Hamilton: 6, Mom: 0
Today Hamilton and I played a super fun game called, “I’m going to puke on you the most!” As you see from the headline Hamilton is WAY ahead in this game which gives me great hope for his ability in the future. Oddly enough throughout this day of spit up, I pondered the fact of how many times we “spit up” or get “spit up” on? Of course not in the same dynamic as my experience today but with our words, or the way we express our words. If you know me at all you know I have no problem talking, and often times sharing more than necessary. When you talk a lot, you “spit up” a lot, so I would consider myself pretty knowledgeable in this area. 🙂 My dad used to always tell us, it’s not what you say it’s HOW you say it. Or we have all heard the saying “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I am super guilty of this especially when talking to my kids or husband, something that was never intended to be hurtful came out snappy or harsh normally because I am tired, busy, or frustrated by a previous situation. Growing up my sister and I were in pageants and the interview process was one that I felt comfortable in because I knew if I turned on my southern charm I could win them over but if I let my mouth lead before my brain then I could turn them off. Which leads me to the my Daddy’s all time favorite saying “Think before you speak!” Now to teach my kids that, that is the real test. Consistently managing all the different personalities in our home and the various reactions they each have to situations can be exhausting. We have the 18 year old that is quite frankly the smartest person in the house these days, haha, the strong willed, the perfectionist with a huge heart, the free spirit with a tender heart and the sensitive comedian. Each one needs a different parenting style, each one has to be talked to in a different tone and manner, and each one has a different dynamic they face each day with outside friends and their words. I am in an interview every day starting at 3 PM when the first group begins to walk through our door. As they explain their day, my reaction, my words and me keeping my mouth shut and listening to them all influence how they react to their day and the circumstances around it. If my daughter walks in and says school was horrible because someone didn’t like her hair, my initial reaction is one of anger at the kid who picked on her, my THINK reaction is one of compassion for the kid who felt it necessary to insult her friend. I can make or break how my daughter is affected by that interaction. If my son gets off the bus and the kid next to him picked on him about his clothes, sure I could call the school and demand he not sit next to that kid anymore but the reality is our kids have to learn to cope with negative people. If we don’t begin to teach them at a young age how to cope, then when they are “spit on” they will crumble and I believe it is of the upmost importance to make sure our kids know how valuable they are no matter what someone says or does. It is also important for them to know they can’t and won’t ever be able to control what comes our of anyones mouth but their own. So in our home Hamilton is winning the “spit up” game and I am reminded that we need to remember to THINK before we speak! After beginning to write this blog I talked with a dear friend who was explaining pinterest to me. During the course of our conversation she told me of a saying she thought I should paint. Now I haven’t had time to do that but I will so I can hang it in our house to help us all remember to THINK! Click on this link to see how perfect this is. I will share my version as soon as it’s complete.
