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Further
Reading ...
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Picky Eater - Fighting The Good Fight
Often, the struggle at dinnertime with your picky eater is not so much about food as it is about control. As children become more independent, conflicts can arise as they carefully scrutinize what goes into their mouths. The more you push, the more...
The English were always Philistines, Sir Roy!
Sir Roy Strong, the eminent English historian and former director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, has ridiculed the television programme ‘I’m a celebrity… Get me out of Here!’ in a recent article in...
Finding Time to Pamper Yourself
As women we are always putting ourselves last. We cater to the needs of our ailing parents, our significant others, and our kids; but by the time we get around to ourselves it is either to late in the day or we are just to exhausted. Well I...
Winter Looks on a Budget
Here are some quick and easy winter looks on a budget.
There are several new looks you can pull off for a fraction of the usual cost. Knee-high shearling boots are very hot right now, but you can get a pair of shearling-like boots from stores...
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Got To, Get To – Change The Way Your Family Thinks
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Written By:
Lindsay Small
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I recently heard a story that has literally changed the way that I, and my family, think about life. The story is as follows:
There was once a high-powered woman in her 30s who ran her own company and was massively successful in business. Yet every single day, at 10am, she visited her elderly mother, who was in an old peoples’ home. When asked if she could attend meetings at that time, she would reply, “I’m sorry, I’ve got to visit my mother”. She sometimes resented the commitment and was occasionally ridiculed, but nevertheless answered, “No, I’m sorry, I’ve got to visit my mother.”
One day her mother died. Soon afterwards she was asked if she could make a meeting at 10am the following day. She started to reply, “No, I’m sorry, I’ve got to visit my mother”, but of course quickly realised that this was no longer the case. Sadly, she realised that for many years she had been saying, “I’ve got to visit my mother” when what she should have instead been saying was, “I get to visit my mother”. She would never "get to" visit her mother again.
So how does the story relate to other situations? I have been surprised by how many times the story has seemed appropriate since I heard it, just a few weeks ago. It applies to so many different aspects of family and working life, from the large to the mundane. For example, I first told my son the story when he was complaining about some extra French classes he was having at weekends (“I can’t believe I’ve got to go to the French tutor”). I explained that he is lucky to "get to" have the French classes: lucky that we care enough to notice he needs them, and lucky that we can afford to pay for them.
I thought of the story last night when my little girl was using every delaying tactic in the book about going to - continued below ...
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bed, and just refused to settle down. I caught myself thinking, “Oh no, I’ve got to go upstairs, miss the end of the television show I’m watching, and calm her down and settle her into bed” … but quickly replaced the thought with something along the lines of “I’m lucky that I "get to" spend 5 quiet minutes with this funny, amazing little girl, even if I am tired and could do with some rest!”
And I thought of the story again just this morning when the beeper on my tumble dryer annoyed me into emptying my clean washing! I turned some very negative, lazy thinking around by reminding myself that I was lucky to have a tumble dryer, the clothes to put into it, and the family to be washing them for! It was still a chore but somehow it didn’t seem such a bad one anymore.
My husband reminds himself of the story when the alarm clock goes off early in the morning and he struggles out of bed and to the train. He "gets to" go to work. Many people don’t. And I think of it when I am sitting, uninspired, in front of my computer, wishing that I didn’t have admin or website chores to do for Activity Village. The thought doesn’t last long. I may have admin and website chores to do, but I also "get to" provide activities and inspiration to parents, teachers and children around the world every week. How lucky can I be?
About the Author
Lindsay Small is the creator and editor of Activity Village.co.uk - providing the ultimate one-stop resource for parents and teachers looking to educate and entertain their kids. Visit the website at http://ww.ActivityVillage.co.uk
and subscribe to the free newsletter at http://www.ActivityVillage.co.uk/free_newsletter.co.uk
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| _Additional Resources ... |
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It was in October 2001 that General Motors Hughes (Parent company of Direct TV) and EchoStar Communications Corp., trader of Dish Network agreed to a merger. The new company would have improved the services for satellite TV clients by adding many...
How to Handle a Mid-School Year Move
Q: What’s worse than moving? A: Moving in the middle of the school year. My family did it more than once when I was growing up. I still remember some of the incidents-being introduced in the front of the class, having to share a locker until they...
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