Archive for September 3rd, 2018

September 3, 2018

Rescuing my sons

by Rod Smith

The urge to rescue my children remains strong.

It’s something I have to persistently ward off if they are going to continue to be healthy young men.

This is not a new for me.

I remember feeling quite offended when a distant neighbor had a party for her five-year-old and did not invite mine.

My son was almost three.

Now, years later, both boys have been competitive soccer players and they don’t need any help from me. Yet, I feel the urge from the sidelines to have every pass go to them. I get annoyed at the other players who apparently fail to see my boys’ brilliance.

That’s not the only sideline I occupy.

I feel it in almost all their school subjects. I want to kick-start their social networks. I want to save them from ALL disappointment.

I quell these urges, almost always – perhaps erring when a little knightly parenting would have been helpful.

But, I quell the urges in the firm belief that my sons don’t need me to be their armor or savior. I suppress my lurking knight in the belief that every time I interfere with life’s ability to grow my boys up, I delay their maturity and summons life to repeat the lesson I shielded them from learning.

September 3, 2018

Surround yourself with healthy people

by Rod Smith

Surround yourself with healthy people by being as healthy as possible yourself.

Here are signs you with healthy people:

  • They don’t get sucked in or sidetracked by other people’s issues.
  • They know the limits of their skills and talents and they don’t volunteer or get involved with things just to appear nice or helpful.
  • They build friendships slowly, really slowly.
  • When you are with them you always have more choices than you thought possible and you always feel a greater sense of freedom.
  • They are ambitious and have goals and sacrifice as necessary to achieve their goals.
  • They are close to their families but not trapped by the closeness.
  • They honor their parents, but, as adults, they know they are not expected to obey their parents.
  • They are kind to people who appear to be able to offer them nothing or little in return.
  • They are always kind to people who wait on them and serve them in any manner.
  • They avoid making heroes or victims out of anyone.
  • They focus on their own behavior and not the behavior of others.
  • They have zero desire to control the behaviors of others.
  • They are generous with their time, talents, and resources.