Awesome Article

This article brought tears to my eyes.  Perhaps it will inspire someone else, as well.  There is a chance that at some point, the article will be taken from the news site that presented it, so some details are shared below.  Maybe Google can help.

The article is about Harry Bernstein, who was 96 the first time he was published.  He wrote a memoir about his childhood, living in poverty and right across the street from Christians who were just as poor as his family [he is Jewish].  And yet the two lived in separate worlds, divided by one street and a chasm of hatred.

How is it that we so often fail to see our similarities and can only see our differences?  And how is it that we can find it in ourselves to hate someone just because they’re different?  If you were exactly the same as me, then one of us would be pointless, yes?

We should embrace and celebrate our differences because each one of us is a beautiful, if unique, facet of who God is.  It is my belief that if we could all see the similarities between the different races and religions, creeds and abilities, we would all truly become One, and our differences would become mostly irrelevant [we might continue to use those traits as a form of description, but the judgment would be gone].

There is a way to do this.  The world is continuing to grow and evolve, as is the human race.  We have the resources and ability to make things better in the world, to bring peace.  The choice is Yours.

New Concepts, A New Mindset… Oy.

Okay, so this is a new thing for me.  Whether you will notice the difference will be interesting to find out.  This is all new to me, but interesting, so naturally it has to be tried.

If it was earlier in the evening [or later, depending on how you look at it… it’s one in the morning now] it would be easier for me to write this.  However, fatigue is slowly shutting my brain down, and so this is short.

Hey, guess what?  Michaela peed in the potty for the first time EVER today!!  Woo hoo!!

She’s three and a half, and very determined about how she wants her life to be.  She’s flatly refused for MONTHS to actually pee in the potty.  She’s been willing to sit on the potty [we bought her a Pooh Potty *hee hee* in the hopes that it would spark some interest in actually going  but with Michaela, she makes up her own mind].

It is my firm belief that this will only be a positive thing [and maybe is now, although it’s difficult to see when you’re the one trying to get her to do what you want her to do] in the future.  She needs to have her own mind.  She needs to have a strong sense of who she is [something that was missing in me for most of my life… still working on that].

The dilemma for me is figuring out how to encourage her independence while teaching her the ropes of how the world works.  We have already made mistakes [especially with the older two] in limiting their choices, making them believe that we are the ones ‘in control’ and because of that, we are now trying to figure out how to re-foster independence and the ability to think for themselves.

My beliefs about parenting have gone from believing it was my duty to dictate to them what is right and what is wrong, what is acceptable behavior, what they should wear, etc. instead of guiding them, or giving advice [explaining possible outcomes for their actions] and then letting them make their own choices and learn from their mistakes.

Without realizing it, and understand that my motives were to protect them, my actions have actually prevented them from learning through experience.  How well do you learn if you are only allowed to ‘read’ about something, like riding a bike?  Can you learn by reading a book?  Of course.  But reading a book about riding a bike is so completely different from actually riding the thing, can the two even be compared?

And so, the course changes again.  My hope is that there is still time to give Shaya, especially since she’s nine now, but the other two as well, the proper guidance they need to become productive, independent, well-rounded adults.  The challenge of parenting is so much bigger than was first imagined.  It is truly wonderful.  Somehow, in re-thinking my parenting style, my own growth as a human being is continuing.  That excites me!

I love my kids, and this is truly a grand adventure for all of us.

G’Night.