What do you do when you are not a welcome part of your own family? You know, the people you grew up with? The people who were supposed to be there for you when you need them?
My son is sick, major sick. You wouldn't know it to look at him, but there are potentially life-threatening things happening inside his little body. He will have surgery as soon as the doctors have some idea what they are dealing with.
I am...freaking out. I am holding it together for the sake of my kids and husband. Thankfully, my wonderful husband and I have our breakdowns on different schedules. It is a small blessing in our chaos. Thankfully, my husband's family has been wonderful. Our friend's have been amazing. Our ward has been amazing. We feel loved and supported by more people than we could have hoped for.
With one exception.
I emailed the people I grew up with...my siblings. We are all close in age, all four of us. After first learning of this, I emailed to tell them what I know. Things have been strained for the last several years. I have been excluded from many things. Not get-togethers, but information. Important information about the family. Everyone else seemed to know for a while by the time I was told anything. They don't call me, and they never ask how things are going. I tried for a long time to bridge the gap, but it only proved to show me exactly how big the gap really is.
So I considered not telling them, but I decided that would be unfair. I thought, "It is their nephew; of course they will care." I thought I would give them a chance to show that they actually do care about my family. I thought not telling them would be selfish. Wouldn't they want to know about their nephew's life? I could hear them calling me selfish for not telling them. I could hear the yelling..."How could you not tell us about something so big with our nephew?"
So I told them.
I emailed them. I emailed everyone who does not live within 10 miles of me because I just can't talk about it without sobbing. It takes everything I have to not sob in front of my children, so there is no way I could make all the calls saying the same thing over and over again. An email was efficient. I apologized for the email and explained that I just could not re-tell it twelve different times. I told them they could call and talk to me and talk to my son. (Incidentally, I called my parents first and emailed my siblings as soon as I hung up. My parents reacted the way grandparents should. With support. With fear. Even with love---also surprising, but for another post.
But what did I get from my siblings? A one line email from each of them, saying something along the lines of "poor thing". THIS IS NOT A POOR THING MOMENT!
This is a pick-up-the-damn-phone-and-call-your-sister-and-nephew moment.
But I didn't get that. I got equivalent to nothing. Nothing at all. That was weeks ago, and still I have received nothing. Not an email. Not a text. Not a phone call. My son has received nothing. Not an email. Not a text. Not a phone call. Nothing. He wonders where they are. Other people have called. Sent cards. Added prayers to ours.
So I am walking away. I am tired of being the selfish one without reason or justification. I have lived my whole life with them telling me that I am selfish. It was never selfish. It was always self-preservation, from the abuse that I endured from my earliest memory.
This is not the first time this something like this has happened, but it will be the last. This time I am going to be selfish. I am thinking of my children. My own well being. Being a part of the poison that is my "family" is just too much. Too much strain on my family. So, I am walking away. I don't understand why this all happened the way it did, but I do understand that I can't do this anymore. I have to take care of my son, my children, my husband, my family.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Piercings and Tattoos (and some commentary)
There has been a lot of talk on the internet on this subject, so I thought I would take a stab.
Tattoos first; I don't have any. That is not to say I have never wanted one. When I was 20 I really wanted a daisy on my ankle, or maybe on my hip. The problem? I HATE needles, and the thoughts of a needle with INK being stuck in my body thousands of time to produce a drawing was just not appealing to me. I love daisies but not that much. I also struggled with the idea of having something from my early 20s a permanent part of my body when I turn 80. I can't imagine it would look pretty 60 years later. So, no tattoos for me.
Piercings: I have my ears pierced the standard once in each ear. When I was 15, I pierced just my left ear. That stayed until I turned 18 and went to a school (not a church school) where only one piercing was allowed. When I turned 20, instead of getting the aforementioned tattoo, I pierced both ears a second time. They are still pierced. I took the second piercing out when I was YW President (lest I lead the girls astray with the extra holes in my ears), but put them back in a month after I was released. Earlier this year, I took them out again. I will probably put them back in again. I like my double ear piercings. I really do, and I do not think that a suggestion from a prophet equals a commandment. It is not doctrinal, and with this I struggle.
Earlier this year, I wrote this post about removing my second piercing. I still feel the peace that I felt then, but now I am not sure that a second piercing for me is rebellious. Does a second piercing make me unworthy? No, it doesn't. Does it make me immodest? No, it doesn't.
