Monday, November 15, 2010
To become like I am?
As my youngest daughter and I drove away from the big-kid drop-off, she asked me a thought provoking question. She inquired, "Mommy when I grow up, will I get to be like you?"
I stopped for a second before answering...thinking to myself and then vocalizing accordingly, "Yes honey...in all the good ways." It makes me ask, "Do I really want her to become like I am?"
Isn't that the sweetest question ever? To think that my 4-year-old wants to be like I am is the most humbling compliment to my entire career as a mom.
And yet, its innocence makes me reflect upon my deficiencies as well. While most people would say that I'm a great mom, those who know me best would admit that I've got my fair share of faults as well.
All this to say, it makes me think. Sometimes we get so caught up in our daily routines of controlled chaos, racing around town like we're on the Indy 500 circuit. Many of us rarely slow down to digest this deeper thought about the kind of parent that we are.
What about you fellow parents and grandparents? Do you want your kids to be like you? How do you speak when you are angry? How do you show your kids you are proud of them? Do they know with certainty that you love them no matter how well they do in school or in sports?
Do you want your kids to emulate your lifestyle and your choices? Are you a forgiving person? Are you a relaxed parent or a total stress-case? If you're like me, you are something in-between? Do you put on the brakes to spend some quality time with your little munchkins?
I want to pause and answer these tough questions because my kids are worth it. When I think about my daughter wanting to "be me" someday, it makes me long to be a better mom today.
I want to spend more meaningful time with my kids. I also desire to focus less on the inconsequential details of life, like a perfectly clean house or an immaculate yard. I'd love to be more patient and loving with my family as well.
A simple question can act as a powerful motivator for a changed life. Hopefully this basic challenge hits home with you today as well. Share some of the attributes you'd like to improve upon. Any advice from the older moms out there? Share your thoughts. We'd love to hear from you. :)
I stopped for a second before answering...thinking to myself and then vocalizing accordingly, "Yes honey...in all the good ways." It makes me ask, "Do I really want her to become like I am?"
Isn't that the sweetest question ever? To think that my 4-year-old wants to be like I am is the most humbling compliment to my entire career as a mom.
And yet, its innocence makes me reflect upon my deficiencies as well. While most people would say that I'm a great mom, those who know me best would admit that I've got my fair share of faults as well.
All this to say, it makes me think. Sometimes we get so caught up in our daily routines of controlled chaos, racing around town like we're on the Indy 500 circuit. Many of us rarely slow down to digest this deeper thought about the kind of parent that we are.
What about you fellow parents and grandparents? Do you want your kids to be like you? How do you speak when you are angry? How do you show your kids you are proud of them? Do they know with certainty that you love them no matter how well they do in school or in sports?
Do you want your kids to emulate your lifestyle and your choices? Are you a forgiving person? Are you a relaxed parent or a total stress-case? If you're like me, you are something in-between? Do you put on the brakes to spend some quality time with your little munchkins?
I want to pause and answer these tough questions because my kids are worth it. When I think about my daughter wanting to "be me" someday, it makes me long to be a better mom today.
I want to spend more meaningful time with my kids. I also desire to focus less on the inconsequential details of life, like a perfectly clean house or an immaculate yard. I'd love to be more patient and loving with my family as well.
A simple question can act as a powerful motivator for a changed life. Hopefully this basic challenge hits home with you today as well. Share some of the attributes you'd like to improve upon. Any advice from the older moms out there? Share your thoughts. We'd love to hear from you. :)
Monday, November 08, 2010
Whiny-saurus
Once upon a time, there was a dinosaur named Whiny. She whined so much that her family called her a whiny-saurus.
Whiny was four years old and she was very smart. She could color between the lines on her princess coloring pages and knew all twenty-six letters from the alphabet.
Her favorite color was pink and she loved to twirl and dance. Ballet was her favorite, of course!
She had a fabulous twinkle in her eyes and a contagious smile that made everyone around her smile back. But, when she wanted something from her mom, she always whined and cried.
One day, she demanded a snack from her mom. She whined and pleaded and begged, but never once said, "Please." And she never asked in a nice voice either.
So her mom lovingly replied, "I won't give you anything you ask for if you ask for it with a whiny voice."
So, Whiny decided to make her request with laughter instead of a complaint. She thought, "If I really want my mom to give me what I want, then I have to make her laugh."
The next day, she started laughing so hard, that boogers flew out of her nose. Tears flooded down her face as well.
