The Words We Say--Part 2

Success!

People have tried for a long time to define success. What is it? How do you achieve it? When do you know you're there?

Well, I can now answer all of those questions with the following incident:

At dinner this evening my children all said something they appreciated either about one of their siblings or about me. In fact, after the initial brainstorming, they were thanking each other for little kindnesses they remembered receiving earlier in the day. "Thank you for coming to check on me when I fell on my bike," he said to his brother. He was sincere, gracious, thoughtful, and kind.

My hope for the future has been rekindled. My efforts at teaching were rewarded. And for a moment we all knew without a doubt that the words we use are powerful forces for good.

I remember hearing somewhere that motherhood happens in moments. This was exactly that-- a moment of success, and it was GLORIOUS!

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones...

...But Words Will Never Hurt Me.

I remember at a very young age, complaining to my mom that the kids in the neighborhood were making fun of me. My very first memory of getting my feelings hurt from being called names came before I had even turned 4. I cried to my mom, "They called me Jennifer Jones with Mickey Mouse Bones." I sobbed.

My mom laughed. After all I was her first child and while she tried to console me, it was obviously funny to her. She told me to go back out there and say, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." That's exactly what I did and I meant it! I've believed it since. Words are just words, right?

Well. I'm not so sure anymore.

Words are very powerful for both good and evil. For example, when I get a call from the principal that my son says rude things to authority figures, that's a problem!

So far the only solution I could come up with is to have him do what I had to do in Jr. High. Write 100 sentences. "I will speak respectfully, especially to adults" (Only I wrote 1000 sentences--I will not throw things on the school bus. I'm sure it wasn't really my fault, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time--I digress.)

How important are words? The only thing I can come up with is, if someone hurts you with them, shake it off--just words. If your child, on the other hand becomes a delinquent because he started out as a disrespectful punk and never grew out of it--Pray, I guess.

I got this advice from a friend and I've tried it too. We are going to play some games at home where we say things in certain ways and see if it always has the same meaning. He likes this already, especially when he gets to practice saying, I love you, sarcastically.

Maybe instead of writing sentences I should have him record his voice in a variety of pleasant tones. Hmm? If I'm looking for torture that would do it for sure.

Glitter Toes

Despite the bike grease on my leg I really do enjoy being a girly girl from time to time. Especially with the help of my sisters. It was so nice to have them in town if only for a day or two.

I learned something this weekend. Getting a group of women together to have glitter painted toes is almost as much fun as a bunch of women getting together for a triathlon or any other exercise class.

Maybe the activity isn't as important as the encouragement, strength, and support we give each other.

Carrots for Breakfast--Best Mother's Day Present Ever

I don't normally eat carrots for breakfast, but today I ate the best carrots ever. They were brought to me on a tray w/ oranges, pancakes, yogurt and granola and a tall glass of milk. The kids brought me breakfast in bed. It was very thoughtful and extremely well done. Especially when you take into account the fact that Connor can hardly feed himself. More on that here.

The carrots especially made an impression on me. Maybe they really were listening when I said you should have vegetables at every meal.

Now that's a Mother's Day present every one wants!

Mother of the Year

I had this sent to my sister's and mom for Mother's Day.

Here's the link.

Broken Moores

One of the problems with keeping a family blog updated is that families have things happen that are really no one else's business. Kinda like this.

So, I'll keep it short.

The IronMoores are the BrokenMoores.

We've been a bit broken for awhile. Now, it's a little more official. Ross is staying with his parents. We hope we'll get it together again soon. We're working on some stuff.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. I've felt uplifted by everyone's help, and believe me I need it. Plus, I appreciate it so much.

Here's to hoping that this separation (with the help of professional counseling) will be the best thing for our family!