Now, a friend of mine will ask if a faithful LDS person cannot follow the suggestion of a prophet, will she follow the doctrine of the Church? This is an interesting question, and, at first, I liked it. However, I think it is too simplistic a view. I go to the Temple. I honor my covenants. I go to church. I pay a full tithe. I obey the Word of Wisdom. I am active in the Gospel (not just the church). I honor I body and my soul. And a second piercing in my ears does not take away from that. A piercing in my nose (which I don't have, but I do know several wonderful people who do) does not make me unrighteous. To me, there is little difference between one piercing and two. They are both vain decorations. It is not part of my culture to pierce my ears. I did it because I wanted pretty and shiny things adorning my ears. I am not putting my second piercings back in, but this post just has me thinking about the perceived meaning of two ear piercings versus the actual meaning of the piercings.
Tattoos first; I don't have any. That is not to say I have never wanted one. When I was 20 I really wanted a daisy on my ankle, or maybe on my hip. The problem? I HATE needles, and the thoughts of a needle with INK being stuck in my body thousands of time to produce a drawing was just not appealing to me. I love daisies but not that much. I also struggled with the idea of having something from my early 20s a permanent part of my body when I turn 80. I can't imagine it would look pretty 60 years later. So, no tattoos for me.
Piercings: I have my ears pierced the standard once in each ear. When I was 15, I pierced just my left ear. That stayed until I turned 18 and went to a school (not a church school) where only one piercing was allowed. When I turned 20, instead of getting the aforementioned tattoo, I pierced both ears a second time. They are still pierced. I took the second piercing out when I was YW President (lest I lead the girls astray with the extra holes in my ears), but put them back in a month after I was released. Earlier this year, I took them out again. I will probably put them back in again. I like my double ear piercings. I really do, and I do not think that a suggestion from a prophet equals a commandment. It is not doctrinal, and with this I struggle.
Earlier this year, I wrote this post about removing my second piercing. I still feel the peace that I felt then, but now I am not sure that a second piercing for me is rebellious. Does a second piercing make me unworthy? No, it doesn't. Does it make me immodest? No, it doesn't.
Now, a friend of mine will ask if a faithful LDS person cannot follow the suggestion of a prophet, will she follow the doctrine of the Church? This is an interesting question, and, at first, I liked it. However, I think it is too simplistic a view. I go to the Temple. I honor my covenants. I go to church. I pay a full tithe. I obey the Word of Wisdom. I am active in the Gospel (not just the church). I honor I body and my soul. And a second piercing in my ears does not take away from that. A piercing in my nose (which I don't have, but I do know several wonderful people who do) does not make me unrighteous. To me, there is little difference between one piercing and two. They are both vain decorations. It is not part of my culture to pierce my ears. I did it because I wanted pretty and shiny things adorning my ears. I am not putting my second piercings back in, but this post just has me thinking about the perceived meaning of two ear piercings versus the actual meaning of the piercings.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Three Personal Traits that I am Proud of
1. Faith. I am a woman of faith. I accept that there are things that I do not understand. That is not to say that I do not try to understand everything I can, but I know that everything happens for a reason. I live my life based on this faith. I think, I question, but in the end, I live my life based on my faith.
2. Accepting. I am incredibly accepting of all people, regardless of who they are, what they do, or anything else. I know that every person I meet is a child of God. A child that God loves. I try to live every day with this in mind. My students tell me that they know that my classroom is a place without judgement. Where they can come and be. That I will accept them regardless of their past or their present. That I will listen to whatever struggles they have and not judge. That I accept each of them for what they are. I truly believe that each person is more than his/her actions, and I accept that about every person I meet. I love that my students know this. I love that my friends know this. Jesus said, "As I have loved you, love one another." I always remember this and remember that Jesus accepted and loved every single person he came in contact with. He never turned away from anyone. I try to live my life as He did.
3. Intelligent. I have a thirst for knowledge. In my Patriarchal Blessing, it talks about my intelligence and my love of learning. I love the words in that blessing because it truly showed me that Heavenly Father knows who I am. I did not know the Patriarch prior to walking into his home, but the words which he pronounced upon me were me. They were Heavenly Father telling me that He knows me and loves me. I have always loved learning; school is something that always came easy for me. I worked hard, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I still want to learn everything I can. In the 130th section of the Doctrine and Covenants it states, "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." I love this scripture so much, and it is another thing by which I live my life.
Here is the thing about these traits; often times people in my ward do not think they should go hand in hand. Take, for example, Faith and Intelligence. I cannot count how many times that I have heard that I need to put my educational aspirations aside and "focus" on my family. I focus on my family just fine. My children are proud of the fact that their mother is intelligent. I can not only help them with their homework (regardless of the subject), but I can also hold an intelligent conversation with them. My children are both naturally intelligent, and they are fortunate and blessed to have two parents who are not only intelligent, but that can help to develop the their intelligence!
