Family (our topic for the weekend)

Bridgedette's Thoughts:::

Family. Everyone has one whether they choose to acknowledge it or not. While some days are better than others, our families have always been there for us.

I know that eveyone has a story about how there may have been "this one time" when they were younger and they did not have a good experience or the outcome to life (at that moment) that they would have wanted.

I remember when I was little I would always ask the question "why." (same question I am still asking till this day). Maybe I asked it so much because I know it would drive my mother absolutly CRAZY, or maybe I asked it just because I wanted to know "why".

As Larry and I were at the night parade, I looked around and wondered...."how mothers do it".....How do mothers not go crazy trying to raise children?......kids clinging to them wanting all the toys and every piece of food at Fiesta, manovering children through the crowds, all while securing the safety of the child. How do mothers always have the answers of "why" during the most crazy times....."why cant I eat more chips and sodas," "why cant I have that $20 toy."

I have learned that mothers are human and that they too are sometimes asking "why," even when they are trying to answer a childs questions of why. Some mothers are willing to have open dialogue of the questions of life with their children...and some are not.

This is not a good or bad stance, its just not healthy for the relationship building of a family. My Parents were tough parents as I was growing up, but as I got older they did a really good at reminding me that their door was open to talk about any subject; a rule that is still in effect till today.

No family is perfect, and any family that makes it seem this way to those looking in, allows a facade. Families are made up of different people, age groups and experiences for a reason. It allows a representative of collective lives so that those that are still learning about life (which is all humans) to grow and learn from those mistakes that others have made, so that they are not repeated.

I have learned that not everyone's opinion is right, but that if I listen to ALL opinions I will learn over time to pick out the good ones. My mother was right.....with the answer, "because I said so." or "because I'm your mother." She was trying to help me not make the mistakes from the past....those that she had already learned from.

The generations before me have struggled so that I don't have to. And for all their work, I am grateful.

I hope that no matter how old I am, that I still understand that there is much more to learn, and by having an open ear AND an open mind, it will be some of the ways to grow and be happy.