SUPERPOWERS.....Did you know your kids have it?

Guilt!   We feel it each day at some point, whether it is the cookie that gets eaten, the gym that does not see you for a day or the work that does not get done.   Moreover there is one person/persons that can have such an impact on you that will feel guilt without them even saying a word.   For that matter, they don't even have to be in the same room as you for you to feel it.  The scary part of that, is that, many times they do NOT even know they are doing it.  They don't intentionally do it, although we feel it anyway.  Who can have this superpower?    OUR KIDS!!!

I think that they each have a cape that we cannot see, with GUILT written on it.   I say it is a superpower because with one word, or look, they can take us from a strong parent who has hands on hips and is saying no to a toy.  To a parent standing in line with the toy in hand and the child smiling from ear to ear.   Oh you know you have done it before.   This is the outward guilt that they use.  "If you loved me you would buy it for me",  "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeee"  "If you get it for me then I will be good".    "Remember last time you told me that next time we would get something" (oh they remember, don't fool yourself)

Then the inward guilt that they don't even know they do.   How many times have you thought to yourself, "I wish I could do that for you", or "If I had more time I would".    Guilt by association!   There are not many days that we have things that do not get done, that we feel guilty about it.   Have you ever said, "There are not enough hours in a day"     Guilt as a parent that we have not done enough for our kids.

Good vs Evil is what I call guilt.   It can do good, getting off the computer and spending time playing a game with the kids.    And evil, being exhausted because you try to do everything you can for your kids.

We as parents put an unbelievable amount of pressure on ourselves to be the best parent we can.  Guilt if we are not.  But in this world there are going to be things that we cannot do for our kids, and that is good!!    Kids really will be OK if we cannot go to a PTA meeting, but will we?  We need to look at our choices we make in a day and decide if we are doing it for good or evil?   

Good; we want to do it for ourselves.  Evil; trying to make up for guilt we feel.   Look at your choices in a day and make the distinction, then you might not feel so much of the guilt.

Paddling down this river called life.