Looking out for our Moms

Some days I worry about my Mom. Not for any particular reason - she is in good health, she lives nearby, she is brilliant. But a general worry sometimes enters my active thoughts: I am sitting at my desk at work and start to wonder if my Mom is OK.

I think this is a variation of Mom-dar - the ability to recognize that I haven't talked with my Mom in awhile, and I need to call or text her. And maybe we will exchange a few text messages and I will feel better.

I know that as a parent the worry you feel about your child will never go away, but I didn't realize how much I would think about my parents after I left their house.

We leave the nest when we are young and still a little stupid about the way the world works and we find others like us and say things like "my friends are my family." And sure, that may feel true, but your parents are still your parents. And science has proved that with this study showing that we tend to put the needs of our parents before our friends.

I like people's conflicted emotions coming out of that study. That they were claiming that they felt closer to their friends at the beginning of the study, but that they felt their parents did so much for them that they had to work harder for them.

Maybe that is something we all need to be reminded of: Our parents work really hard for us because they love us. And they are our family.

Do you feel closer to your parents or your friends? Tell me in the comments.