I find myself saying the same things to my kids over and over. Mostly things like, 'I know you can put that shoe on all by yourself", or "please throw that in the garbage" - but also little words of encouragement.
And as I do that, I remember the few things that my parents said all the time that really stuck with me.
I wasn't the 'cool' kid in school, but I was successful - both in sports and academics. And sometimes, I'd get teased for it. (I wouldn't say bullied, nothing awful). No matter the situation, my mom would answer with 'It's because they are jealous" and then would reinforce what it was they were jealous of (I was smarter, faster, had better hair, lol). Looking back, who knows if she was right, but it made me feel so much better to think that way and gave me great self-confidence.
My dad had two favorites - the first was - Tomorrow will be different. When I was sad about something, and in the midst of teenage angst, he would always tell me that "Tomorrow will be different. I can't guarantee you different better, but I can guarantee you that things will change". And he was right. When I got dumped by my first boyfriend, I was devastated. But he reminded me that things would be different the next day, and they were.
And the second was - always give success a chance to happen. Awesome advice, and I find myself saying that at least once a week. I would mention I wanted to try something, and then tell dad I didn't think it would work out. He would turn to me and say "You'll never know if you don't give success a chance to happen.".
What stuff do you find yourself repeating to your kids? Or what do you remember from your childhood?
1 comment:
My childhood was filled with so much upheaval and uncertainty, I don't have many good memories. But I do remember that for a while, my dad and I would go for long bike rides every Saturday morning when the weather was nice. And I remember staying up late with my mom on Friday nights, watching Love Boat and Fantasy Island and eating pizza. This was after my parents split. So there were some good things amidst the chaos.
The only thing that I repeat to my daughter that my dad said to me is food-related. I was a picky eater, and my dad would always say, "You don't have to like everything, but you do have to try."
I frequently got mad at my mom for enforcing the rules when I was a child, and now, my daughter is very much the same. My mom would always say to me- and now I say it to my daughter- "You can be mad. Just go do it in the other room!"
Love this post- it's bringing back some funny memories!
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