the many lessons of life in less than a week

It has been a tough week in our household.  Lessons are being learned each and every day. They are tough lessons for us all but necessary and all part of the growing up process.  Patience, respect, dedication, honesty, self control and self awareness are some of the lessons being taught and learned.  I never imagined we'd have to go through all of them in one week but then again I also never imagined parenting would be this hard on any one day.

While I doubt myself and my parenting skills on a weekly basis, I do know that I am stronger because I am a parent. I too was taught these skills as a child but have had to re-learn or revamp how I use them to establish and maintain my relationship with our little girl.

She challenges every ounce of my patience each and every day and somehow, somewhere I grow a little more patience...just enough that I can get through the day.

Another big lesson our family has encountered in the past nine years is rejection and how to deal with it when you are faced with it on a daily basis.

Sure, everyone at many times in their lives is faced with rejection and the fear of rejection.  I have to say I had my fair share as a child and well into my teens and young college life.  I'd lost out on homecoming queen in 10th grade or didn't make varsity my sophomore year when one of my very best friends did and I was laid off from my first job out of college.  It's part of life.  It happens; however, I never imagined the rejection my daughter receives on a daily basis would be far more crippling than any rejection I ever experienced.

As we travel through the minutes, hours, days and weeks, I find myself searching for the right way to teach, accept and re-learn the many lessons of life.  Even as an adult, I find it tough.  There really is no right and wrong answer.  I simply wake up each day and do the best I can with what I have for that day.  And just like other things in life, we have our good days and our bad days.  With each lesson learned though, we become a little better, grow a little bigger and appreciate each other a little more.