In this day & age, just a teenie tiny, itty bitty, yellow polk a dot, drop of space & time in the grand scheme of things, there are many things that are changing. Things that are changing so fast they appear to be spinning out of control.
Human beings seem to be so “in control” that what they really need is some out of control.
Out of the control of every thought that comes through their mind. A mind that was programmed by this “thing” that is trying to make a toilet paper shortage a critical part of your daily thoughts.
One thing that keeps me busy all the time, is navigating this world full of way too many choices while raising a young child. I find it my utmost responsibility as a mother, to help my daughter navigate through all of these things with the best information I can fill her mind with. That way this “thing” has less say so over her well-being & happiness, then it did & still does over mine.
So after doing this job of being a Mom for 6 1/2 years so far, these are the things I find repeating on almost a daily basis…
1. Keep you elbow off the table… YES! This. Keep your elbows off the table is one of the most important things I teach my daughter on a daily basis – maybe 25 times a day? It’s not really the manners part of elbows on the table that bothers me. It’s the mood that I know comes with it. Thinking too much about things that don’t really matter & totally closing yourself off of anything else good that can happen at that moment. Totally unbalanced energy flow through your body. Weakening your neck muscles. When you are 6 that is way too much too explain. You can try to have it sink in their heads by repeating “get your elbows off the table”, over & over, day after day until people start to think there is something wrong with you. Or you can get desperate to get the information in & crack a wooden spoon on the table making a startling sound & hoping somehow this would imprint the importance of this in their lives. I remember how the threat of the wooden spoon chased me out of my Grandmother’s kitchen, even though she never touched me with it. Get your elbows off the table also represents having good alignment while you are eating so your digestive system can function & develop properly. It also makes you much more aware of what your are eating and how you are eating it.
2. This is usually followed by sit up straight or no slouching. Slouching is an offense your stuffed animals can go to jail for & the only way they let them out is if they promise to stand up straight. Besides the physical problems you will have when you get older, having bad posture makes your life much harder to live. You’re much more liable to be bullied & overlooked if you look down on yourself.
3. Be proud, hold your head up high, & believe in yourself.
4. Like what you like – it doesn’t matter if that’s not what other people like. Whoever put you on planet Earth put you here for a reason. You have your own blue prints that you came with & life helps you out when you have a little faith in them.
5. Say thank you to whoever helped you & always give them their credit. Also say thank you to the trees & plants when you pick them. This also includes anything you eat. Filling yourself with gratitude while you are eating makes it go down better.
6. Eat your vegetables. If it looks like toilet bowl cleaner it has blue dye in it & you shouldn’t drink it. If it isn’t the color of a berry or a fruit it’s also probably dye & should be avoided. There is such a thing as chemical food & you should eat the least of it you can. Sure you can have smores, ice cream, & cookies, that everyone else gets, let’s just get the version made with real food
7. Have one sugar a day – Sugar makes kids hyper. I watch the switch turn on right after consumption. Diabetes & heart disease is not something you want to have so that’s why we have one sugar a day. And then there’s Halloween & Easter when we don’t follow that rule & it’s really, fun.
8. Don’t watch commercials. Your brain is very new & is learning everything so fast. Look how you learned to fish or do karate so quickly.. You will also learn ridiculous information from the “thing if you watch them. They will try to take you away & turn you into a zombie kid.
9. Be nice, especially to the kid at school sitting by him/herself that doesn’t have any friends. They would need you to be their friend more than anyone else.
10. No one should throw trash on mother nature & we should try our best to help clean her up because she is the source of everything we are and have.
11. No TV on school nights. There is no need. They will find something to do and they need to go through this process of boredom to develop imagination. Constant amusement is not a good thing, nor is constant immediate gratification.
12. I’m sorry. I messed up. You’re right. I hope you will forgive me because I really wasn’t doing things with bad motives.
13. You can do anything you want if you work hard at it. Don’t give up on something that is important to you.
14. I love you & you are my best girl in the whole world.
15. Take a deep breath & find your center when your emotions go out of control. It will also help you find balance. Punch a punching bag or cry your heart out but don’t hold it in for no reason.
