Change the Way You Think

First, I have to acknowledge that I know it has been a couple years since I have posted. I entered Graduate School and I will say no more. I was poking around in the message boards, as I do from time to time, and ran across a post from a woman who seemed to despair over the frustrations that go along with being a RAD parent. In her post, she beat herself up over past mistakes. I can certainly relate to her frustration and pain. I know that our circumstances are probably very different; nonetheless, it is still very challenging being the parent of a RAD child. I too have made many mistakes in the past just as all parents have. The key for all of us is not to give up - always Fight! What I have found helpful is to definitely meditate on a daily basis. Nothing fancy, just taking 10-15 minutes a day to find a quiet space (a closet, the bathroom, wherever I can find peace) to just completely clear my thoughts. What I have also found helpful is changing the way that I talk about my child. Pastor Joel Osteen always says to "Speak favor over your child!" Instead of thinking negative thoughts or visualizing negative outcomes, I trust in that higher power and BELIEVE that things will get better. I know how difficult it can be. We just have to look at our children to find the goodness in them and focus solely on that. Children are extremely intuitive. They pick up on negative vibes and they feed off of that. I know this to be true first hand. Many times, when I change my attitude, I find that my child instinctively changes his. We must remember that we cannot change the past, but we can certainly change what we do right now. Everyday is a challenge and we just have to take it one day at a time.