Thursday, August 27, 2009

Thankful Anyway Thursday


The wonderfully insightful Mon, over at Holistic Mama, invites us to participate in Thankful Anyway Thursday. Mon reminds us that it is easy to be thankful for the good stuff, but can we be thankful for the not so good?

If I knew how much of parenting would be "refereeing", I would have invested in a black and white striped wardrobe. I'm called upon to be a referee way too many times in a day. School is next week so I should be able to hang up my whistle for at least part of the day. Following Mon's lead, I will try to take a positive spin on my daily referee duties.
  • Hopefully, my kids are learning about compromise and negotiation. I have 12 basketballs and they all fight for the same one.

  • My kids will learn how to argue a point and turn out to be all star debaters. They just need to cut down on the finger pointing and habitual whining to succeed in that role.

  • My kids will admire their mother's ability to bring harmony and order to their playtime. Mom, did you see that? Mom, you always take HIS side! Mom, you don't know what we're talking about! You know how I just love these comebacks :)
Life with children, always enlightening, never boring and often thoroughly exhausting.

15 comments:

Aleta said...

I like this post a lot. It is helpful to see the positive side even in negative situations. You did a great job!

Warren Baldwin said...

Years from know your kids will get a kick out of this post! They'll really appreciate it when they have kids of their own!

Unknown said...

I love the idea of being thankful anyway. I may have to try it myself.

It is so easy to get bogged down by what is not going the way we want (I am the world's largest culprit of this)... love it!

Unknown said...

lol, funny. I relate to the 12 balls but all wanting the same one. All the toddlers want the same toy car, same ball, same teddy... lol
Good turn around.

Anonymous said...

This is a great idea, a great post! I agree with your last line. I loved how you turned it around to reflect positive outcomes. I had to chuckle.

Sara said...

I liked this post. Take it from me with two grown daughters, that living with kids is a reflection of both positive and negative.

The very things that drive absolutely insane will later in life become the stories that we are so thankful to remember"~)

T Rex Mom said...

Your last sentence summed it up perfectly!

Nina said...

Wonder what they'd do if you said, Time Out, I have to go review the instant replay.. :-D We made it through OK... now our parents... well... they may have a different take on it.. You could pretend it's hockey and give everyone a 3 min off ice... or whatever it is... Good Luck and I'm sure your doing a Fantastic Job!! Love and Light, Nina P.

lislynn said...

They will eventually stop fighting and be best friends. i can pretty much guarantee it. My siblings and I fought like cats and dogs, well into our teen years. But now we're married and have kids and we're all very close :)

Don said...

I'm thankful that my biggest problem isn't that big.

I enjoyed your post. You're not just being a referee, you're modeling justice, moral reasoning, co-operation, and more.

"Mom" is still the most important job title in the world... as far as I'm concerned. ("Dad" is right up there too.)

Kringle said...

what a beautiful post!

Hyacynth said...

"Life with children, always enlightening, never boring and often thoroughly exhausting." Amen to that!!

kisatrtle said...

so true...so true. I feel exhausted right now and mine are in school.

I'm thankful that good friends like you visit my blog regularly.

2Shaye ♪♫ said...

Boy you hit the nail on the head. There's so much to teach (and learn!) in all the daily processes!

~2Shaye

Gerri said...

What a positive view on parenting! It is not easy and I seem to stumble through it sometimes myself. My issue comes into play when Noah thinks I am his sibling not his MOM! lol

Blessings on your wellness quest. I still go for food impulsively every now and again. I have made some changes though, instead of candy bars, I reach for steamed edamame. Instead of the Doritos, I grab a handful of cashews, almonds, and dried cranberries. I tell myself, "baby steps, Gerri, baby steps"...peace :)