Super Mom

Just call me Super Mom.  I totally earned the title this weekend.  The boys and I bought a rubber band bracelet loom and made enough bracelets to cut off the circulation of 100 small children or 1 large elephant, we attended a birthday party at The Little Gym, we had a dinner date with the BFF, we made Christmas cookies, we attended a night in Bethleham, we shopped for and made goodie bags for the boys classes and SO MUCH MORE.

This is a shout out to all of you moms (and dads):

• Spending countless hours and dollars creating the perfect Christmas for your kids
• Bravely lunging across the room with a shoe to kill the spider threatening your family
• Coming up with the most creative Elf on the Shelf locations
• Packing the most edible lunches for school
• Creating an awesome advent calendar
• Planning amazing birthday parties
• Sitting on the front row of the Christmas sing-a-long
• Wrestling in the living room
• Instilling confidence in your children
• Chaufering your children to and from all of there many extracurricular activities.

Obviously this was a random, very random, sampling of what you do.  But the most important thing is just to be present and be you.

If you are still reading this – my guess is you are a great parent.  I am in awe of you every single day for the time/energy/love you put into the lives of your children.  I hope, and in most circumstances believe, that what you put in will be a reflection of what comes out.  Give yourself a pat on the back and remind yourself that there is no one more important than you to your children.  Your role makes a difference, some would say it makes all the difference.  Here’s to all of you Super Moms and Super Dads in the world!  

XOXO,

Megan

No One is Born Racist!

I started this post several weeks ago, but I did not finish it.  In honor of Nelson Mandela, in honor of the season I think this piece is timely.

No one is born racist, homophobic, liberal, conservative or full of hate.  Each and every one of us is a blank slate.  However our beliefs are quickly influenced by the people around us, specifically the people closest to us.

 

Some of the most sad, frustrating and infuriating experiences for me are seeing the beautiful, open and loving minds of children being taught to hate.  The hate being taught is not a gift – it is a burden.  These children are not being saved from future hurt by some faceless “bad person”, they are simply learning that entire groups of people are bad and should be categorized as such.  Children’s worlds are narrowed with the thoughts that certain people are innately bad or good, based solely on the color or their skin, their sexual preference or their political or religious beliefs.

 

It is so important to teach our children to love.  They will be happier if they see the good in people.  They will be stronger if they can connect with people.  They will be healthier if they are full of love, not hate.

Be love.  Be kindness.  Be understanding.  Be compassionate.  Be generous.  Be thoughtful.  Be the person you hope your children to become.  That is the greatest gift you could possibly give them.

XOXO,

Megs

Children - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Today my post is about children.  I have lots of thoughts going through my head.  It’s likely this is going to take several different tangents.

Last night my 6 year old son, Dallas’, first tooth fell out.  We put it in a Ziploc bag and he wrote, “Dallasis 1^st Tooth.”  He was concerned the tooth fairy might not be able to find it under his pillow so he wanted to put it on the bookshelf.  (I’m not sure if he was actually worried she wouldn’t find it, or worried about her being right there under his pillow.)  Then he was worried she might run into the wood part of the bed and hurt herself.  After I assured him he was not in a position to question the tooth fairies ability to do her job, he finally put it under his pillow, but asked if he could sleep on my pillow with me (which he did).  A child’s sense of wonder, ability to live in the present and unharnessed excitement inspires me, humbles me and encourages me to make the most of this life for myself and others.

Today I had lunch with Dallas at school.  As I looked around the cafeteria full of first and second graders I saw a room buzzing with excitement, full of conversation, laughter, smiles, kids following the rules, eating healthy foods and loving life.  This made me think of the innate goodness of children.  When I think of their goodness, their naïve nature, their innocence, I also think of what it takes to help them successfully bridge the gap between childhood, adolescence, adulthood and parenthood.  What do I need to do to be the most rockin’ trail guide on the path of life?

I read an article today.  Warning – this is a terrible news story about the treatment of children.  Here’s the link - http://m.nydailynews.com/1.140154.  If you are like me you will hardly be able to comprehend what you just read and you will not stop thinking about it.  It reminds me how different all of our stories are; can you imagine being this girl in her adult life telling her story?  How does she get from where she is now to where she is destined to go?  Does she survive and thrive and go on to make the world a better place because of her own horrifying experiences?  Does she never overcome the mental and physical strain she has endured during her first 6 years of life?  None of us know the answer to these questions, but we do know she has started on a completely different playing field than we did or that our own children have.

My thoughts:

• Allow yourself to get lost in the magical world of a child
• Take parenting seriously and make it your first priority
• Help others less fortunate than yourself
• Remember that we all come from very different walks of life

Your thoughts?

XOXO,

Meg

Compassion

com·pas·sion

• Sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress with a desire to alleviate it

My son, Dallas, is in first grade.  He has an assignment to read 15 minutes every night and each night a new book comes home with him in a little bag.  They are familiar with the book, because they read it in class before they bring it home.  Last night he read a book about a lion and a rabbit.  In a nutshell, the lion had a rabbit that he was going to eat, but then he saw a deer and left the rabbit since the deer was bigger, the deer out ran the lion and when the lion returned to the rabbit it was gone.  As the lion ran after the deer I said “I hope that lion can’t catch that deer.”  Dallas responded, “Are you sure?  You might want the lion to catch the deer”.  I thought, oh no son, I’ve seen animal planet, I most definitely want that deer to win this race.  Well, Dallas turned to the last page which read, “And he had to stay hungry”.  Dallas looked at me with red rimmed eyes and said, “See, that almost makes me cry.”  My six year old son and his six year old emotions were able to feel compassion; the sight of it in those little eyes at that moment was incredible.

Compassion is a trait that promotes understanding, acceptance, harmony and altruism.  These are all characteristics I want to instill in my children.  What an impact it would have on the world if we all cared about others a little more.  If my son felt sympathy towards that lion in his story, think about the life lesson there, imagine in his day to day life the people he will come across that will be affected positively by his ability to feel compassion.

I’ve thought a lot about being a purposeful parent as opposed to just a parent.  Compassion is one of the sections in my “Purposeful Parent Handbook”.  (BTW – This doesn’t exist – but maybe I should create one for myself?!?)

Reading the list below inspired me to focus on compassion.  I hope that you can find a way to be compassionate today, and make note of how it makes the other person feel and in turn how that makes you feel.

From:  "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong"

The Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life

1. Learn About Compassion
2. Look at Your Own World
3. Compassion for Yourself 
4. Empathy
5. Mindfulness
6. Action
7. How Little We Know
8. How Should We Speak to One Another?
9. Concern for Everybody
10. Knowledge
11. Recognition
12. Love Your Enemies

XOXO,

Megan