay?  Why is it always easier to give advice than it is to take it?

I’m making it a goal to remember that my son has done fine without his parents’ daily advice during three years of college in another state.

I’m also going to remember a suggestion that a wise friend once gave me. Don’t give people—and that includes your adult children—advice unless they ask for it. If you’re really tempted to share some good advice, give it to yourself.

–Joy