Strollerderby : gratitude

Strollerderby Swells With Gratitude

Kelly Mills — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:02:00 GMT

Because this is the holiday of thankfulness and all that good stuff, I thought I'd find out what the other folks here are grateful for. "Okay guys," I said, "I know we usually go snarky and rude and funny, but I want each and every one of you to open your hearts and tell me what you are really, truly thankful for. The tender way your child puts her hand on your cheek and says 'Mama'? The squeals of 'Daddy, Daddy' that greet you when you wake up in the morning? That your family is healthy, happy, and cared for?"

Let's see, Rachel said she's grateful that the men in her dreams are so well-hung.

Should've known the bitches would let me down. But a couple did actually eke out something sweet. Here's the Derby gratitude list...

Jessica says she's "thankful for a three-year old who entertains, disgusts, appalls me with surprisingly accurate assessments of what objects and which people his poop resembles (as in, "Look mommy! I pooped a violin!"). Nothing says holiday bliss like an instrument-shaped potty break." Um, very true indeed.

Karen is really grateful the school buses that have saved from being three-school carpool mom. And for the e-mails we send to each other here, which are often entertaining. And for my ass. Can't say that I blame her for that.

Mike, the sentimental one, says, "I'm thankful for the sweet, beautiful children who reside within us all ... and for the wonderful promise that is humankind." (He so copied that from his Playgirl profile.) "Also, pie and egg nog. I'm thankful for pie and egg nog. And by eggnog I mean bourbon. And sometimes heroin, depending on how the nap goes." Daddy's little helper, I suppose.

Bill takes a more pragmatic approach. "I'm thankful for my precious flask at 3 hour holiday parades at night in late November in the northeast. I'm thankful for my neighbor's unsecured wireless networks. Last night I was thankful that projectile baby vomit does not have the same biological properties as Alien blood (That's it man, game over man, game over! What the f*ck are we gonna do now?)" Isn't that beautiful?

And Matt closed it out with gratitude that his dog likes the taste of projectile baby vomit. Awwww.

Me? I'm grateful for my kid, whats-her-name, and that I'll be able to eat unlimited dessert on Thanksgiving (long story). I'm grateful I can still eat after thinking of Matt's dog eating baby vomit. And for asses. And for the bitches here, who make me laugh.

Ungrateful Brats Get Their Comeuppance

Karen Murphy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:58:00 GMT

It's true. Or actually, the reverse is true: kids who express gratitude are healthier. So there. A new study reports that kids who took place in daily gratitude exercises were more alert, more determined, more enthusiastic, more attentive, and more energetic than kids in a control group who focused on their daily hassles.

I think also it gives kids a better connection to themselves and to their world. My kids, though they don't write thank-you notes, express gratitude to themselves and to the people in their lives on a pretty much continual basis. "Thank you" is a part of our lives as is simply expressing gratitude for what we have and who we are as people. Most of the time anyway.

Thinking about what's good in their lives makes kids more resiliant and more able to deal with setbacks when they occur. And while I don't necessarily agree with the idea of thanking someone for an awful gift that's inappropriate, clearly doesn't fit etc, I do think it's necessary to acknowledge the time, effort, and especially the love that went into that gift. And to do that, kids need to create an understanding, at whatever level they can, of other people and how they feel, which sometimes trumps complete honesty.

So how to create a grateful kid? Little kids can and should be taught to say thank you and please, but more importantly if there is an overall air of mutual respect in the house they'll catch on eventually. Talking about the blessings in your own life as well as the setbacks, or even better finding ways to see those setbacks as blessings, is also is a wonderful way to model real gratitude for your kids.

Strollerderby Playdate: A Little Appreciation

Kelly Mills — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:02:00 GMT

You know what's missing from my life? A little gratitude. I mean, I make the kid's lunch every day and listen to her neverending stories, I try not to yell, I do grocery shopping, I eke out not-quite-a-living writing so I can put day-old bread on the table, I smile cheerfully when I really wanna snarl...

Oh, yeah, I guess there's more than one kind of gratitude. While I'd like to get some appreciation for all the stuff I do, I suppose I could also be glad I have my health and people who say they love me and a good Prince CD in my car stereo.

So maybe my monogamous playdate today will be with Not That I Don't Love My Kids. Cuz she's harried and sarcastic and funny and yet finds things to be grateful for, like getting a poo offering from her kid. And it's perfect timing, because I find a torrid blog affair is just the thing when I feel unappreciated. Two birds right there, baby.

Why Should Adoptive Kids Feel Grateful?

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Sun, 27 May 2007 12:45:00 GMT

Anti-racist parent bloggers ask the question: Why should adoptees be grateful? Author Margie Perscheid summarizes this way: I believe the mainstream views adoption through a lens of charity. People who have plenty are encouraged to give - and the poor are conditioned to be grateful.

Those who receive charity (adoptees) are meant to feel gratitude. Children, no matter how they come into our lives owe us no debt of gratitude at all. Parents who wait around to feel deeply thoughtfully appreciated for choosing to make a family with their children, are in for a long, hard, disappointing wait.

Kids who are adopted owe no more gratitude to their parents than biological children. And to think otherwise will create a poison environment of resentment between parent and child.

[vis Anti-Racist Parent]