I’m a parent of eight children. They are ‘stuck’ with me, just as I am ‘stuck’ with them. However, it wasn’t until my second adopted child was a teenager that the term ‘stuck with us’ became a family expression. Since we are stuck together during those formative years, it’s important to understand how much influence we have as parents and the best ways to use it. How we raise our children will have a far-reaching impact—farther than anything else we do in our lives. It’s not just about our interaction with our children. It’s how they interact with those around them. How they pick a spouse. How they raise their children. How their children interact with those around them. How they pick a spouse, raise their children….and on and on it goes. Our positive (or negative) influence in their lives potentially lives on for generations and generations.
My mom set a great example for me when I was young. She broke the cycle of abuse in her family. It probably would have been easier for her to continue along in the patterns of abuse. Change is hard. Especially change that involves issues of self-worth. But my mom didn’t choose the easy way out. She chose a higher ground. She proved to me that change is possible.
Because of my mom’s bravery, she and my dad were able to raise my brother and me in a positive atmosphere. We knew they loved us and we never questioned that we ‘belonged’. Yes, we, too, were stuck with our parents and they were stuck with us. Fortunately for us, this sticky relationship developed many good characteristics in our lives and gave us a strong foundation for when we began raising children of our own.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, I’ve become my mother, after all.
Mon, Nov 9, 2009
Kids Self-Esteem, Parenting