No one is born full of wisdom, it's learned through years of experience and mistakes. With this you gain strength, knowledge and common sense. No knowledge and common sense do not go hand and hand, unfortunately.
I'm a woman who has had her share of ups and downs in life. I don't dwell on the bad, lessons learned...may have been the hard way but I wont make the same mistake. Never allow the past to control your future. Make to each day count. Dust yourself off and get back out there.
Being a parent and dealing or dealt with hardships in life is even further from difficult. I'm here to tell you to be sure to use these examples to talk WITH not at your children. Be sure you consider age appropriateness, you don't tell a six year old about a relationship gone wrong due to cheating, drugs etc. That's where common sense comes in.
Sit in a mutually comfortable environment with your teenager. Tell her how to stay safe and recognize if a relationship may turn abusive. Explain to her you experienced domestic violence, tell her she deserves better in life.
Talk with your son why he should think twice before giving into peer pressure. Share what you've been through.
The key is to discuss important life lessons with them. Don't lecture them, going on and on saying "don't do this...because I said so" will backfire for you both. It's natural to be rebellious, how do you think you got into some of those situations!
We can't be our children's buddy's but we can't walk around preaching either. I have always talked with my children and my son, who is 16, thanked me for being different. I listen to him, allow him to express his opinion and I don't tell my kids anything if I'm unsure. We work together to figure it out. In turn they respect me, value my wisdom and trust to talk with me.
You can't expect lil Johnny to open to you about his feelings or things that are going on if you clam up and demand he just does what you say.
I'm not a psychiatrist or anything of the such. I am a mother who loves her babies enough to help them avoid my same mistakes. They will make plenty if their own, I'm just speaking on what I know not what I think.
