Q: How do you get the navigation tab on your blog?
A: I am the most non-techie person you could meet. If I can't cut and paste my way out of it, you can forget it. Lucky for me, cut and paste works a lot! As for how I got the navigation tab on my blog, I have to say I am assuming you mean the tabs along the top of the blog that say "Where I'll Be" and "Writing Is A Passion" etc. I got those by paying a techie type person to do what I could not. I believe very much in paying others to do what you cannot. I mean, if you have the money. If you don't have the money you should do it yourself or go without. Speaking of...
I am hoping soon to 1) take a new family photo now that the one at the top is 2 years old and 2) pay someone to revise and revamp this blog. I might change up the navigation tabs on the top too, just to keep you guessing. I also want to add some new features and just generally make this blog more cutting edge. I am not cutting edge, so it would be fun to have a blog that is. Then over time, I could catch up to it.
Q: What are your thoughts/tips on teaching children to share with siblings and friends?
A: Here are my thoughts/tips, such as they are:
1. Try not to yell at them for not sharing. And if you yell, make sure your windows aren't open so that the neighbors hear. That's embarrassing.
2. Tell them that if you and their dad fought as much as they do, they would have to be in therapy. So why is it that they expect you to listen to all that yelling and fighting and not have any residual effects? A tic or compulsion is to be expected. They will shake their heads and walk away when you go on this particular rant, but it will make you feel better to pose this question to the air around you.
3. Pray for their hearts to be more giving.
4. Try to notice how much you lay claim to your own stuff and dislike sharing. Scratch that. It will only make you feel hopeless.
Seriously, we require our kids to share. We take things away that they are fighting over. We tell them, "You know what? This thing is not more important than this relationship, so until you can get your relationship where it needs to be, you don't need to have this thing (whatever it is)." We also make them hug each other and say things aloud like "I love you more than my DS." Or, "I'm sorry for treating you like that. Here, you can have whatever the item is." Things like that. Having to say it aloud is good, I think. It really helps them put things into perspective and it teaches them to humble themselves with each other. Plus it's just fun to make them do it because they don't like to and that's what happens when you make your mama mad. She makes you do things you dislike. What's the moral of this story? Don't make your mama mad.
Ok, so it's late as I am writing this and I apologize for how slap happy I am as I type. I do hope you got some usable answers out of this (not very intelligent) post.
I will be back next week with some more answers. Thanks to all of you who sent questions! I am enjoying hearing about what you guys want to know!
6 comments:
"Plus it's just fun to make them do it because they don't like to and that's what happens when you make your mama mad." mwahahahahaha
Cracking me up this morning!
Thanks for the great laugh Mary Beth! I have a poem on my wall that is called "The Mean Mother". It is along the same vein as your post today. I love being a Mean Mother and I think my kids love that I am as well! I will post the poem on my blog later today. I hope you check it out! :)
*hugs*
Sheila
Post the link here when you do Sheila!
Slap Happy Marybeth is one of my favorites. (:
Marybeth, this post is a lovely mix of having some great advice but kind of admiting that it doesn't all work perfectly or for the most upright of motivations all the time. I like that - makes me feel like I'm not listening to a guru who has reached perfection, but rather someone who has learned a bit of wisdom along the way and is willing to share. Not sure if that all makes sense but I enjoyed this post.
Ruth, thanks for saying that. I will never reach perfection and I am glad that comes across in my blog. I try to be as honest as I can while still protecting my husband and children's privacy. I want to always express just how hard life is, and how far short I fall daily. But I also want to offer hope in the daily miracles and grace that we can also experience when God is at the foundation of our efforts. It means a lot that in some small way, I am coming close.
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