22nd
A New Habit (#2) and a Confession
I must confess that today I whined. I not only whined, I grumbled and grunged and was not very pretty when I began cleaning up after all that the boys managed to “create” in the house while I was sick and in the weeks I’ve been otherwise occupied.
Three boys — all with ADD, two with autism, and a husband who is housekeeping imparied and also with ADD — can you blame me for complaining?
The fact is, I shouldn’t have. I should have handled it differently. But I didn’t. So, I repent, I confess, and I will try to do better next time.
We are far from finished in our housekeeping journey today. I loose steam after one room, but the boys are “trying” to help — best they can. (Yes, trying is a good word, very trying.) And I am trying harder not to whine and complain. But I have to tell ya — it’s a challenge!
Okay, enough about habit #1 that I’m trying to master. Today is Monday and it’s time to add another new habit to the mix. Here we go.
Habit #2: Pretend that everyone wears sign that says, “Make me feel important.” I sometimes get too busy to remember to build up. It’s not that I tear down, but I am too often task oriented more than people oriented. I need to change that. Somehow. So, remembering this little rule, I think, might help me.
I learned this rule from Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay cosmetics. I think it’s a great new habit, and I look forward to using it. I think had I done THIS today instead of stomping and hollering at the boys (I mean, honestly, they don’t hear very well!) maybe I would have gotten more out of them.
Then again, maybe not. But I know I would have felt a lot better about the way I handled myself.
I read somewhere that being in control means being in control of YOURSELF, rather than others. I think that’s very true. I can’t control my sons’ autism flares and behaviors, but I can control how I respond to them. I can’t control their every move, and I can’t control every mess they make. But I can control my attitude towards such “hardship.” (Yeah, tell a Mom living in a mud hut in the jungle that I have hardship. PUH-lease.)
It’s all relative, isn’t it? And speaking of relatives, there are no harder people to practice these new habits around than they!
I can do this! Just saying so makes me think that hey, maybe I really can.