Everyone around her started laughing along with her too, even her mom. But what they couldn't figure out was the hilarious joke that was making Whiny laugh so hard.
Whiny's mom asked her why she was laughing. But at this point, Whiny simply could not stop laughing. She chuckled and squealed for fourteen days until she finally fell fast asleep from exhaustion.
She snored a lot while she slept. It must have been from losing all of those boogers from all of that laughter.
When she finally woke up a few days later, she was hungrier than ever. So she asked her mother for a snack. But this time, she said, "Please" and she did not whine.
Since she had finally settled down, she told her mom the thing that had made her laugh so hard. Can you guess what it was?
Whiny had pictured her mom wearing some purple polka-dot underwear along with some fluffy giraffe slippers on her feet.
She also thought up some large green and pink striped hair clips on her head and some yellow feather sunglasses to protect her mom's eyes from the sun.
The picture in her head also dressed her mom with long blue earrings shaped like hot dogs and a white long-sleeve t-shirt with a yellow dancing rhino upon it.
Her mom smiled and hugged Whiny. She also gave her some pretzels and an apple because she had finally asked for a snack without whining.
Everyone loved the new Whiny and they even changed her name to Laughy, for all the laughter she was now bringing into their lives.
The end! :)
Whiny was four years old and she was very smart. She could color between the lines on her princess coloring pages and knew all twenty-six letters from the alphabet.
Her favorite color was pink and she loved to twirl and dance. Ballet was her favorite, of course!
She had a fabulous twinkle in her eyes and a contagious smile that made everyone around her smile back. But, when she wanted something from her mom, she always whined and cried.
One day, she demanded a snack from her mom. She whined and pleaded and begged, but never once said, "Please." And she never asked in a nice voice either.
So her mom lovingly replied, "I won't give you anything you ask for if you ask for it with a whiny voice."
So, Whiny decided to make her request with laughter instead of a complaint. She thought, "If I really want my mom to give me what I want, then I have to make her laugh."
The next day, she started laughing so hard, that boogers flew out of her nose. Tears flooded down her face as well.
Everyone around her started laughing along with her too, even her mom. But what they couldn't figure out was the hilarious joke that was making Whiny laugh so hard.
Whiny's mom asked her why she was laughing. But at this point, Whiny simply could not stop laughing. She chuckled and squealed for fourteen days until she finally fell fast asleep from exhaustion.
She snored a lot while she slept. It must have been from losing all of those boogers from all of that laughter.
When she finally woke up a few days later, she was hungrier than ever. So she asked her mother for a snack. But this time, she said, "Please" and she did not whine.
Since she had finally settled down, she told her mom the thing that had made her laugh so hard. Can you guess what it was?
Whiny had pictured her mom wearing some purple polka-dot underwear along with some fluffy giraffe slippers on her feet.
She also thought up some large green and pink striped hair clips on her head and some yellow feather sunglasses to protect her mom's eyes from the sun.
The picture in her head also dressed her mom with long blue earrings shaped like hot dogs and a white long-sleeve t-shirt with a yellow dancing rhino upon it.
Her mom smiled and hugged Whiny. She also gave her some pretzels and an apple because she had finally asked for a snack without whining.
Everyone loved the new Whiny and they even changed her name to Laughy, for all the laughter she was now bringing into their lives.
The end! :)
Labels: children's story, family, kids
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Laugh therapy
It's important to laugh amongst friends. This rings especially true during challenging times. It seems that everyone I talk to lately has something crazy going on in her life. Whether it's the possibility of a job loss, a child's health issue, or a frustrating marriage, life can feel overwhelming.
Our families are on over-load in a plethora of ways. From school-work to grocery shopping, doctor's visits, or unexpected bills, we just need a break. You know how you occasionally shut down your laptop to restart the system? You need to do this for yourself as well, even when that feels like an impossible goal.
You might question the consequences of shutting down. What if I miss an important email? What if I can't get the call-back number from that life-changing phone-call? What if I can't get the kids' uniforms washed by Friday night for their Saturday games because I was out relaxing?
But, if you don't take time to restart your metaphorical computer: "YOU," then you will crash and burn. You might even have to be sent back to the manufacturer and you better hope that you're still under warranty.
God certainly does have a good sense of humor though. And He readily offers lots of second chances too. But, if you're not quite ready to meet up with Him just yet, you should consider slowing down to laugh more here in the present.
