A friend sent me this via Facebook, and I wanted to share it with all of you because it’s funny and so true!
Tag: Love
Friday Chuckle!
Parenting, It’s not for Sissies
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’ve had a busy week of working and writing. I’ve started a new project, and we’ll see where it goes. But enough about that.
Today, I’d like to talk about dealing with your kid’s independence. This stage of parenting is not for sisses, and I seem to be struggling with this one a little bit. I loved being their mom and planning their playdates and watching them learn and grow. Now, they want their independence as well as my approval, and I’m walking the thin line between being a helicopter parent and allowing them to make their own decisions.
Part of me is excited. They’re on their way. I’ve done the hard part. I kept them alive to this point where they’re almost ready to fly. But I still worry. Did I prepare them enough? Did I help them enough with their critical thinking so they’ll make good decisions? Did I prepare them for the big bad world out there?
I won’t know until they’re in a crisis situation. That’s the hard part about parenting. We can try to prepare our kids for life and hope when they have a difficult decision to make, they’ll have the wherewithal to make it, but we won’t know until they’re in the situation.
I can only hope I’ve prepared them enough. I have to let them make their own mistakes and learn from them too. That’s the part I’m going to have a hard time with. How am I going to help them get over a broken heart? What if they get involved with someone who isn’t healthy and has bad relationship skills? This is the part that keeps me awake at night.
I hope I’ve shown them enough love, so if they get involved with an unhealthy individual they know enough to get out.
I hope they’re not afraid to stand up for themselves and stand up for what’s right. I hope they know I’ll always love them even as I’m letting them go.
Sob. I guess all we can really do is teach and hope they’ve learned the lessons we tried to teach. And pray. Lots of prayers. Parenting, it’s not for sissies. How are you getting through this stage, or how did you get through it? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!
Wednesday Wisdom
I saw this on Facebook this morning and it resonated with me, so I thought I’d share it with all of you. Have a great day, everyone!
Parenting, it’s not for Sissies
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. Christmas is almost here. I’m excited for the holidays and I hope you are, too. It seems like each year they go by faster and faster. I want it all to slow down so I can savor it. My boys are growing up too fast, I want to rewind back to when they were smaller and still believed in Santa. Those years were definitely magical years, don’t you think?
I’m so thankful for them. I was so worried about being a good mother before they were born. I read all kinds of books because I wanted to do the best job I could. I stayed home with them instead of working. I made them my top priority and I still feel I could’ve done a better job.
Photo credit: Alexandru Ilie2012 on Foter.com / CC BY-SA
Parenting is hard because you can’t erase your mistake and try again. There are no do-overs in parenting, unfortunately. So, you do your best to get it right the first time and ask for forgiveness from your kids when you mess up. Let’s face it we’re all human and your kids know that, too. They’ll forgive you if you own up to your mistakes.
Photo credit: Nicholas Erwin on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
The best we can do is to make sure they know they’re loved unconditionally. If we succeed at that one thing, we’ll have set a solid foundation for their future. When our kids are dealing with behavioral issues in school, or anxiety, or they’re withdrawing from friends and family that’s a sign they need more attention and love. Something that seems to be in short supply in our frazzled world today.
Photo on Foter.com
It seems like we’re so busy trying to give them everything we forget they really need our time and attention the most. Something I have to remind myself of daily especially when I’m worried that I’m not giving them enough things. It’s a fine line between providing for them and being available to them. I’m sure every parent struggles with this. Especially when they’re growing and testing their independence during the teen years.
Photo credit: nattu on Foter.com / CC BY
The best we can do is keep the lines of communication open and help them navigate the choppy waters of adolescence. It’s so hard during the teen years when they need space to test their wings, but they also need to know you’re there, and you support them.
Parenting. It’s a tough job. It’s not for sissies.
Thanks for stopping by and reading my post. Do you have any insight on navigating the teen years? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!
Show me the Love
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. My prayers have been answered and I have a snow day today! So I’m going to be writing, editing, making bean soup and running. Ugh on the running part, but it’s a necessary chore if I want to stay healthy. Right? 🙂
Photo on VisualHunt
Anyway, today I’d like to talk about how people show love. This post was inspired by my friend Christine and her blog post, “What love looks like when you are Sick.” Here’s the link: https://imsickandsoareyou.com/2018/02/09/what-love-looks-like-when-youre-sick/
Photo on Visual hunt
It’s a touching post and it got me thinking about the ways people in our lives show their love, and the fact that there are so many different kinds of love in the world. I don’t know about you, but I think it is truly amazing that the kind of love we need appears just when we need it. Have you ever noticed that?
There’s the love of a mother for her sons. The love of a father for his daughters. The love of a husband for his wife and vice versa. The love of a brother for his sister and of a sister for her brother. The love of one cancer survivor to another.
