I Noticed

Raising kids is exhausting! Kids are fun and if they are not, you are doing it wrong. Not 100% truth, just my view point. They will wear you down, quicker then you can wear them down. I like allowing kids to be kids. There are times to be the jailer and have the stern voice and commanding eyes, but be sure to have fun. Get to know your child, really talk to them. We used to go for walks or drives and talk, sometimes you have to fit it in between sibling fights and a nap! If you just listen they have a lot to say, and be sure to ask why. Age of course matters, but the little ones can tell a story or talk about a family member for sure. They love to talk about Grammie or their cousins. They can tell you all about their favourite store or the best treat. At school they talk about what makes mom mad, how many video games they played and why their brother or sister is a pest!

I always ask what was the best thing about the week end? My grands used to come over and tell me about all the ways they had been wronged by friends. I always ask for the good, there is enough bad to last a lifetime and it is probably a good enough time to teach them to focus on good things in their lives. My kids are grown and love when I hear from them and it is happiness I hear. I was out once with my husband and a large group. One person had a whole lot of drama they were living with, it was almost over share. Finally a mutual friend that may have had a few wobbly pops blurted out, “don’t you have any nice stories?” Really though? It is true, tales of woe can start to fill all the spaces in a conversation, and when I started paying attention to my own conversations, I did it too. I would start conversations with some sad headline I had heard, and it was my youngest at home, that pointed it out. Hubby and I would see each other after our work days and start into to icky parts of our day, no wonder kids do it!

Joyful journaling or uplifting conversations for everyone! That is what we need! It is easy to wallow, observe for a bit, yourself, family members, gathering with friends. You are not horrible if you find you do it. You don’t have to change if you don’t want to. Those low and sad things, rest heavy on this empathetic heart, it stays with me longer than I need them to. Don’t get me wrong, I still rant, I girl grump, but I try to catch it. I got a happiness list book and if I were Oprah, everyone would get one! Could you imagine being surrounded by positivity or even increasing it by ten percent. Can you imagine surrounding our families in positivity? Just notice, listen to those around you, it helps if you know what you are regularly exposed to, your environment could be poisonous to your peace!