Dear Baby – First letter in new series
I can hear you groaning at this whole letter thing. You’re probably rolling your eyes and shrugging it off as either dumb or embarrassing. But I’m hoping on some level, you secretly love it.
As a writer, my mind goes places I sometimes wish it didn’t. But I don’t have to be a writer to know that none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. In the event that something happens to me before you’re mature enough to listen and hear what I’m saying, I’m writing you letters of advice. This way you can read them at your leisure, in your own time.
I’m not a psychologist or have any sort of psychiatry degree, but I have a mother’s heart and a dream that you’ll have a wonderful life. The advice I’m giving comes from things I’ve read and experiences I’ve had. None of it is infallible, like me as a parent. No one is perfect.
For my first letter and first piece of advice, I want to start with attitude.
Attitude will carry you
Google defines attitude as ” a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person’s behavior. ”
Think of attitude as if it were a boat carrying you across the sea. Do you want your attitude boat to drift with the waves and currents? What if those currents pushed you further out to sea, or threatened to smash you on some rocks?
I’m here to tell you that despite how sometimes feels, you have control over your attitude. You have control over how you behave and react to things around you. If you want to steer that boat, you have to manage your emotions so you can react in a way that will take you in the right direction.
This could mean:
- That even though your teacher doesn’t teach well, instead of accepting it, you adopt the attitude that education is important and find other ways to supplement your studies. In the end, your future is in your hands.
- Have an attitude of forgiveness. Let go of past arguments. Most of the time these negative feelings hurt you more than the person you’re mad at. Forgiveness doesn’t mean whatever happened was okay. It lets you cut off a weight that could be weighing you down.
- Take the attitude of acceptance and move forward. Once again, this doesn’t mean whatever going on is okay. It means you’ve accepted the circumstance in a way that will let you make actionable steps to move forward. Let’s say one day you have a job you hate. Don’t just complain about it. Accept that it’s not right for you and take the steps to find a new job. Be proactive.
Whatever happens in your future, don’t let your own attitude hold you back. Sometimes this means letting go of pride, and that’s okay.
You’re a beautiful young woman, with many different attitudes. I look forward to watching you grow and develop these into productive behaviors.
Love always,
Mom