As parents bombarded with media and marketing messages of idyllic false families, superdad syndrome and mommy myths, sometimes the subliminal tugs for ‘perfect parenting’ seep deep into our soul…even among media literacy buffs.
“Put on your own oxygen mask first” is logical but not always instinctive when it comes to self care. My resolution? Retrain myself away from this fatally flawed thinking once and for all…
As my OWN wise parents have said, “You’re not going to be able to ‘change the world’ if you’re collapsed in a heap from exhaustion. Fergawdsakes learn to say no, hold a boundary, and take care of yourself instead of everyone else…that goes for US too!”
Hmn. Ouch. Ok, so I guess I’m a fringe ‘sandwich generation’ parent, not to mention a ‘disease to please’ junky, but hey, when both ends of the age spectrum give me a shoulder shake, it’s time to pay attention.
I’m therefore resolved to listen, learn and heed the wisdom from both children and parents…on self-care, and beyond. Hold me to it.
Now…What are your resolutions? If any?
Kids? Parents? Media/Marketing Mavens?
Are resolutions a sham, a way to open dialogue with kids…or…just more false promises like the daily gym membership collecting cobwebs in the drawer?
What say you, readers?
My New Years Resolution:
More conferences, dominate the world (especially the web), consume less cookies, and think a little longer before opening my mouth.
Also– to actually reply to emails instead of mentally replying to them (do you ever do that? I read an email, have specific conversational thoughts regarding that email, and then move on w/o realizing I never actually replied to the email).
Hope your ’08 is grand, Amy! Chat soon, yeah?
Now how do we get ShapingYouth on GIVE’S agenda:
Take a Look at Oprah’s Big Give’s Givers
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Look-Oprahs-Big/800030093
Hey, Bill, thanks for the link…As you know, I wrote about Oprah’s Big Give here: https://shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=841
And was WONDERING when they were finally gonna debut! Looks like March 2nd, eh? Thanks for the eyes & ears…sounds like it’s time to reconvene the strategic board agenda for S.Y. and sniff out who has contacts where in the industry consortium! 🙂
Oh, and Izzy…I TOTALLY do the telepathic e-mail response bit. I assume I’ve already ‘been there done that’…as the sheer volume and sift-n-sort synapses get jumbled now & then.
Mind you, my daughter leverages this foible. It gives credence to her “but mom, you didn’t TELL me blahdeeblah…” because it plants that seed of “hmn, maybe I didn’t mentally.” (even though chances are I’ve told her repeatedly at least five times) Kids are clever opportunists like that…their ‘evil twin tactics’ can’t resist the social engineering tweaks of taking advantage of parental self-doubt…heehee 😉
She knows for example that somewhere in the back of my mind I know I’ve zoned into those “Dory moments” (from Finding Nemo) where I’m drifty as all get out and can’t recall who I’ve said what to, so it makes her feigned innocence quite plausible…
Btw, didn’t I respond to your last e-mail?
sheesh. I THOUGHT I did…but my sent file says I didn’t. sigh…Twas ever thus…
Great resolutions. I need that how to say no one … thanks for finding it.