Get Rid Of Your Passive Aggression

"Life is simply time given to man to learn how to live. Mistakes are always part of learning. The real dignity of life consists in cultivating a fine attitude towards our own mistakes and those of others."
Anonymous

Hi I heard from a couople of MIL's. One stated how her son had asked her over to look at his latest work done on the house. Apparently her DIL was not aware. The MIL took the brunt of the anger through passive aggression. Her DIL never looked at her when she was talking herself or when her MIL was talking. She smiled a forced smile but was quick  with  her moves and stiff with her body language. MIL or DIL as well as people in general are guilty of passive aggression. If we think we cover it up we don't. We get the message across to others bluntly. The victim is at our mercy. If the victim complained the aggressor would deny what they were doing and state nothing could be further from the truth. The victim in a sense would become the complainer and one who imagines they are being shunned. We all know when we are getting the proverbial "Cold Shoulder". What do we achieve by doing this to another? We hurt the person at the receiving end. It is demeaning and usually from what I hear, the receiver is confused and trying to figure out why they are a target. Maybe we assume too much. We think they have done something that they most likely didn't do but we make them  guilty until proven innocent. Sometimes we can't prove our innocence. If we simply look for the best in others and assume they are never deliberately trying to hurt us, we all might thrive a lot better. Sometimes it seems that the people who think others are guilty of  saying or doing something negative to them are the people who are doing these things themselves. If we live our lives complaining about others and talking about others and perpetuating a "Cold Attitudes" towards them, it's time to ask ourselves if we are the guilty party. We all will play many roles in our lives. Remembering this should help us to live a more honorable life. A small hurt may hurt another and affect them for the rest of the day or week. In the same way a small gesture of kindness without attitude, may cheer a person for a day or a week. We always have the choice not only to increase our happiness but  the happiness of others.

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these." George Washington Carver

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Why Things Backfire

Hi
"Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted."
Aldous Huxley

One MIL complained that her once excellent relationship with her DIL was becoming strained.  Her DIL, who had just had a baby, was planning on going back to work immediately. The MIL couldn't understand this because she stated, her DIL had waited and tried for years to get pregnant. She didn't have to work and chose to return. What came of many discussions was that her DIL had a childhood devoid of a father. Her father died suddenly and her mother had to work to make ends meet. They were poor but managed. The young woman never forgot her childhood years and just couldn't bring herself to give up what she considered to be her security. The two agreed to disagree and renewed their relationship. I think there are many points to this story. Many of us judge things without having all of the facts. How we grew up, what we were taught, the barriers we construct as well as our viewpoints, trials, tribulations and differentiations are momentous. Tolerance understanding patience and time breaks down the walls. It produces knowledge which will allow us to accommodate our differences and move forward.
Our judgements and conclusions can be so far from the mark. We all might reach the same end and learn the same lessons but in a variety of ways. The MIL believed and rightly so that being there for her children twenty four seven was a good thing. The DIL believed and rightly so that making sure she and her child would never go hungry was a good thing. It boils down to love. If love enters into our decisions we can't ever be goofing off track. If we are, the love always boomerangs back to us and helps us get things straight.

"If you want to get the best out of a person you must look for the best that is in him." Bernard Haldane

"Three billion people on the face of the earth go to bed hungry every night, but four billion people go to bed every night hungry for a simple word of encouragement and recognition." Cavett Robert

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Viewing The Forest Instead Of The Tree

"We live in deeds not years, in thoughts , not breaths; In feelings. not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart throbs. He most lives who thinks the most-feels the noblest-acts the best." Philip James Bailey

This is a topic that would allow us to go on for months and possibly years. Many of us would be shocked to realize we are ever guilty of ungratefulness. None of us does it on purpose or plans it. It just happens. It happens too frequently nowadays. If we could take a look at the small things that go by unnoticed, it might help us to catch a view of the larger things. A simple thing like holding a door is loaded with kindness. We just need to pay better attention to these small acts of kindness which not only bring comfort to us but satisfaction to the person displaying the kindness.

