Quote time - Nothing is impossibe....

Today I would like to talk about another of my favourite quotes.

'Nothing is impossible, the very word itself says I'm possible'

I love this quote as it is so positive and I must admit that I really annoy my oldest daughter with this quote as I am always telling her this. 

The thing is, Lauren has a very negative outlook on things (I guess she gets it from her dad) but it really frustrates me. I really believe that if you look at everything in a negative light and think that you can not do things then life becomes a self fulfilling prophecy and things will turn out bad and you will struggle in life.

In contrast to that, if you are positive and believe that you can achieve anything in life, nine times out of ten, you will. Of course you also need to work hard and be dedicated but believing you can achieve things really is half the battle.

The prompt - week 3

I am joining in with the prompt over at mumturnedmom and this weeks prompt was the following quote. 

Sweater, n. Garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly. Ambrose Bierce.

This one really threw me at first as I read the quote and thought to myself 'what on earth am I suppose to write about that?!'

After spending some hours mulling over the quote while getting on with other things it suddenly struck me what that quote meant. I think that the quote is referring to us as parents thinking we know best about our children without actually talking to them. In the case of the quote the mother feels cold, so she makes her child wear a jumper without actually asking if the child also feels cold.

This has made me think about the relationship that I have with my oldest daughter Lauren who is now 16. She has had a lot of problems over the last two years which I can't really go into too much details about due to her privacy but I really believe that a lot of those problems are due to the fact that she never speaks to me. When she was younger as with all of my children we really communicated very well on a daily basis. I have always made time to talk to the children both in terms of every day chit chat to more serious issues that may be bothering them so I would never of have guessed that I would now be in such a position. Despite me telling her on numerous occasions to come and talk to me when ever she needs to and despite numerous professionals like doctors and teachers telling her to speak to me, as it is nice for them to be dealing with a mother that cares and is there waiting to help, it is as if she has built up a wall around herself and she will not let anyone in no matter how hard we try.

Because of this lack of communication on Lauren's part I am always left second guessing what is going on and I can only use my own experiences as a teen to do this so I often seem to be getting it wrong and she gets really angry at me for thinking things that are not so but as she does not talk to me I do not know what else I| am suppose to do?

I have read so many books over the years and watched so many TV shows about how to get your children to communicate with you and I have tried so many different things but I really am running out of ideas and as she is nearing adulthood I feel as if I am running out of time.

I am by no means a perfect parent, I have made mistakes, I have cried, screamed, shouted and even sworn, but I hope that the fact that I am still trying to make things better and the fact that I still care so much will one day prove to Lauren how much she is loved by me. If anyone that has been through similar experiences of a teen that will not talk and you have any advice on what I should do then please do let me know by commenting or sending me an e-mail if you would prefer. Any advice really would be greatly received!

Quote time - 'Life is what you make it'

I thought that I would give you my take on the popular saying 'life is what you make it'. It is a saying that I do really agree with but in the right context. You see, family members have often butted heads with me over this as they say things like 'I did not ask to be a single mum so how is life what you make it?' or 'I did not choose to loose my job, so life is not what you make it'.

 

Now I agree that things can happen beyond our control that we did not ask to happen. Some people suffer much greater tragedies then the examples I have just given and of course they would not of chosen for their life to have experienced such things. However, I think that the saying actually means that we all choose how we react to the things that happen to us.

 

I did not choose to have ME but I can choose how I deal with that. I have the choice of how I can handle my life and the fact that I have ME. I can choose to either give up and feel sorry for myself or to look for any good that can come from it and find different ways to achieve my goals.

 

It's about keeping a positive attitude and focusing on the things that you can change. It's about not letting opportunities pass you by and also going out into the world to make things happen for you. It is overcoming barriers and treating people how you would like to be treated. We all have a choice on how we behave in life and that is why I do believe that life is what you make it.

Using quotes or sayings as rules of life.

There are a lot of quotes or sayings that I have heard over the years and some are probably well known almost everywhere but some may be more connected to the geographical area. Now that we have the internet we can find many websites full of inspirational quotes and sayings and I have found some that I really believe in and use as rules in my day to day life. I probably really annoy my family as I'm always using the quotes when giving advice. Anyway, I thought I would share the one's I love the most so I'll start by sharing my favourite quote.

Be who you are and say what you feel because those that mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind.

I really love this as it is so true. When I was younger I use to be a nervous wreck, always worrying what people thought of me. I would never speak out in group situations and I would always try and hide in the back ground as I was so worried that people would be thinking bad things about me.

 

When I turned 30 it was as if something inside my head clicked and I suddenly realised that it didn't matter what anyone thought of me apart from my hubby and my children and I know that they will always love me and have my back.

 

I'm not going to pretend that I am now one of the most confident people in the world as I am still shy and I do sometimes hear those old thoughts and worries but then I think of this quote and I feel a weight being lifted off my shoulders. I even managed to join an amateur dramatics group and performed one of the lead roles on stage for the first time since leaving high school. So if you find that you worry a lot about what people may or may not be thinking about you, remember this quote and smile.