You won't know until you are old

The older I get the more I understand what those before had to endure. I have realized that there are so many things you can't understand until you have experienced them for yourself. Like until you are a parent you will not understand what being a parent is really all about. Just because you have children doesn't mean you know what it is like to be a parent to grown children until your own children are grown. Now that I have experienced it I have a whole new respect for the type of parent my parents were.  It has made me want to say so many things to them but i can't because they have passed away. I understand the circle of life a whole lot better now that I am old. If your parents live long enough after you experience life for you to talk to then you are very lucky. Because there are millions of people who can't. I understand so much that I watched many of my family members and friends go through and it would be nice if I could talk to them now. I judged them so unfairly back then. I seriously understand why older people can seem a little grouchy at times. What they have had to endure throughout their life only to have their health deteriorating and those around them not old enough to understand them. I know that is frustrating. The choices they made that I criticized I now see what a smart choice it was. Those who are lucky enough to have the chance to talk to  their loved ones after they get old ought to record their conversations and share them with the World to at least let younger people know that one day they will understand everything. Perhaps it would get people to talk about your stories and find some kind of peace knowing that you shouldn't judge people because you have no idea what they are really going through. Which is why we all should be kind to everyone we encounter because we have no idea what they may be facing.