That camaraderie you can only have by going through something together or through a similar situation. I love the woman who helped me deal with my chemo. She was there as a calming voice in the swirling vortex of my anxiety when my fingers and toes began to go numb from the medication I was given. She understood my fear. The fear that my fingers would stay numb and I wouldn’t be able to type any more. That’s love folks. Love of a survivor holding the hand of someone who wants to survive.
Photo on Visual Hunt
There’s also the love of my sons for me. They were bright lights in my dark world at that time. I remember my oldest calming my fears when my anxiety had ramped up and I didn’t want to do chemo any more. I’d lost my hair and twenty pounds. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Mom. You only have two months left.”
Photo credit: Nick Fuentes on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-SA
He was so calm and reasonable and that’s when I knew I could do it. I never thought I’d be turning to my son for emotional support like that. It was an incredible moment.
Now that I’m better, we don’t talk about those days. Instead my kids show me love by stealing my blanket and still asking for bedtime stories even though they’re in the tween and teen years. Those moments are precious to me because I know they’ll soon be grown and off to conquer the world. I’ll hold onto those memories and they’ll sustain me when I miss them.
They say that people who live for experiences are happier than people who live for things and I believe that’s true. I wouldn’t trade my memories for all the money in the world.
What are your thoughts? How do the people in your life show you their love? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.
Astraea Press’ Valentine’s Day Short Story Anthology
Astraea Press Valentine’s Day Short Story Anthology
A challenge was made: write a short story of around 5000 words that incorporates love and diamonds. Using their varied talents and creativity, fifteen Astraea Press authors were up for the task.
These are their stories…
Sherry Gloag “Queen of Diamonds”
Will Sybil’s future be determined by diamonds?
Sherry Gloag writes to The Heart of Romance http://sherrygloagtheheartofromance.blogspot.co.uk/
Patricia Kiyono “Operation Rhombus”
Can a forgetful math teacher find the right formula for love?
Patty is a retired elementary teacher who likes to write about the places she’s visited. http://patriciakiyono.com
Heather Gray “Even When It Hurts”
Will he help her…even when it hurts?
Heather loves coffee, her family, God, and writing – not necessarily in that order. http://www.heathergraywriting.com
Kathy Bosman “The Engagement Ring”
Could the object of Rosalee’s pain bring hope and healing?
Kathy writes tender romance in Africa. http://www.kathybosman.com
Jennifer Rae Gravely “Love and Diamonds”
He struck out the first time.
Jennifer writes sweet Southern romance and coaches volleyball, her teams having won 5 state titles in South Carolina. www.facebook.com/JenniferRaeGravely
J. L. Salter “No Love, No Diamonds: The Story I Couldn’t Write”
Is that muscular man digging a mysterious hole next door just a distraction from Susan’s romantic story submission deadline, or could handsome Randy be her story?
Novelist; poet; retired librarian; veteran; former photo-journalist; husband; father; grandfather http://www.amazon.com/J.L.-Salter/e/B00D4F1YTE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1390835362&sr=1-1
Amy Mullen “The Flood”
Sparks fly as the water rises.
Amy Mullen dreams of castles, knights, and interesting ladies – and the writes stories about them. www.authoramymullen.com
Vivian Roycroft “Treasure Hunt”
Men don’t do romance worth a hoot. Women don’t do adventure…, that is, not until challenged.
Vivian Roycroft is a pseudonym for historical fiction and adventure writer J. Gunnar Grey. And if she’s not careful, her pseudonymous pseudonym will have its own pseudonym soon, too. http://taketwoonromance.weebly.com/vivians-blog.html
Liz Botts “Delusions of Love”
Love can make you crazy.
Liz writes YA and adult contemporary romance while homeschooling her three kids in Northern Illinois. www.lizbotts.com
Zanna Mackenzie “One Of These Days”
Is losing something precious about to turn Megan’s world upside down?
Zanna writes contemporary, escapist romance, designed to make you smile. www.zannamackenzie.blogspot.co.uk
E.A. West “The Heart of Africa”
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend… unless they’re bloody.
E.A. West is an author providing journeys of hope, one story at a time. http://eawest.mcphitty.com
Brenda Maxfield “Meet Me in the Copy Room”
Beware when your ex returns to charm you!
Brenda Maxfield writes smart and sassy teen reads. http://www.brendamaxfield.com
Kelly Martin “The Best Catch”
One man. His Boat. And the woman of his dreams.
Kelly Martin writes dark inspirational YA fiction. https://www.facebook.com/KellyMartinAuthor
Kristine Cheney “Facets of the Heart”
A Jewel Heist had Never Gone So…Right
Kristine Cheney is a best-selling author of contemporary & inspirational romance www.kristinecheney.com
Nicole Zoltack “All for Love”
Can revenge ever bring back your love?
Nicole Zoltack writes speculative romances for young adults to adults. http://www.facebook.com/AuthorNicoleZoltack
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00I9MR450
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-and-diamonds-astraea-press-authors/1118588769?ean=2940148209317
Astraea Press: http://astraeapress.com/#!/~/product/category=662245&id=33538033
