"I will do what I can to help them with their lives, to make the best choices possible for them. But my opinions may not align completely with yours," Noah said. "We're bound to see things differently because our lives and cultures are different." Really excellent statement of the obvious, he thought. He set down his knife and fork, his appetite gone.
"It would be a mistake for you to think that I will always back everything that you say. I certainly won't undercut your authority as their mother, but neither will I follow your lead blindly. I can only promise to give them the best advice and guidance that I can, filtered through my own upbringing and experiences. I suspect that we will disagree on many things, and it's best we get that out in the open and acknowledge it right now."