Choices Have Conconsequences.
Can Mothers Learn From Their Children?
Probably the most important thing I've learned from my children is that yes, mothers can learn from their children.
I learned that I was a very good mother. Look at my daughters today and how they are mothering. I asked them "Why do you do this like that?" Their answer is always "I learned it from you Mom." All the girls learned to can and preserve food for winter use. They do many of the things I used to do.
The boys learned from their dad and me too. They are all good cooks and awesome BBQ chefs. They can all repair their own cars, to some extent at least, and they all provide well for their families.
All my children are upstanding citizens. They are either entrepreneurs having their own businesses or are teaching children and people through their expertise and writings. I realize that they learned a great deal of that from me. Things i taught by example and word.
You are your own worst critic
As a young girl, I was so negative about myself. My hair was terrible, I was ugly. My legs weren't like other girls. My legs were little spindles compared to those shapely legs of my friends. I had no idea that I was good-looking.
It wasn't until we moved close to two of my daughters that I began to realize how cute their children are. I realized how cute I must have been at that same age because some of them look just like me at that age. How did I get such a negative attitude about myself?
That same negativity carried over into my married life, and in earlier years I thought I was a terrible mother. I hated Mother's Day because people always got up in church and told what a perfect mother they had. I didn't even begin to measure up. The last place I wanted to be was sitting there listening to what an ideal mother everyone had. (which I was far from) And yet my children wanted me there, after all, they were singing "Mother, I love you" to me.
As decades have passed, and I have been able to observe life in other families (from a distance) I have been able to realize that things aren't so different in their family lives than in my own. We women often talk of similar experiences with raising our children. My self-image has changed and taken on a different vision of myself in my mind than I had thought in those earlier days
I began to realize that it was a choice to think positively or negatively about myself. I began to realize that I must have been a good mother, because look at the wonderful women and men I raised, I was able to see myself as a different person than I had thought previously. What a change that has made in my life.
Your choices determine what your life becomes. We can be happy or angry with each experience we encounter. And with that said, remember Choices have consequences.
This is my Mother's Day wish for all of us mothers. May we all choose to bring the spirit of positive thinking and bring about light and truth into our lives. Enjoy your weekend everyone!
Blessings,
Linda
Recent Comments
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Hey Linda low self-esteem can really knock the wind out of our sails. I have seen it cause mistrust, withdrawal, anxiety and an unwillingness to try new things. One of the biggest steps I have found is that you got to accept you for you and that you are good enough. That you need not beat yourself up because we all got chinks in our armour. Chanel your thoughts on being more positive, surround yourself with people that uplift you, try new things and celebrate your successes.
Hugh
Thanks for the advice, Hugh. You really nailed it when you said "low self-esteem can really knock the wind out of our sails." I have come to terms with myself, as you said, and I just say, "I did the best that I could with what I had to deal with."
Blessings,
Linda
I think we are all our own worst critic Linda.
We are aware of all the little internal criticisms about ourselves, we flood our brains with "should have done this or that or quicker or not at all"
And then we look at everybody else, serenely cruising through life. And we are completely unaware that they too are having the same self doubts and brain fighting.
They look at you and they think, oh they look nice and relaxed, no problems in their life.
We are all the same, we are all our own worst critic.
Positive thinking Linda, its the only way.
Have a great weekend my friend.
Bux
Hey Bux, Your comments are very much appreciated. Life for us was strange, but can you imagine having to live as a child today in this mixed-up world? Have a great weekend!
Linda
I think when we are younger, that we often think about ourselves negatively, but if we are one of the lucky ones, we begin to realize we are not that different from others, and we might as well see ourselves in a positive light. I feel sorry for people who never get out of that early negativity.
Thanks, Fran for your positive comment. I too feel sorry for those who let negativity rule their lives. They never know what happiness one can feel even in a mixed-up world.