Search Results for: blog no room for self pity

Empathy, Sympathy or Pity?

Empathy in parenting, friendship, and life is important—it allows us to connect with other people and have rich and valuable relationships. Not only can we share our empathy with others, but we also need to feel it come in our direction. Sympathy is another one of those emotions of understanding that can be shared. Where we can get into trouble, however, is when empathy and sympathy become pity… I don’t know about you, but I do NOT want people to feel sorry for me and I know that when I find myself feeling sorry for other people, whether it is … Continue reading →

No Room for Self-Pity

Now, those of you who read my blogs regularly have probably guessed that I am not a tough, stern, no-nonsense sort of person—especially as a parent. No, I am much more of the sort of person who tends to use humor as much as I can and pick my battles carefully. That said, I am also someone who doesn’t leave a lot of room for self-pity in my life or my family. It might seem like a bit of a paradox that I can be relatively easy-going in so many areas, but pretty intolerant of self-pity and feeling sorry for … Continue reading →

Changing Moods

Your face can give you away. Sometimes I watch people while Mick and I are shopping or driving and some people constantly wear a sour look – they go about glaring at the world. It doesn’t make them easy to relate to but tends to turn people away. I admit sometimes for no apparent reason I am not in a good mood. I just feel down. Things go wrong and suddenly that bad mood escalates. At that point I have a choice. I can continue in that mood. Or I can try and look at the positives in my life, … Continue reading →

Feelings of Inadequacy

I imagine that all of us wrestle with feelings of inadequacy at one time or another and it is not just us single parents who fight the battle. Still, as single parents, it can often feel like we are climbing up that steep hill with a big rock on our backs and not doing a very good job of it to boot. Where can we go with feelings inadequacy and what can be done to stop them? Personally, I have found that when I succumb to those feelings of inadequacy, I tend to be focusing on external things to define … Continue reading →

“I Don’t Have That Much Power”

To small children, we parents can seem pretty all-powerful. Even to older children, if we’ve done our job right of setting an example and providing a consistent and kind authority figure for our kids, they will likely think we have far more power and control over the world than we do. I think it helps to periodically remind them that we really DON’T have that much power and let them know what we parents can and cannot control. I never saw my parents as invincible, but I know that my children have a tendency to assume that I have more … Continue reading →

Birthdays: Who Should be There?

Every single parenting situation is different. In my case, my son’s father and his family are not involved in Jonathan’s life at all. They have never even seen Jonathan with the exception of his aunt, who accidentally stopped by to visit my brother at his house when we were there. When she realized we were there, she quickly left again. In our case at this time, it’s easy to decide who should be there. Because every situation is different though, this isn’t the case for everyone. I think first and foremost, because it is the child’s day, the child should … Continue reading →

Reading Between The Lines

My best friend called me from Hawaii last night and before we hung up she asked me what I thought about Paris Hilton’s appearance on CNN. I told her to read my blog. (Just kidding.) Actually, our discussion focused more about how much the 26-year-old millionairess went on about how “rough” she had it behind bars. According to the socialite, prison food stunk, she was traumatized by the fact she couldn’t hug her family members because of that darn glass partition, and she was sooooo cold it was almost unbearable. My friend’s take on Hilton’s situation went something like this: … Continue reading →

Wives Who Work From Home – Bringing Home the Bacon

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A couple of days ago, we talked about the fact that yes honey, I do have a job and we heard from wives who are facing this same problem with their husbands. One reader asked the question of how do you communicate this message to them. I gave a response in the comments section, but I thought it deserved a little more discussion here. Bringing Home the Bacon When we as wives, work from home, we do so for a variety of reasons. For myself, personally, it has to do with the fact that I want to be here for … Continue reading →

Michael J. Fox vs. Rush Limbaugh

A few days ago I wrote about Michael J. Fox’s appearances in a slew of 30-second TV ads (airing on television and on the Internet) for five Democrats who support stem cell research. Many called the ads controversial, not because of the commercials’ subject matter, but because the subject speaking—Fox—is shown shaking and rocking as he directly addresses the camera, the effects of his disease clearly apparent. Shortly after the ads were aired commentator Rush Limbaugh claimed Fox was “either off his medication or acting” during the ad. In the days that followed Fox remained mum about Limbaugh’s comments, but … Continue reading →

Encourage Your Teen (or Pre-Teen) to be a Peer Tutor!

Do you have (or know) a fabulous teen? The kind of kid who sets an example for others, who is genuinely good-natured, hard-working, and just…well, terrific? I urge you to encourage him or her to be a peer tutor. What is a peer tutor? Peer tutoring is a marvelous program where students who do not have disabilities lend a helping hand to those who do. Most schools that mainstream special education students provide this opportunity. Peer tutors act as assistants, helping disabled students get to their classes, follow class instruction, and stay on task. They “model” appropriate behaviors, like sitting … Continue reading →