I am a Mommy too!

I recently had an encounter with a young mother where in we were talking about raising kids and she was pretty harassed having two very young children who were acting up pretty good...She stood there looking lost and in need and sure enough she asked me if I could give her some advice on ways to help her get them under control... she told me that she had tried everything and she was at her wits end...for about a half hour or so she launched into all the things that were wrong with her kids and how big a pain in the butt they were...when she was done I suggested that she read some materials on positive parenting and do some investigating to find some positive behavioral modification applications that would work for her...I also let her know to not expect changes over night that it could take up to a couple of months before she saw any changes at all and even longer for a complete change from what she called hooligan to well behaved child...I let her know that you will still have differences of opinions and may even have an argument or two but you have to remember that is just them becoming independent, Self - thinking,  responsible adults and all you have to do is teach them how to argue in a good way...so she went off and read what i suggested and as soon as the literature said that she would have to change her attitude and respond to the kids in a whole new fashion to see a change she decided that I did not know what I was talking about because I did not have any kids!...That is when I get a little upset and pull out the photo album to show her I have 6 youngin's 18 grand babies and 6 great grand babies...not to mention the uncountable number of children that I have cared for and had a hand in raising from the time that I was 12 till the current ones that I have a hand in raising Now....
So Please before you assume that I have no children check to see if what you are saying is the truth and remember that just because I am old it does not mean that I lost a title along the way. I have only had a couple added. The most important thing for you to remember when you think that I know nothing about raising kids is that I am a Mother too!

Where do they go?

This question has been weighing heavy on my mind for about a year now...
I am talking about all the people you know who are friends and family who disappear once you cannot give them everything they want and need from you.
 I have always had friends and family gathered around and hardly ever went a day without a phone call or visit from someone but then I fell upon hard times, got sick, and could not put as much into everyone else's problems as I had to concentrate on my own at the time. I noticed as the days and weeks went by that fewer and fewer of my friends and family came by or called. I have found myself in my time of need alone and lonely. Now mind you I am not one to do for someone just to get something in return as I completely enjoy helping others out and I would not change a single thing that I have done for them. I am very glad I could be there to help them out in their time of need. I do however wonder sometimes why they cannot find it in there hearts and schedules to just call and say hello. I guess they just don't realize how far a simple hello can go for someone who is sick and cannot be anywhere near as active as they used to be. I am thinking that they just don't realize how important they are to the person who is sick and how much that person wishes that they could see or hear from them on a regular basis just like they did before the illness set in. The only thing left to a person who is sick to that level is the friendship and love of those around them. The ability to have someone to care and keep them company while they wait to die.