Taking a Stand

Family has always been very important to me.  I have always prided myself on making the people around me feel loved and cared for.  I do not have a lot of money or material possessions, but I have a heart full of love, and to me, that means more then anything money can buy.  Once I got married, I looked forward to embracing a new set of people to my family.  Yet, it is very hard when there is a few people who seem hell bent on making sure I do not feel welcome in the family, and want nothing more then to feel they can tell me what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and retaliate when they do not get their way.  I'm not here to name names or put anyone on blast.  However, it has gotten to the point where I have just had enough.  I was the bigger person, extending a hand of friendship for the sake of the family, for the children, and yet all I have gotten in return is grief.  My son is a wonderful child with a beautiful and budding personality and sense of humor.  He is happy, healthy, and is so loved.  Again, I may not be able to afford him expensive toys, clothes, birthday parties, and the like, but to him that doesn't matter.  All he wants is the love of his parents and his family and he has that in abundance.  I refuse to feel sub par because others have more means then I do, or are able to do more for their child then I can do for mine.  But honestly, isn't that just teaching them that life is about money and material possessions, and that if you don't have that, your not worth anything?  As much as I hate it, I am very good at putting on a friendly face and demeanor around people that I do not favor, and I have tried so hard to find a place of forgiveness for past transgressions because the Lord wants us to forgive those who have trespassed against us.  However, just because I forgive, doesn't mean I ever forget, and it doesn't mean I need to associate myself with those who make me feel as though I am unworthy of their time.

The last straw is being called out as not being a good parent.  This truly cut me to the core.  My parenting skills, who I am as a mother, all stems from the greatest example of motherhood I have ever seen, and that was my own beautiful mother.  Like me, she did not have a lot in terms of possessions and money, but she has love and that was all I needed from her.  I parent my child the way she parented me, and I know I am doing right when I see how smart my son  is, how much he has learned and knows in just his three short years of life, and my husband steps in as a father should.  We are responsible parents, caring for his well-being, and I dare anyone to tell me my child is not taken care of.  I don't really know why certain people think we are not as good as parents as we could be.  I could call out some behavior that I have seen that I believe is not conducive to a good parenting relationship and style, but I would never stoop to that level.

As a child, I was bullied almost everyday throughout elementary and junior high school, before times such as these were bullying is now not tolerated and it is dealt with.  Being a child with a disability is not easy, but when I came home, my mom made sure I never felt different, that I was treated normally, and home was my safe place.  Now, as an adult, I feel as though I am being bullied by someone who has come into my safe place, and is attacking me emotionally.  However, I refuse to stand for this any longer.  In order to not feel bullied and to not get my feelings hurt, I am removing myself, and my family, from the situation.  We are real people with real feelings and we will not get them trampled on any longer.  This is not behavior our son needs to see or be apart of, because soon I fear that negativity is going to be placed on my child.

If I have learned one thing from this year, and the loss we have dealt with, it is that life is just too damn short. Too short to be dealing with drama and heartache.  I need happiness and positivity in my life, or I sink back into a place of sadness and grief that I try everyday to overcome.  If you love me and my family, you are here to support us, then your welcome into our lives and into our home.  If  not, then we cannot have you in our lives anymore.