Because of my desire for knowledge and education, I have student loans. They are just a part of my life. After we had children, I could not be the fulltimestayathomemom that everyone expected because I needed to work to make my loan student loan payment. I worked around 20 hours a week. My husband had a weird work schedule, so it worked out that when I was working, he was home with the boys. My boys were never in daycare (we could not afford it.) Well, several friends commented to me, "Isn't it funny how you spent all that money and went into debt to get your degree, but if you would have not gone to college, you wouldn't have to work now?" I was livid. I responded, "Yes, that may be true; however, I then I would not have a college degree." My intelligence is important to me. My education is important to me. It is a part of who I am, just like my faith.
2. Accepting. I am incredibly accepting of all people, regardless of who they are, what they do, or anything else. I know that every person I meet is a child of God. A child that God loves. I try to live every day with this in mind. My students tell me that they know that my classroom is a place without judgement. Where they can come and be. That I will accept them regardless of their past or their present. That I will listen to whatever struggles they have and not judge. That I accept each of them for what they are. I truly believe that each person is more than his/her actions, and I accept that about every person I meet. I love that my students know this. I love that my friends know this. Jesus said, "As I have loved you, love one another." I always remember this and remember that Jesus accepted and loved every single person he came in contact with. He never turned away from anyone. I try to live my life as He did.
3. Intelligent. I have a thirst for knowledge. In my Patriarchal Blessing, it talks about my intelligence and my love of learning. I love the words in that blessing because it truly showed me that Heavenly Father knows who I am. I did not know the Patriarch prior to walking into his home, but the words which he pronounced upon me were me. They were Heavenly Father telling me that He knows me and loves me. I have always loved learning; school is something that always came easy for me. I worked hard, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I still want to learn everything I can. In the 130th section of the Doctrine and Covenants it states, "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." I love this scripture so much, and it is another thing by which I live my life.
Here is the thing about these traits; often times people in my ward do not think they should go hand in hand. Take, for example, Faith and Intelligence. I cannot count how many times that I have heard that I need to put my educational aspirations aside and "focus" on my family. I focus on my family just fine. My children are proud of the fact that their mother is intelligent. I can not only help them with their homework (regardless of the subject), but I can also hold an intelligent conversation with them. My children are both naturally intelligent, and they are fortunate and blessed to have two parents who are not only intelligent, but that can help to develop the their intelligence!
Because of my desire for knowledge and education, I have student loans. They are just a part of my life. After we had children, I could not be the fulltimestayathomemom that everyone expected because I needed to work to make my loan student loan payment. I worked around 20 hours a week. My husband had a weird work schedule, so it worked out that when I was working, he was home with the boys. My boys were never in daycare (we could not afford it.) Well, several friends commented to me, "Isn't it funny how you spent all that money and went into debt to get your degree, but if you would have not gone to college, you wouldn't have to work now?" I was livid. I responded, "Yes, that may be true; however, I then I would not have a college degree." My intelligence is important to me. My education is important to me. It is a part of who I am, just like my faith.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Life happens when you least expect it. (This is not a part of the 31 day blog challenge)
I posted a while ago about something being wrong with my son. Even though I knew it was not life-threatening, I was heartbroken and worried. I have been meaning to post an update about it, but I just have not had time. And then something happened to change my perspective.
My son is fine. After many conversations with doctors, we learned that what we feared is highly unlikely. There is still more "watching" to be done (as with any potential neurological issue), but things have gotten so much better with him. The things which scared us in December have all but disappeared. New things have emerged, but doctors have assured us that comes with his age. So, as for my oldest, we wait, we watch, and we pray. But, he is happy. He is not worried. He is fine.
We found peace with my oldest just in time to find fear with my youngest. My youngest is sick. He has been under a doctor's watchful eye for the last month. It has been both a blessing and a curse. It helped us to realize that nothing is wrong with our oldest. It is something that will get better with time. My youngest, however, will need to be monitored and checked for the next year (at least). Doctors are confident they can fix what is making him sick. I believe in them. I know that prayer and fasting work. I also know that everything happens for a reason.
I am so grateful for the Gospel in my life. I am grateful for my testimony of the Savior. I am grateful that my family is an eternal family. I am grateful for the Plan of Salvation. I am grateful for my faith.
My son is fine. After many conversations with doctors, we learned that what we feared is highly unlikely. There is still more "watching" to be done (as with any potential neurological issue), but things have gotten so much better with him. The things which scared us in December have all but disappeared. New things have emerged, but doctors have assured us that comes with his age. So, as for my oldest, we wait, we watch, and we pray. But, he is happy. He is not worried. He is fine.
