Learning From Our Mistakes-101 - This Full House: Gone Shopping

I am very honored to be working with Hallmark as a Life is a Special Occasion featured blogger and for their sponsoring this blog post, allowing me to share personal stories, insights and inspirations in enjoying simple, every day moments, with you (yes, YOU!)

Learning to walk his hard, learning to fall is even harder.

My youngest daughter (she's 11) is in the 6th grade (no, I have absolutely NO idea how that happened...either) and, much to the chagrin of her siblings, Hope positively loves school.

I mean, she loves, Loves, LOves, LOVes, LOVEs, LOVES SCHOOL!

"Ah, man, what, ANOTHER day off?"

This kid would go to school...EVERY DAY...if she could.

"I hate holidays!"

Other parents I know would argue:? well, she IS the youngest of 4, growing up in a house brimming over with estrogen (or, in my case, extremely hormonally-challenged, as well as internally imbalanced...you're welcome), DER!

Hope also shares a room with her sisters (the bathroom is on the left, but PLEASE do NOT open the door on the right, it's scary in there!) oh, then there's the lack of privacy (hers, mine, ours, etc...) and, well, DUH!

"Do you have any homework?"

Being the youngest child is hard:? whether you've got 1 or 20, raising tweens and teens is even harder.? Although, I really try not to make a habit of speaking for other folks (seriously, I'm more of a don't do as I do/done/did sort of gal, thankmeverymuch!), I truly believe allowing your child to fail is no walk in the park for any parent.

"Yes, but I already finished my homework...in school."

Or, perhaps her sisters and brother are right and she's just weird like that.

"Oh, and I put a pile of test papers, on your laptop, to sign."

But, a good kind of weird.

"Uh, sweetie, what happened here?"

This time, however, she got a 60 on her math test and placed it at the bottom of the pile and...5...4...3...2...

"I...DON'T...KNOW!"

Did I mention that she's 11?? Otherwise known as the year of:? DUDE, WHERE'S MY KID?!?

Seriously, there should be a t-shirt or some sort of warning to help younger parents NOT freak out when observing a tweenage-meltdown at the shopping mall or movie theater, like:

"DANGER...DANGER...DANGER...WILL ROBINSON...PRETEEN HORMONES AT WORK!"

Will Robinson?? I know.? I'm old.? Shuddup!

"Congratulations, sweetie!"

[eyes go wide]

"Wait, what, you're happy I failed a math test?"

Yes and no.? I'm not saying that we ought to throw her a party (that WOULD be weird, even for me)? however, speaking purely from past experience, I also happen to believe that kids should learn how to fail, really well, too.

"No, I'm not happy you failed a math test, but I'm sorta glad you did."

At the risk of sounding like the mother of mediocrity (I know, too late, right?) I can't help but feel that life would be a little easier if Learning From Our Mistakes-101 were a requirement, rather than an elective...for parents, too.

"Math is hard."

Yes, math is hard, but this everyday math thing?? She IS the devil!!!

"I know, aaaand it's gonna get even harder!"

[grabs a ruler, adopts a light-saber-battle-ready stance]

"BRINGIT!"

Moral of the story:? the next time this kid faces failure (oh, yes, sadly, there WILL be a next time) she WILL be ready for bah-tull!

How do I know?

"You are SO weird, Mom."

Because...I am her mother...DER!!!

I love the latest batch of kids encouragement cards we received AND that Hallmark has a sense of humor, when it comes to raising tweens and teens, too.

Now that our oldest daughter is heading off to college in the spring (hold me!) and we're beginning the college search, all over again, with the middle girl (see previous parenthesis!) it recently occurred to me that these kids are going to have to learn how to fall...OVER AND OVER, AGAIN!
via Hallmark: message inside -- totally kick but you will!

Sooooo, good thing we've got plenty of rulers...not to mention, plenty of pretend light sabers laying around the house...right?!??

? 2003 - 2012 This Full House

Disclosure:???I am being compensated for my services for the length of the program.? The stories, opinions and words shared here are all mine.? To receive notices on Hallmark products and special offers, feel free to sign up for the?newsletter (when you have time, of course!)

Source: http://www.thisfullhouse.com/reviews/2012/10/learning-from-our-mistakes-101.html

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