Showing posts with label Parents Model Behavior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parents Model Behavior. Show all posts

Monday, August 10, 2015

Support Not Condescension + Motivating Monday

Last week I helped my sister, who is expecting her 4th child in February, do a fundraiser at her house. It's called 'The Apple Tree' Project. Basically it's almost like the Christmas Angel Project except it's in the Summer. You can pick an apple off the tree and provide back-to-school items for underprivileged kids. There was a lemonade stand, with Rice Krispy Treats, chocolate chip cookies and 2 kinds of lemonade too!  Many of the neighborhood moms stopped by, with kids in tow, to choose an apple, have some treats, and visit.

One of the moms who stopped by is quite well-heeled, to say the least. Her husband is the CEO of a huge company. She is basically done with having her kids and the youngest is probably 7.  Of course I had no idea about that when she stopped by with her 4 kids. 

My nephew was playing with a cool remote control car he got at a yardsale for 9 dollars. He was thrilled with it and was making it go every which way, rolling it over toes, bumping into the lemonade stand, and generally making a nuisance of himself, albeit a cute one. One of the kids of the well-heeled mom, after watching for awhile, stated that he also had a remote control car, but so much better, it cost over $300. All of a sudden my nephews car didn't seem as annoying and, being the out-spoken and over-the-top teaser that I am sometimes, stated that not only was my nephew's car probably better, but that someone was smarter because they got it at such a great price. According to me, someone had definitely over-paid for the $300 car. I was just seeing what kind of reaction I would get from the kid. He seemed a little confused at first, not expecting to be challenged with an obviously cheaper car than his. I might not have been able to do that if said car was actually on premises, but since it wasn't, why not play around a bit?

Meanwhile my sister was talking to the mom. She was seeking some friendly support from someone who had several kids herself, probably the last one right around the same age as my sister is now--wondering if neighborhood mom's last one was a bit more difficult than the first one, since sis is about 9 years older now and feeling every bit of it. Sadly, there was no support forthcoming from this neighborhood corporate mom. Instead she was told that all her pregnancies were very easy, no problem, short labors, recovered quickly, no weight gain, no difference between the first and last pregnancies in terms of difficulty. She offered no comforting words of advice, no encouragement, nothing.  She didn't mention or admit to the fact that she probably had 24/7 nanny care and maid service during all her pregnancies.

After the fundraiser we were comparing notes and I found out that it was so similar--like mother, like son. Both were alluding, if not outright stating, that they were superior in both material possessions (kid) and physical health (mom), very happy to emphasize both points so that there was absolutely no misunderstanding. I'm amazed at how quickly kids pick up even complicated social cues from their parents, like condescension....
Today is Motivating Monday!  We all need a little motivation!  I, for one, love to explore other sites for motivating, mostly non-sponsored posts, tips, pictures and videos!  If I happen to find a great one, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MotivatingMonday hashtag!  It's like being featured!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! Don't be shy--I'm really very supportive!  Remember, any link to your posts helps your blog numbers increase!
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