I have been gone a long time....so that might give you a hint if you have followed me before....that something big has happened in my life. In this case, back on February 21...my daughter brought great joy to my life in the tiny delightful bundle of a new baby girl. You may know that it is difficult for me to write about a new grandchild. They are just so unspeakably PRECIOUS and I just don't want to jinx anything.
Which brings me to my actual topic: ( I just know that if anyone reads this, one must be thinking: Gee, I thought her topic was her new granddaughter...but you would be wrong..I'm saving that until later.) So anyway, it's about what a great Mommy my daughter has turned out to be.
Maybe some of you who are new-ish grandmas can relate. I mean for sure I THOUGHT I was pretty awesome. I had great children, a fun and happy life. You know, I breast fed and everything, people!!!!...which back in the mid-eighties was the pinnacle of motherhood. Some of you may relate to this, but Motherhood changes.
Back in the eighties, our super-duper advisers, our doctors, and our mothers told us to lay our babies on their tummies. (YOU KNOW WHY.....I had nightmares about it)
I don't think I gave even rice cereal to my first child for 10 or 11 months. Or maybe one year. I know it was a long, long time.
But my daughter had her own ideas about mothering. And to my great surprise, she was not always excited about me sharing my vast knowledge. This has been a BIG learning curve for me.
One of the things that I most admire her for is that there is one word that she does not allow in her home. Probably really way more than one, but today we are talking about a certain one. I so wish that I had enough wisdom to have outlaws this word in my home.
The word is "f.a.t.". My daughter doesn't use it, and won't let anyone else use it. She talks about "healthy" and "nutritious" and such wonderful words as that. She said it took her awhile when she made this rule, because she would find herself wanting to say negative things about herself. It was a tough habit to break. She wisely realize that this word (the new f word) would probably had a negative effect on her little girls' self image...she she just MADE A RULE. She is a young woman who loves a rule!!
This is a challenge.....can you go a day without criticizing yourself out loud? You know what I mean.....I'm forgetful, I'm fat, I'm so slow, etc.....I don't know what you say to yourself or out loud, but I do know what I have a tendency to say.
So I challenge myself....and you to integrate this positive new habit. Let's don't speak negatively about ourselves. Out loud or to ourselves. Can you imagine how your life would change if you didn't put yourself in those same boxes each day?
Can you imagine how those comments affect those who hang on our every word? Who model their lives after us?
Let's join hands----right now-----and promise to be sweet to ourselves....(was that a little dramatic?)
You'll hear more about these new mothering techniques.....because I am in constant amazement of the ideas my daughter comes up with!!
Until then....be blessed...
Much love,
Boo
