All the Years of Her Life by Morley Callaghan

In the short story “All the Years of Her Life” by Morley Callaghan, parents don’t always blatantly exhibit their affection for their child but no matter what their child does they will always love them no matter what. A good parent is someone who is always there to support their child with unconditional love and display that they love them by making sacrifices for his or her child financially and emotionally. Another characteristic that makes a good parent is the ability to comprehend what their child is thinking and understand why they feel that way so the parent could help.

Love and affection is a big part of being a good parent. Being able to respect, encourage and nurture their child rather than judging and blaming them is great to show affection to their child by using positive reinforcement, so that the child can build self-esteem rather than tearing it down with criticism. In the story, Mrs. Higgins stays calm and collected while speaking to Mr. Carr showing that she has the situation under control. She smoothly persuades Sam to let Alfred go, revealing that she wants the best for her child meaning that she loves and cares for him.

Parents make sacrifices for the child for example, time, emotions, money, freedom, and much more. In the story Mrs. Higgins shows by making sacrifices, especially her emotions, in order to gain respect from both Sam Carr and her son. She comes cool and confident, but on the inside she was frustrated with Alfred. Although she is disgraced and hurt by Alfred’s continuous poor behaviour, she chooses to react properly to this situation hoping that the outcome will be positive.

Becoming a good parent is a very challenging thing to do. Parents have to make sacrifices for their child