Cause in this post refers to Actions undertaken and Effects are the consequences of those actions. Consequences are the effects of our action, not necessarily positive or negative.
Being a mother two can be a challenging task on some days but despite those challenges and varying levels of motivation, energy and availability of time, I strongly believe that I continue being the mother I want to be. Surely it would be easier and I get encouraged by kind friends to ‘let loose a little’ so that life is a little easier but that would significantly clash with my values and I would not be able to live with that. Now, you probably picture me as a strict disciplinarian following and imposing various rules around the house and sucking the fun out of childhood and life in general ! lol. But let me assure you, my son (5) will report me as anything but strict or boring (the other one is too young to experience anything but good set routine so far so she cant comment yet).
I often wonder if life would be different if I didn’t I didn’t do for a living – but its now in my second nature to predict the few possible outcomes of every action I undertake, especially as a mother. The effect of some of our actions or lack of, are quite apparent and we spend a second if that before undertaking or not undertaking them.
Knowing very well that most parents want the best for their children, I often see parents with their adolescent children facing some ‘issues’ that are common for most children that age. Some of these issues are influenced by their raging hormones and peer influences and parents have limited influences on minimizing the impacts of these factors on the behaviour and thought patterns of their children. But I believe if the foundation has been laid right during their upbringing, the children are less likely to indulge in unacceptable behaviour for extended periods of time and more likely to have a focus in life.
The next post will have a list of some of the values that guide S and me as parents