Trying to raise a child could be compared to being in a large boardroom during the negotiations of a hostile takeover. Over the last seven years that I have been blessed (or in negotiations) with my child, I have noticed that I have acquired new skills and honed existing ones, some of which are often utilized in the professional world.
Problem-solving and negotiation skills are developed by learning how to get an incredibly headstrong, stubborn, strong-willed child to do anything other than what he wants. Out of the seven years’ worth of skill building and lessons learned, none have hit me quite as hard as the lesson I learned recently…I am a big ole’ hypocrite!
Like most days, this day started out quite well. I woke up, got my Starbucks and was ready to "smash the day in the face." I sat at my desk and started going over my plans for the day. It wasn’t only going to be a good day, but a great day! An hour later I received a call from my child's school. My head-strong, stubborn, yet perfect angel was acting horrible at school. So bad, that the teacher called so I could have a talk with him (like scary mommy voice is at all effective without the chilling laser beam eyes of doom to go with it). In that moment, my great day went to just being a good day. Over the course of a few more hours things began to pile up and by the time I made it home, my great day had transformed into a bad day. That night as I was putting my child to sleep, in the sweet, sleepy, quiet voice that only an angel child can use, he proceeded to tell me why his bad day was all my fault.
Angel Child: Mommy, it is your fault I was bad today.
Me: Uhm, ok and why exactly are you blaming me for your bad behavior?
Angel Child: Because you lied to me.
Me: And, when exactly did mommy lie to you?
Angel Child: Every morning on the way to school you tell me it is going to be a great, wonderful, awesome day and that never works...today was not a great wonderful day. You lied.
Me: I did not lie. Every day is what you make of it. If you start your day thinking it is going to be a great, wonderful, awesome day then it will be. It is completely up to you to make each second, of every day, what you want it to be. If you feel your day is starting to get bad, then you need to make the decision to make it great again. Only you have control of how certain events affect your day. Your attitude is what you make it. No one and nothing can change your attitude and make your day a bad one, unless you allow it.
Angel Child: (snoring)
Later that night my hypocrisy hit me like a ton of bricks. I, like my child, had also had a bad day and I was the one who let the events of the day make it so. I allowed events to affect my attitude and change my plans I had for the day. I allowed outside forces to change my day's projected path. I, (notice my use of that word), let my bad day affect the "WE." I realized that my attitude was more "ME" than "WE.” When we are sunk low and bunkered down in our bad days, we forget the foundation of our Wise Firm—We. Focusing more on the "We" and less on the "I" is something I believe in wholeheartedly.
Once I became aware of my hypocrisy, I made the decision that when I proclaim the day as a great, wonderful, awesome day, it will not just be to my child, but also to myself. I am fully aware that there will be days where I will have to keep reminding myself that it is a great, wonderful, awesome day. On those days, I will get my good day back, block-by-block, prayer-by-prayer.
When you feel your day starting to head on a downward path, just remember what Groucho Marx said, "Each morning when I open my eyes, I say to myself; I, not the events, have the power to be happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead. Tomorrow has not arrived yet. I have just one day, and I am going to be happy." Have a great, wonderful, awesome day!