Things we've learned in 2012...

[singledad]

So it's that time of year when one looks back on the last year and take stock of everything that happened. For me, 2012 was a year of many lessons. Here are some of the lessons I learned:

<LIST>

• 
  <LI>
• Chewing gum cannot be removed from hair. You have to cut it out.</LI>
  <LI>
• Earthworms can be pets.</LI>
  <LI>
• It's fun to put pet-earthworms to work in a worm-farm.</LI>
  <LI>
• I-messages are wonderfully effective. (Thanks, parentastic!)</LI>
  <LI>
• So is active listening.</LI>
  <LI>
• It is ok to be vulnerable sometimes, even for men. Even for dads.</LI>
  <LI>
• In life, you have to gamble sometimes. Perhaps you will win, perhaps not. But if you don't try, you lose anyway.</LI>
  <LI>
• Love is a risk worth taking.</LI>
  <LI>
• In the eyes of society, the reputations of powerful adults are still more important than the well-being of little kids.</LI>
  <LI>
• No matter what you do, there will always be someone who will criticize you for it.</LI>
  <LI>
• The average adult has no idea how to help an abused child.</LI>
  <LI>
• I am not as strong as I thought, and yet -</LI>
  <LI>
• I am much stronger than I ever imagined.</LI>
  <LI>
• It takes strength to admit that you are weak.</LI>
  <LI>
• The simplest way to ensure that you'll make mistakes, is by trying to be perfect.</LI>
  <LI>
• Listen to your kids - you might just learn from them.</LI>
  <LI>
• School uniforms are helluva expensive.</LI>
  <LI>
• A cheese sandwich, made by a 5 year old, tastes better than a gourmet meal in a restaurant.</LI>
  <LI>
• A little girl's kisses can ease even the worst pain.</LI>
  <LI>
• Sometimes you can influence people in ways you never imagined, simply by sharing your truth.</LI>
  <LI>
• You cannot grow inside your own comfort zone.</LI>
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• It's ok to fall.</LI>
  <LI>
• It's ok to ask someone to help you get up.</LI>
  <LI>
• Courage is not the absence of fear. It's the willingness to act in spite of fear.</LI>
  <LI>
• Try not to project your own fears onto your children. Life is scary enough for little kids even without an adult's baggage.</LI>
  <LI>
• I get to write the book of my own life.</LI>
  <LI>
• Life truly is beautiful. </LI>

</LIST>
What have you learned this year?

 

[Mom2all]

<LIST>

• 
  <LI>
• Sometimes you have to stand up to the big bad wolf and fight even when you feel small and powerless. Pretend you have hurricane forces behind you.</LI>
  <LI>
• Speaking truth.. no matter how hard or uncomfortable, can have a affect on people that makes needed changes.</LI>
  <LI>
• The union has hurricane forces behind it. ( and they aren't pretending) </LI>
  <LI>
• There are more abused women in the world that statistics show. MANY MANY MORE.</LI>
  <LI>
• Sometimes its better to walk away from friends and family than it is to work things out. If they can't stand behind you, they tend to push you down.</LI>
  <LI>
• 14 year old boys love all boobies. They don't discriminate. :wacko:</LI>
  <LI>
• Daughters become women you count among your friends. </LI>
  <LI>
• Grandma's get older and start slipping away. They are your roots..learn their stories.</LI>
  <LI>
• You can have people in your life you've never seen and still count them among your best friends.</LI>
  <LI>
• Your children will love who they will. Grin and bare it.</LI>
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• Dogs really will eat anything.</LI>
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• Even if I can't change the world for all people, if I change it for 1 in a positive way, it was worth the effort.</LI>
  <LI>
• Autistic children can become king of the dance floor and have moves like John Tavolta. </LI>

</LIST>

 

[cybele]

