Self Respect; For You and Your Children

Pictured above is me at age 5, chubby and happy. Most of my childhood and adolescence was riddled with weight issues and having to be the "new chubby kid" in school, too many times to mention ,which leads to teasing and lots of belly aches (my parents liked to buy and sell houses). Through it all, my stability came from being from a very large and loving Italian family and a father who told me that I was "the most beautiful girl in the world" on a daily basis. My mother lead by example, showing me that being a strong and independent woman was something to be proud of and to strive for. I could have gone either way when it came to my self image.

 After all was said and done, I chose to believe my dad: that I was special and that I could be whoever I wanted because I was worthy. Being innately outgoing, becoming a strong and proud woman was probably inevitable, but through my mom, I knew I wanted to be like her. This was one of the greatest gifts my family could have given to me. After making some bad choices during my teenage years and in my early 20's, it was the basic instilled belief in myself that contributed to me becoming the self confident woman that I am.

The reason for my sharing this with you is to explain the basis of my belief of how important and vital it is to have a healthy sense of self respect and worth. When you respect yourself you do not allow others to mistreat you and you base all of your decisions with great confidence and in some cases, when appropriate, with tenacity.

When having children, I knew that the gift of a positive self image, would be one of the greatest assets that they would eventually leave home with, helping to guide them throughout their lives. I feel that it a most vital tool to posses in the pursuit of a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life. As a parent I would lead by example; for there are no "victims" in my household because when you play victim so do your children and this is never a good idea.

Basically speaking, I feel that the very first steps in building a positive self image for your children is to start out with them when they are very young. Teaching them the concept of respect for others through discipline, limits, and routine. All of these being taught with great love and empathy. Doing so will make them feel safe and secure. They will know what to expect and when to expect it. This will, in turn, give them the tools needed to want to please themselves after they have worked so hard to please you. Moving forward, they will be used to the idea that what makes them feel good also makes others feel the same way. The rest, with more guidance, will build upon itself  to produce an adult with self love, respect, and the confidence to be an example to others.

Even if you are not the most confident and secure individual, by teaching these lessons to your children, you will in turn be reinforcing these beliefs in yourself and grow along with them. It's a beautiful thing.

"At least the rhododendrons are blooming......"

Those were the words I uttered to my mom during our last phone conversation about our daily woes. It lightened up the mood and put things into a happier perspective; which leads me into why I decided to create this blog.

How we see things makes all the difference in the way we perceive our daily circumstances. We should seek the reasons for why we see things the way we do and how it makes us feel. We all come from different places, and as a result, our life experiences shine through in our daily outlook.

In these increasingly volatile times in which we all live in, peace and security seem to harder to achieve now than ever before. When your head is filled with distractions, it is quite difficult to focus on any task, large or small. This is why it is so very important to clear your life of the "clusters" that have been holding you back from enjoying the little things, like the blooming rhododendrons. Because sometimes the little things are all we have to fall upon.

The day my daughter was born, I decided to stay home and raise my children. In making this choice, I knew that it would be more difficult financially and that sacrifices would have to be made. Even so, I felt great comfort in knowing that this was the right path for our family to take. I have never had regrets for doing so, and believe that being a stay-at-home mom was my calling. Furthermore, through this I have learned great lessons in patience, acceptance, and healing.

My purpose is to have a place where I can share the way in which, through the years, I have been able to find peace through the chaos life hands us by being truly honest with myself about who I am and where I am coming from. I would like to share my vision with you: that you, the reader, may gain a more honest and soon positive perspective by looking at your own life experiences with a less cluttered mind, home, and eventually life. In short, lightening the load and moving forward with grace.

I encourage comments from all viewpoints. There is no room for judgement. We all have our own personal issues to deal with. I am excited about the opportunity to help each other along life's journey in an open, honest, and grateful way. My subjects will vary greatly, discussing everything from how the simple task of organizing a closet can reap larger benefits than originally intended, to dealing with the fact that bad things that happen to good people.

A sense of gratitude is, for me,  probably the biggest factor in being able to achieve a positive outlook when  hope seems to be fading. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog, and I sincerely hope you find what you are looking for.