be a better mom

a venus fly-trap. Which she loves. I know buying stuff doesn’t really count towards being a better mom, but it is a really cool plant. And she loves it.

OK, so this one isn’t really about my relationship with my two youngest, but about with my teenage step-daughter. We’ve always had a somewhat rocky relationship, and I’m entirely to blame. I’m far too critical of her and don’t take the time to appreciate what is wonderful about her. For some reason, I’ve always expected her to be more mature than her years and to be able to accomplish more than she might be able to independently.

I went to a therapist a few years ago to try to figure out why I have such a hard time with this, but he was no help at all, in fact he kind of gave me permission to remain emotionally distant from her.

So, with this goal I’m first going to work on giving her at least three compliments for every criticism, and I’ll try to make sure that I don’t come off as harsh or judgemental when I do criticize.