Do you think that could have more to do with your family of origin than your current family -- kids and grandchildren? That's something I've come to have to recognize, as a mother of grown children and grandmother. And the rupture without repair -- and feeling rejected and put down -- by my last therapist has helped me to guess how some of that feeling of being unimportant and wanting reassurance that I am loved came about. I wasn't even that aware of it until I felt so rejected and put down by my last T. I know that's not your experience with your T -- instead you seem to be getting what you need. But also, maybe a warning?, or maybe not -- what would happen if you did get disappointed with your T?

For me, I also have (still) to come to terms with the (likely) fact that I didn't get what I needed when I needed it, and developed all kinds of compensation for that, and then my late husband DID love me, which was great, but then he died. . .

All this to say -- I know that life as an older person can still be very complicated!

But I certainly agree -- grandchildren are great! Just watching them is such fun. I don't get to do it a lot. Or, maybe if it were more frequent it wouldn't be such fun.