Who doesn’t crave a good pizza now and then (especially when you are worn out and want someone else to cook)? I admit the following was not written by me. Someone else emailed it to me, and I don’t know the original author, but since it made me laugh, I’m sharing it with you! Ordering…
Darling Daughter: I just want to make sure that you and Daddy were aware that most likely I’m going to relocate to California after I graduate law school.
My inbox is loaded with so many messages with the word “Thankful” in the subject line that I mentally brush them off. I get that it’s important to jump on the bandwagon during the season of buying, but it gets a little redundant.
That’s why I took note of an email entitled “I appreciate YOU!” It stood out from the crowd, but more importantly, it sent me right down Memory Lane and made me laugh aloud. Here’s why.
I can’t complain about my entitled cherub. After all, I helped raise her. Plus, it showed me first hand how the nifty tracking feature on my cell phone works. The Cherub could actually tell which store I was in. But, it raises a question…
When I was a teacher, there were two ways to end the class:
Teach until the bell rang, and have the kids scramble to get to their next class in 3 minutes; or
Stop a minute early and let them get ready to leave.
I was known to do both, depending on what I was teaching. But, on the days when we had a minute to spare, my students were charged with making me laugh. A good joke, especially a science joke, was their ticket out of my room before the bell. (That was actually frowned upon, but the kids never went too far because they were listening to the others jokes.)
But there were rules. (Of course there were rules. We were in school.) No profanity. Nothing derogatory, sexist, racists, blond-ist, etc. Here’s a few I jotted down in case I ever needed them.
On her ninth birthday, she announced, “Now that I’m almost a teenager—”
“Hold it!” I had to stop her right there. “You are not almost a teenager. I will tell you when you are almost a teenager.”
“But Mom…
My friend Bill and his wife were both showing horses in a Texas competition, one of their many friendly rivalries. Although Bill had one of the best performances of his career, to his surprise he failed to place even in the top ten. His wife, on the other hand, was named champion after what he…
I had kinda pictured this moment of intimacy differently. In the movies, pivotal moments such as The First Kiss Moment usually involved some sort of touching; you know, a cuddle, an arm draped over my shoulder, or at least hand-holding. They hardly ever involved scowling over folded arms.
Having trouble with English? Of course you are. English is one convoluted confusing language, unlike the blissfully simplistic realm of Science. As a Wordsmith, and not as a Science cruncher, let me share 10 Mistakes To Avoid In English. Flammable, Inflammable, and Unflammable mean the same thing: Burnable. (Okay, Unflammable is not a real word,…
Officer Mandel wasn’t terribly excited about my plan to go sit under the biggest tree this side of the Mississippi (some silliness about trying to run in flip-flops across three lanes in the middle of rush hour traffic, and leaving behind my AC). The officer sat behind me, flashing lights providing a buffer against the traffic that had been previously zooming around the curve.
I just got slashed by a talon while trying to rescue an animal. It just goes to show, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. OK, yes, the talon belong to a turtle…Correction…A tortoise (I just looked up the difference between a turtle and a tortoise). But he was a really BIG TORTOISE, probably a foot in diameter. He was…
But don’t stop there! Find ways to increase your activity at home. I asked the very creative members of CTRWA what they could do at their homes to increase their daily activity. Here’s some of what they came up with:
B.S., M.Ed. in Supervision, W.I.T.S. Personal Trainer. Yes, I know my stuff! Throughout our coaching time, you’ll develop the tools and confidence to take action. My coaching will empower you to become the person you want to be.
I don’t follow a template, or ‘one size fits all’ approach. You are unique, and your coaching should be, too. We start where you are, and we work towards your goals.
When I was a teacher, upset parents and defensive kids came to see me for conferences about the students’ behavior or academics. My superpower was bridging the gap between them so they could begin to relate again.
At the time, I thought everyone could do it. Now, I realize that it’s a specific skill set, built upon years and years of conversation and compromise. It didn’t have a name back then, but today we call it Parent Coaching.
I thought teaching would prepare me for parenthood, but when I first saw that urine soaked stick change, dread filled me. What did I know about being a mommy? What if I screwed up my baby’s life?
I was the teacher of tweens and teens, not the mommy of babies!
I kept my fears to myself, so I didn’t have anyone to challenge my notions. Instead, anxiety clouded her toddler years for me. Then, I proceeded to fret away her single-digit years, so I’ve been where you are. Yes, as an experienced teacher of tweens and teens, I was panicked over being the mother of a baby! (Thank goodness she learned to talk.)
At the time, I didn’t understand the power of building a Support System, of reaching out for help, of overcoming the isolation of motherhood… although I provided that support to hundreds of families through thousands of conferences and phone calls.
Then, one day, she turned nine. That was the day she blew out her birthday candles, and announced, “Mommy, now that I’m almost a teenager–“
“Whoa! Hold on there.” I leaned back as my husband and I grinned at each other. “You’re not almost a teenager. We’ll tell you when you’re almost a teenager, and this isn’t it!
Surprisingly, I wasn’t shaken. True, she was ready for my expertise a bit earlier than expected, but forewarned is forearmed. And, boy, was I ready. My years of teaching had prepared me well.
Did we have conflicts? Of course, we did. Did I question my sanity on occasion? Or, hers? Absolutely! Every Mom does.
But, at that point, after 15+ years of successfully working with parent and teen relationships, I had more tools and strategies at my disposal than the average mom.
Today, through coaching, my clients get:
Schedule a free Clarity Consult with me today. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
