“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather.” -Goethe
Jenny’s Take: Upon first glance, this might seem like a self absorbed statement. I suppose you could read it this way, if it weren’t for one little word. That word is “frightening”. There is a certain amount of humility when you recognize that things don’t happen TO you, but rather WITH you. You have the power – and it is immense in its nature – to take anything that comes your way and handle it with grace, humor, and dignity.
No matter what happens to you, you always…always have the power to choose your reaction to it. Which means that you have the power to create a beautiful climate in your home or a stormy one. The choice is up to you.
-Jenny Runkel, Director of Content for The ScreamFree Institute
The Confident Mom’s Take: This past week a comment was left on a blog post about stress and our kids. One reader said she was the ‘barometer’ in her home, her mood and stress level determined how the house would run that day. I completely agree and I love the term, ‘barometer’ – you will probably see it more often. I have said for quite some time that our role as mom’s, Keepers of the Home really has tremendous influence in our family. Our mood and how we choose to handle certain situations is extremely contagious. This is a reminder, especially for me as I am running LOW on sleep, up late at night with a fuzzy newborn and realizing that I can’t do it all at the same level that I was before this little person entered our home. I have a choice in how I choose to take care of myself and treat others in my home, whether or not I have had “enough” sleep or not. I have the chance to create a warm and loving environment or a unstable and stressed one. What can you do today to make sure you project the mood you desire your family to imitate?
