Saturday, January 26, 2013

Lessons Learned

Affirmations
I respect my children.
I learn valuable lessons from my children.
I enjoy my children daily.

What lessons have your children taught you?
from "Moms to Moms: Parenting Wisdom from Moms in Recovery" by Barbara Joy

In recovery, my kids have taught me the value of living in the moment.  Before now, I was never really able to do this.  I'll admit that spending time with the kids was sometimes a chore, a difficult one, because the things that interest them are not the things that interest me, lol!  It was hard for me to appreciate a well-dressed baby doll, a dump truck filled to the brim, a line of matchbox cars.  But with God's help, I am doing just that for the very first time, and now spending time with my precious children does not feel like a chore, it feels like a gift.  They've shown me that love can be expressed in many ways, and one of the greatest gifts I can give them is the gift of my undivided attention.  I play dolls and cars and color with my little ones- and that's all I focus on.  I set aside time to focus just on them where I ignore the phone, when the tv is off, when I color along side them, when I drive my trucks around too or when I have a stuffed animal to cuddle.  When I was using I put using first- I regret those times.  I can't get those times back, but I can do everything in my power now to be a good mom, one who lives "in the moment."

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