Tough Love...
Most of the time when I am writing about one thing...a million different ideas began jumping popping up in my head. If someone were to actually try and read any of my journals they would probably get lost because I just write it as it pops up, and then I go through later and piece the related sections together like a puzzle. Might sound confusing but it works for me.
As of late, when I began writing about my father, my thinker has been working overtime. A lot of different thoughts and ideas have been popping up and for the first time in a long while I have had to take a real hard look at some things.
One of those things I have had to look at is how my dad treated me as a kid. My dad was heavy handed and rough. His emotional attache consisted of just one emotion and that was anger...at least that was the way it appeared to me as a little kid. Mercy was definitely not one of his strong points.
My dad was hard on my brothers and I...and the truth is I resented the way he did things for years. It wasn't until I was older that I began to take a different perspective on the matter.
Don't get me wrong I still think he could have done things better, but I am learning how to look at life the way he saw it and try to understand what he was trying to accomplish. His choice to be hard on his sons was an attempt to prepare us and protect us from what he believed to be a tough and cruel world.
As I look back on some of the trials, challenges and obstacles I have faced, I can't help but wonder if the outcome would have been the same if my dad had not been like he was.
My own challenge as a parent has been making sure that I don't make the same mistakes my dad did...but at the same time making sure that I don't pamper and baby my children leaving them unprepared for some of the harshness they might experience once they are outside of my protective circle. (It's a mistake that I have seen many parents make.)
Now that I am thinking about some of my decisions probably might seem to be hard as far as my kids are concerned...but unlike my dad I try my best to help them understand that life in our circle is one thing...outside of it it is a totally different world...and it's my job to make sure you are ready for it.
More on this later...
As of late, when I began writing about my father, my thinker has been working overtime. A lot of different thoughts and ideas have been popping up and for the first time in a long while I have had to take a real hard look at some things.
One of those things I have had to look at is how my dad treated me as a kid. My dad was heavy handed and rough. His emotional attache consisted of just one emotion and that was anger...at least that was the way it appeared to me as a little kid. Mercy was definitely not one of his strong points.
My dad was hard on my brothers and I...and the truth is I resented the way he did things for years. It wasn't until I was older that I began to take a different perspective on the matter.
Don't get me wrong I still think he could have done things better, but I am learning how to look at life the way he saw it and try to understand what he was trying to accomplish. His choice to be hard on his sons was an attempt to prepare us and protect us from what he believed to be a tough and cruel world.
As I look back on some of the trials, challenges and obstacles I have faced, I can't help but wonder if the outcome would have been the same if my dad had not been like he was.
My own challenge as a parent has been making sure that I don't make the same mistakes my dad did...but at the same time making sure that I don't pamper and baby my children leaving them unprepared for some of the harshness they might experience once they are outside of my protective circle. (It's a mistake that I have seen many parents make.)
Now that I am thinking about some of my decisions probably might seem to be hard as far as my kids are concerned...but unlike my dad I try my best to help them understand that life in our circle is one thing...outside of it it is a totally different world...and it's my job to make sure you are ready for it.
More on this later...
Posts