"Graciousness is more than good manners. It is more than courtesy. It is the etiquette of the soul. True graciousness has such a divine quality we feel it is something that comes through us and not from us." Fred Smith

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Sowing The Seeds For Success

"Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it comes and softly sits on your shoulder." Nathaniel Hawthorne

During some recent difficult days, I had a lot of time to think and reflect. I realized that as the saying goes, stop to smell the roses, is undoubtedly true. When we are forced to stop for a moment our greatest reflections come to the forefront of our minds and remind us just what it is we are doing with our lives. Do we spend it being jealous or envious of others? Do we spend it attempting to get even for the wrongs another did to us? Do we spend it making money or fame? None of these things make us happy. Revenge will leave us empty and disgusted with ourselves. Fame and fortune will find us friends who will leave us as quickly as they came. Happiness is inner and comes  from the contentment of our own lives. We really need to dwell  on the positive things in our lives. To do this we must slow down and "Smell the coffee or the flowers" It might just change our focus towards something that is more worthwhile or inspiring. As the saying goes if you are handed lemons make lemon juice. See those around you  as innocent. View any comments or actions as unintentional. It brings peace of mind and allows the potentially guilty party to possibly reflect on their comments or actions and regret and have a change of heart. Either way our mind and  body are at peace.

            I knew one MIL and DIL who were having trouble communicating. Exasperated one day the MIL said to me how frustrating it was to discuss anything with her DIL. She mentioned the many times she asked her DIL to lunch but was always shot down with a negative reply and excusse. She felt hated by her DIL and began avoiding her. I happened to run across the DIL one day and asked how her MIL was faring. She immediately and sheepishly replied she hadn't seen much of her lately. Because she appeared to be saddened rather than happy or angry I pursued to question her why that was so. She stated how she enjoyed her MIL's company but that her own mother resented any time she spent with her MIL. This caused her to feel guilty every time she enjoyed her MIL's company. I gently encouraged her to maintain a relationship with her MIL. It was healthy and in no way diminished her reltionship with her own mother. I told her how wonderful were the moments I spent with my own DIL's. Her face sort of lit up and she resolved to think about what I had said. I'm not sure how it all worked out but I am sure of how we manage to influence others in a negative rather than a positive way.

"In your hands you hold the seeds of failure or the potential for greatness. Your hands are capable but they must be used and for the right things to reap the rewards you are capable of attaining. The choice is yours." Zig Ziglar

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Steering Around Holiday Potholes

"The game of life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts ,deeds, and words return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy." Florence Scovel Shinn

Holidays remind us of past memories, which can be both good and bad. Keep the present holidays central, and be thankful to  share it with people you love. Each holiday is unique. It is not possible or necessary to repeat a holiday experience. Embrace each holiday with a renewed spirit. Be fair when dividing your Holiday time between families. It might not be possible to spend your holidays with your children. Share memories throughout the year with those you care about and forget what the calendar says. A vacation spent with the grandchildren is just as wonderful as a Holiday time gathering. This quiet time over the summer may be more enjoyable and have less stress. Everything and everybody changes. We can always hope for the best in these changes. Change avoids stagnation. Attempt to keep some traditions but be accepting of the new traditions. Happy, positive outlooks add to the mood of a holiday get-together. Nix the negative and promote the positive. You will always be a sought after member of the family.

"Each of us will one day be judged by our standard of life, not by our standard of living; by our measure of giving, not by our measure of wealth; by our simple goodness, not by our seeming greatness." William Arthur Ward

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On Reflection, Maybe The Gift Was Thoughtful.

"Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognitiion of this is the beginning of wisdom." Theodore Isaac Rubin
Stepphanie loved to cook. Her MIL hated to cook. Often Steph invited her MIL to dinner because she enjoyed how much her  MIL appreciated good food. Her MIL, Karen especially loved and would comment on Steph's  bread. One holiday Steph decided to buy a bread machine for her MIL. She could  hardly wait for her MIL to open the gift. Upon opening the gift, her MIL was extremely  dissappointed and appeared to be offended. Her MIL just stated Steph should keep the machine or return it because it wasn't something she would use. Steph was now offended herself  and the once strong bond of affection was strained. Both  women retreated to their own thoughts.
After a few days they talked. Karen said she understood that Steph would like her to start making her own bread so she didn't depend on Steph's invitations to dinner. Karen also explained that Steph should understand how much she hated to cook and would thus never use the machine.
Steph stated that she knew  how much Karen loved homemade bread and she wanted her MIL to enjoy it whenever she wanted without waiting for an invitation to dinner from Steph. Stephanie also explained that she was aware how much Karen hated to cook and she thought the machine was a compromise. It wasn't like homemade bread but it was better than store bought bread. Steph finished with how the machine was easy to use.
Both women were so surprised at the confusion the gift had caused. Don't measure the gift in terms of love. Many husbands have royally failed. One of my  husband's first gifts to me was a recipe card holder. I have told him many times he was lucky I went through with marrying him.
It will help at holiday time to think about the gifts of time that others have given. It is a much more valuable gift, and besides, isn't love unconditional?

