Reminders

Maybe it was because my dishwasher leaked water all over my kitchen floor at 9:45 last night, potentially ruining it, and certainly requiring a repair to the dishwasher, at least.
Maybe it was waking to the dishes stacked on the counter that were waiting for their turn to get clean after Everly's birthday party.
Maybe it was from the over-stimulating weekend of get-togethers and too much junk food (including two nights of cupcakes and ice cream).
Maybe it was the night ending on the note of a time out and two screaming children.
Maybe it was because I missed two nights of P90X.
Maybe it was because of daylight savings time.
Maybe it's the business of politics and all the hits education has been taking lately.
Maybe it is the horrible sinking feeling I get every time I think about the tragedy in Japan right now.
Or maybe I just got up on the wrong side of the bed. 

But this morning, I felt pretty crappy.

And I was also feeling kind of down about some parenting things, and some raising a strong daughter things, when I had a great conversation with one of my favorite people.

And this friend of mine reminded me that as parents, we can't change the world our children live in nor should we go to extremes to shelter them from it.  We just have to make sure our children know how to handle themselves in this world and that they can make good decisions for themselves.  We have to teach them not to judge how other people live their lives, and to know that they have choices in how they live theirs.  We teach them by example, by showing them where our values lie, and by living our lives by those values.

Thanks for the reminder, friend.  I needed that.  And I will do my best.

As for the rest, I have to remind myself that there are things I can control and things I can't.  How I react is what matters most.  I will do my best with that, too.