Here are three ways to laugh more. First, you have to actually connect with funny people. If you only have boring friends who never do hilarious things, then make some new friends.
Second, make time to hang out with your funny friends. Go out to breakfast at Cocoa's and order soup and salad for breakfast, just because their blue cheese dressing is so d--n tasty. While you are there, share life together; talk about your kids, your spouse, and your pets.
Third, allow yourself to be funny as well. Laugh at life instead of taking things and people so seriously. A long time ago, a good friend shared a great technique for dealing with irritating people, and it really works.
When someone acts like an idiot, she says, "Oh, it must be their first day..." My husband and I have utilized this over the years, and the chilled-out attitude makes us laugh instead of getting pissed.
The joke might even be on one of your closest friends, who happens to be having a rough day. Maybe she just needs to borrow one of Monopoly's "Get out of Jail Free" cards because she's struggling today. Give a little grace by laughing with her instead of holding a grudge over her.
Raising kids is an obvious source of laughter as well, from all the bizarre things they do on any given day. But family-life gets challenging, so that's where comical friends come in to play. Rely on them instead of going it alone. Rest your head down on their shoulder to shed some tears. And be real, so that they'll be real with you.
At a friend's party over the weekend, we sat around her kitchen table and shared stories while devouring incredibly tasty food. After most guests had left, the faithful six of us laughed so hard that tears flooded our faces.
Aside from the positive emotional effects of laughter, I also burnt some gym-equivalent calories that night from working my tummy and cheek muscles. And while I can't divulge the topic of the humor that night (totally top-secret material), I'm sure you have a few similar memories of your own to fill in the blanks.
Remember to call a good friend when life gets you down. Don't put it off; just send a quick text or email right now. Laugh therapy is what you need to get through this season's trials. Share some of your laugh-out-loud moments. We'd love to hear from you. :)
Our families are on over-load in a plethora of ways. From school-work to grocery shopping, doctor's visits, or unexpected bills, we just need a break. You know how you occasionally shut down your laptop to restart the system? You need to do this for yourself as well, even when that feels like an impossible goal.
You might question the consequences of shutting down. What if I miss an important email? What if I can't get the call-back number from that life-changing phone-call? What if I can't get the kids' uniforms washed by Friday night for their Saturday games because I was out relaxing?
But, if you don't take time to restart your metaphorical computer: "YOU," then you will crash and burn. You might even have to be sent back to the manufacturer and you better hope that you're still under warranty.
God certainly does have a good sense of humor though. And He readily offers lots of second chances too. But, if you're not quite ready to meet up with Him just yet, you should consider slowing down to laugh more here in the present.
Here are three ways to laugh more. First, you have to actually connect with funny people. If you only have boring friends who never do hilarious things, then make some new friends.
Second, make time to hang out with your funny friends. Go out to breakfast at Cocoa's and order soup and salad for breakfast, just because their blue cheese dressing is so d--n tasty. While you are there, share life together; talk about your kids, your spouse, and your pets.
Third, allow yourself to be funny as well. Laugh at life instead of taking things and people so seriously. A long time ago, a good friend shared a great technique for dealing with irritating people, and it really works.
When someone acts like an idiot, she says, "Oh, it must be their first day..." My husband and I have utilized this over the years, and the chilled-out attitude makes us laugh instead of getting pissed.
The joke might even be on one of your closest friends, who happens to be having a rough day. Maybe she just needs to borrow one of Monopoly's "Get out of Jail Free" cards because she's struggling today. Give a little grace by laughing with her instead of holding a grudge over her.
Raising kids is an obvious source of laughter as well, from all the bizarre things they do on any given day. But family-life gets challenging, so that's where comical friends come in to play. Rely on them instead of going it alone. Rest your head down on their shoulder to shed some tears. And be real, so that they'll be real with you.
At a friend's party over the weekend, we sat around her kitchen table and shared stories while devouring incredibly tasty food. After most guests had left, the faithful six of us laughed so hard that tears flooded our faces.
Aside from the positive emotional effects of laughter, I also burnt some gym-equivalent calories that night from working my tummy and cheek muscles. And while I can't divulge the topic of the humor that night (totally top-secret material), I'm sure you have a few similar memories of your own to fill in the blanks.
Remember to call a good friend when life gets you down. Don't put it off; just send a quick text or email right now. Laugh therapy is what you need to get through this season's trials. Share some of your laugh-out-loud moments. We'd love to hear from you. :)
Labels: family, friends, kids, laughter, moms