<LIST>

• 
  <LI>
• How to make bullet points on here</LI>
  <LI>
• I can be really hypocritical sometimes when it comes when it comes to my kids growing up</LI>
  <LI>
• When the above happens, my Grandmother is the most amazing person at setting me straight, I am so lucky to have her</LI>
  <LI>
• Sometimes you have to grin and bear the criticism, gossip and cruel opinions of others in order to do what you know is right</LI>
  <LI>
• How to break into my house through the manhole in the roof, hopefully I never have to do that again</LI>
  <LI>
• To pity my mother instead of hate her with a powerful rage. Anyone who thinks calling up their only daughter on her birthday to tell her to "do a favour for everyone and go and kill yourself" must live an awful life</LI>
  <LI>
• That I have the most wonderful parents ever - my inlaws</LI>
  <LI>
• That no matter what, there will always be one person in the room screaming about how Disney princesses are evil, always, instead of trying to make a point, view them as a source of entertainment</LI>
  <LI>
• My kids are actually very intelligent, and I need to give them more credit for that</LI>
  <LI>
• There is a strange bonding thing that happens when you grab your oldest two kids to read an online argument with you, my favourite of the year being (and sorry guys, not from this forum) "You are not proving anything by not eating at Chick-fil-a, bla bla bla hurting the franchisees, not the CEO, AND BEING AVEGETARIAN WHO LIVES IN A COUNTRY WHERE THERE IS NO CHICK-FIL-A IS NOT AN EXCUSE NOT TO EAT THERE!" Okay then.</LI>
  <LI>
• That Christmas tree's are ridiculous to assemble, why do I have to stick every branch in seperately?</LI>
  <LI>
• There is nothing more dramatic than a teenage relationship that never actually existed "breaking up"</LI>
  <LI>
• Sometimes it's more fun to not be the Mum all the time, and just relax and watch smutty cartoons with your older kids and not have to feel like the moral compass, Moral Orel is hilarious, and they ahve good heads on their shoulders and the whole "Now you know this isn't right" talk is just silly at this point, of course they know that</LI>

</LIST>

 

[singledad]

<LIST>

• 
  <LI>
• To pity my mother instead of hate her with a powerful rage. Anyone who thinks calling up their only daughter on her birthday to tell her to "do a favour for everyone and go and kill yourself" must live an awful life</LI>

</LIST>

Sorry cybele, that's gotta really hurt. I thought that kind of statement was reserved for teenagers leaving anonymous comments on youtube...

 

[cybele]

Nope, apparently it is also popular amongst 68yr old women who consider themselves more moral and righteous than everyone else, funny that.

 

[Mom2all]

Goes to show that some people can be a mother and not a mama. I'm sorry this was a lesson you learned.

 

[Father_0f_7]

According to my (almost) 4 year old grandson if you see something sad you can just no remember it.

"Papa, if you see a dead turtle in the road it's okay, just don't remember it."

 

[bssage]

A pair of 10 year olds panties are strong enough to blow my sewers 1200 dollar lift station.

So is a stuffed animal.

So is the second stuffed animal.

The plumbing company cant look you in the face without smiling after you replace 3 lift stations

 

[cybele]

The stuffed animals I can imagine, but underpants can really do that? Woah.

 

[bssage]

Yep gets twisted up in the gears. When our panties are in a knot. I mean they are really in a knot.

 

[singledad]

When our panties are in a knot. I mean they are really in a knot.

:biglaugh:

 

[Neway]

I have learned that 2 year olds think that when smartphones go flat, they are broken and need to go in the bin.......they then don't remember where they put it until 2 days after the garbage man has been......

 

[akmom]

You can get gum out of hair. You have to let it dry completely, then pinch the hair right above it, and pull it out strand by strand. You can get the last bits with a fine-tooth comb.

"Papa, if you see a dead turtle in the road it's okay, just don't remember it."

So precious!

 

[singledad]

You can get gum out of hair. You have to let it dry completely, then pinch the hair right above it, and pull it out strand by strand. You can get the last bits with a fine-tooth comb.

Good to know!

 

[Shaun Austin]

the biggest things I have learnt are:

<LIST>

• 
  <LI>
• Never ever say that you are done having kids, we said we were done with four now we have six (technically)</LI>
  <LI>
• my wife has one of the wierdest jobs ever - she told the story of how she had to remove a telephone reciever from a dogs mouth when it tried to attack a telephone - the base was still attached!!!</LI>
  <LI>
• teenage siblings will fight... and they won't stop for anyone (particularly if they are boys)</LI>
  <LI>
• it is easier to make pasta and sauce than a sanwich (if you are an 16 year old boy called Callum)</LI>
  <LI>
• your 7 and 8 year olds can be smarter than you 16 and 17 year olds</LI>
  <LI>
• sprouts have an amazing way of disapearing... onto the floor</LI>
  <LI>
• and most importantly kids often deserve more credit than we give them, man Cameron has a lot of ingenuity</LI>

</LIST>