Lessons

What a day! Dalton ran a fever again today. I felt bad having to go back to work. It is very hard sometimes to be a mother and work outside the home. You are always being pulled in multiple directions.


Since I have such a long drive home, I do get to do some thinking along the way. Here is my parenting thought of the day:



One lesson I hope I am able to teach my children is one that I view as one of the most important in life. That is the lesson of acceptance and forgiveness. In my life I have people—co-workers, family, people I meet—who seem to latch on to the shortcomings in each of us. No one is perfect (except for Jesus). We have to learn to accept this about life. For each person we meet, we can find a reason not to like them. Seriously. We can build them up in our mind or tear them down. It is even harder when you love someone, a child, a family member. You want the best for them. You want them to be with people who love them, treat them well. Sometimes whether you want to admit or not, you would love for their spouses, their friends, their acquaintances, anyone in their life to be perfect. But they are never going to be. How many times do we hold people to higher standards than we even hold for ourselves (have you ever been mad at someone for telling a lie, for not doing what you thought was right…when we ourselves have at one time or another told a lie or done something wrong?). I want to teach my children this. If each person could learn to be more accepting, more loving, WOW, what a different world. Whenever I deal with someone, I also try to think "Am I treating them the way I want them to treat me or treat someone I love?" We should all ask ourselves "How would I feel if someone treated my child or my loved one the way I am treating them right now?" Might make you stop in your tracks...A saying that I love says something along the lines of "Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." Whenever you talk to someone remember you have been given a gift in that moment of time, you should choose to use it wisely. Cheer people up, treat them kindly, actions and words can make a difference.