Seeking the formula for parenting

Blogger Content: September 2006 - April 2010

Flexible Links

My Blogging Inspiration
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants

Flexible Affiliations


Parent Bloggers Network
- Crazy/Hip Blog-Mamas+
(Random Site)
A Member of Bust's Girl Wide Web
Parenting Blogs - Blog Top Sites
blog search directory
Search For Blogs, Submit Blogs, The Ultimate Blog Directory

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Passing Down Shoes

I think that women have a hard time saying what they like about themselves. We don't want to come off as sounding conceited or high on ourselves. In fact I would even go say far as to say that asking many woman what they like about themselves make them feel uncomfortable. In our society it's acceptable to make fun of ourselves and to list our faults, but it doesn't seem okay to articulate the qualities that we have that we love. I know it is quite a feet sometimes to think positively about myself.

It is therefore no surprise that when I look at my two sons, I can immediately think of several of my qualities that I do not want them to have. They range from acne in junior high to the way I sometimes feel like a heel when I struggle to manage stress; there's a lot of room for improvement. Yet, when I look at my husband, I can immediately start listing qualities that I hope my boys inherit from him. One thing he does that I love is that he shows a lot of soul in the way he treats everyone with consideration and respect. For example, he always inquires how cashiers, waiters, etc. are doing. If someone does a good job, not only does he compliment that person, but he also goes directly up to that person's manager and tells them how impressed he is by that particular employee. I hope my boys will be like that.

After dabbling my toes into the pool of positive reflection, I was able to think about some of the qualities that I do hope my boys inherit from me. First, I hope they inherit my love for animals. I also hope that they inherit my sense of humor, both because of the way I can have fun in almost any situation and the way that I can use humor to defuse the tension or stress of others (as well as myself). I hope that inherit my drive to get things done, but I have to say I hope they learn how to manage it better than I do. There's a fine line between letting nothing stand in your way, and being obsessive. Mostly though, I hope that they inherit my commitment to imagining what it is like to walk a mile in the shoes of others. I try to be an open-minded, socially responsible person, and I hope my sons will live that way as well. No matter what their beliefs may be, I hope that they will always try to see things from others' perspective. They can disagree, they can be angry, they can even think the other person is completely wrong, but at least if they're trying to see life from another point of view, they can regard that person with compassion if not understanding. That understanding will help them better know their own beliefs and make them more accepting of both themselves and others.

A. Elliot's Lesson Learned: Walking a mile in someone else's shoes helps keep you on your toes and keeps you from putting your foot in your mouth.

This was in response to the Crazy Hip Blog Mamas question "What parts of yourself do you hope your child gets from you. "

Labels:

posted by Alex Elliot @ 12:37 AM   6 comments
6 Comments:

  • At 1/31/2007 9:42 AM, Blogger Suzanne said…

    Alex, I think this was a beautiful post and it encapsulates so much about what I like about you and your writing. You hit the nail on the head, and I hope that your kids also inherit your honesty.

    And "there's a fine line between letting nothing stand in your way and being obsessive"? Priceless. I'll chuckle over that in a knowing way for days.

     

  • At 2/01/2007 5:07 PM, Blogger Belle said…

    Hi! Just here from the carnival. You make very good points in your post.

     

  • At 2/01/2007 6:32 PM, Anonymous Jenn said…

    seeing things from another's point of view is invaluable - I love your quote at the end! Great list :)

    (via CHBM)

     

  • At 2/02/2007 12:39 PM, Blogger amaras_mom said…

    It's my first time to your blog and I love your life lessons! Here via the CHBM.

     

  • At 2/03/2007 10:48 AM, Blogger Janean said…

    Thanks for sharing. I really appreciate your husband's way of complimenting. I try to do that, as well because I know how much I like it when others compliment me.
    Enjoyed your post. Humor gets us through many a tough situation, huh? :D
    Have a good week from a fellow Crazy Hip Blog Mama!

     
Post a Comment
Home
 

My Profile

Name:Alex Elliot
Home:MA, United States
About Me:Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 6 year old and a 3 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
See my complete profile

Flexible Media Appearances

The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, Fox TV, August 3, 2007

Flexible Feeds

More Flexible Parenting

Grasshopper New Media Parents
Just Cause
Birth Days

Flexible Categories

Previous Posts

Archives

For those of us who didn't get an instruction manual with our babies and for whom parenting hasn't always gone as planned. On a more serious note this blog is about supporting a woman's ability to make her own choices about parenting including the choice, for whatever reason, to bottle feed her babies formula.

Powered by Blogger
© Formula Fed and Flexible Parenting


Creative Commons License
Formula Fed and Flexible Parenting by Alex Elliot is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Template Design based on one produced by isnaini dot com