"That best prtion of the good man's life- his little namelessness, unremembered acts of kindness and of love." Wadsworth

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How To Stop Self-Destructive Behavior

"Using guilt as a tool to coerce your son or husband diminishes growth in relationships. Your son/husband possesses the capacity to love both his wife and his mother."

I was at a park the other day and overheard a DIL ripping her father-in-law to shreds. Her acquaitence appeared to be the unwilling victim as she tried to diminish every incident the woman discussed. In between her anger the angry woman mentioned that she was at the moment living with her in-laws because she was having a house built. She also mentioned that she'd lived with them before when pregnant with her,  first child because of the painting being done at her house. In all of this it never occurred to her that the house of her in-law's had been opened to her  and her husband and their two children for as long as they needed. Her MIL was barely mentioned which I would say was a good thing. If we only see our side of any situation, we will never find the truth. It's never easy to live with anyone without having some disagreements from time to time. Living with ones' in-laws may open a can of worms. On the other hand one must observe the situation in its entirety. If you are saving money, time aggravation, you are well ahead of the situation. To accept with dignity, the small irritations which only become huge when one dwells on them too long, is a necessity. The  rewards outweigh the minor failings. I say this all the time, but put yourself in another's shoes. The in-laws may not be relishing the situation any more than you are and to boot, they are not gaining any appreciation in the matter. Most likely they are doing it becasue they love their son and his family. It doesn't mean they are  not totally inconvenienced themselves. Making the best of a situation as well as perceiving the gains and benefits to our children and family in general will cancel out problems. Life is made easier when we come to realize the world is not about me. There is a world of me's. Look for the positive and be happy or see only the negative and be miserable. The choice is always our own. What will you choose today?

"The core jproblem is not that we are too passionate about bad things, but that we are not passionate enough about good things." Larry Crabb

"Gratitude conserves the vital energies of a person  more than any other attitude tested." Hans Selve

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The Most Important Step You Can Take

Hi
 I began this mother=in-law daughter-in-law investigation years ago and have continued my research. It was amazing to find the issues are the same for every generation. One item that keeps cropping up is communication and interpretation. We all have a dilemma with those. We miscommunicate to others and or misinterpretate what others say to us. MIL's and DIL's do this to each other. With some people we easily work it out but with in-laws we get nervous and shy away. MIL's must step back and realize the playing field has changed. To continue the relationship with their son and his family, she must not interfere with advice. What she thinks is helpful hints may be interpreted by her DIL as interference. The DIL's must understand that for many years MIL was her son's consultant and he trusts her. MIL needs time to accept the changes and DIL should refrain from any judgments for a short while. DIL is privy to the families problems but without the long history of love intertwined.  Time gives the DIL more confidence and the MIL more patience and self-control. Shutting each other out immediately will deprive both women of a multitude of love and support  in the years to come. The women have so much more in common than the realize.

My reflection for Mothers-in-law is, Pay to have certain jobs done if you can afford the money. It will save your son and daughter-in-law aggravation and an abundance of time. Appreciate any jobs they do for you.
My DIL reflection, Appreciate your mother-in-law's busy life when she declines to babysit, and appreciate her even more  when she does babysit.

"The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated." William James

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Have An Attitude Of Gratitude

"Gratitude conserves the vital energies of a person more than any other attitude tested." Hans Selye

Everyone has those days when nothing goes the way you planned.Wasn't sure which way I was headed but I needed to get my sense of security back. I believe it is days like these that we are thankful for the beautiful people in our lives. They bring love kindness stability and a sense of belonging. This is awesome especially when one needs the added boost. Don't mean to ramble but those who have ever found themselves floundering might relate to this blog. I'm thankful for family and friends who grab me and place my feet back on the  ground. Thanks also to my fire friends daughter and daughters-in-law. All MIL need to give a hug and a quick thank you to their daughters and their daughters-in-law. I am so thankful for my sons and son-in-law. Try to always be thankful for what you have because it makes it easier to simply forget about what's missing. Nothing takes the place of people love.

"The core problem is not that we are too passionate about bad things, but that we are not passionate enough about good things."  Larry Crabb

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