We found peace with my oldest just in time to find fear with my youngest. My youngest is sick. He has been under a doctor's watchful eye for the last month. It has been both a blessing and a curse. It helped us to realize that nothing is wrong with our oldest. It is something that will get better with time. My youngest, however, will need to be monitored and checked for the next year (at least). Doctors are confident they can fix what is making him sick. I believe in them. I know that prayer and fasting work. I also know that everything happens for a reason.
I am so grateful for the Gospel in my life. I am grateful for my testimony of the Savior. I am grateful that my family is an eternal family. I am grateful for the Plan of Salvation. I am grateful for my faith.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
I didn't forget about you...
I know…it has been way too long. The end of the year was
absolutely crazy, both personally and professionally.
The good news is that school is out for the summer and that
things are finally starting to calm down. I won’t bore you with the details,
but let’s just say that I have felt so many wonderful blessings in the last
month. I finally feel as though my ward is a true ward family. We had some
family difficulties as of late, and the ward stepped in to help in so many
ways. There was not much they could do to help, but they fasted and prayed for
our little family. I truly felt their prayers and was so grateful for their
support.
Another bit of good news…the pesky entitled seniors from my
ward that have driven me batty for the last two years FINALLY graduated!
Whoohoo! They are gone. Things ended on a nice note for everyone. There did not
appear to be any animosity at the end of the year. They are out of my classroom
and off to college. Again, Whoohoo!
I have decided to do
a 30 day blog challenge on this blog. We will see how it goes. I will start
tomorrow.
A few things that I also want to write about this summer:
- Gratitude
- Am I a feminist? Sometimes I think HECK YES! And other times I think not.
- Forgiving (and forgetting)
- I am teaching Relief Society, and I have decided to post about my lessons.
I will be back tomorrow!
Update: There is just too much going on in my life with my children and family. I will have to postpone the blog challenge. Sorry.
Update: There is just too much going on in my life with my children and family. I will have to postpone the blog challenge. Sorry.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Vindication
Last year I had trouble with several LDS students. These teenagers are the kids that people at church want their sons and daughters to grow up to be; however, I know a very different set of teenagers at school. Don't get me wrong, they are still the same polite, "modestly" dressed, faithful Mormons at school, but there has always been something manipulative, judgemental, and entitled about they way they behave at school that people at church do not see.
I was actually pretty close to these students when I was YW President and several of them were in my class. It was in my class that I noticed that these kids are not exactly what they appeared to be. I had several run-ins with these students over integrity, honesty, and character issues. They would get mad if they got a bad grade, they would not turn in assignments, and they would blame me for both. I won't go into details, but, needless to day, I became very saddened by the fact that the students I thought I knew never really existed. They placed a careful facade over their true selves, and under pressure those facade's began to fade. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that they did anything huge to make me think this way. It was the small things. (Okay, there were some HUGE entitlement issues with these kids).But it was the subtle manipulations of things around them that really got me watching them. And boy, what I saw was HUGE! But, I did not talk about these things with anyone but another teacher. She noticed them, too, but we thought we were the only ones.
For the longest time I thought she and I would be the only ones to see this behavior, but yesterday I learned that we are not. THE WHOLE SCHOOL SEES THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE! In a meeting about academic awards, one teacher mentioned these students as nominees, and to my surprise, almost every teacher that has taught them, said "no" for one reason or another. The responses were all similar...character, integrity, honesty. I was shocked, but I felt so vindicated. Their carefully constructed facade was not a facade at all.
I feel bad to say that I am happy in this fact, but it is not that I am happy, it is that I feel vindicated. People at church would always ask why I was not a fan of these students, and I always avoided the question (for many reasons). People would go on about how these students are excellent examples of "the youth of today" and that it must be so wonderful to have such "honest and Mormon" kids in my class. To that I always stated, that I have many students, and many non-LDS students, who have more integrity, class, and character than many LDS students...that usually ended the conversation pretty quickly.
I am sad for what this might make students think about LDS in our community, but grateful to know that I am not the only person who was not fooled by these students.
I was actually pretty close to these students when I was YW President and several of them were in my class. It was in my class that I noticed that these kids are not exactly what they appeared to be. I had several run-ins with these students over integrity, honesty, and character issues. They would get mad if they got a bad grade, they would not turn in assignments, and they would blame me for both. I won't go into details, but, needless to day, I became very saddened by the fact that the students I thought I knew never really existed. They placed a careful facade over their true selves, and under pressure those facade's began to fade. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that they did anything huge to make me think this way. It was the small things. (Okay, there were some HUGE entitlement issues with these kids).But it was the subtle manipulations of things around them that really got me watching them. And boy, what I saw was HUGE! But, I did not talk about these things with anyone but another teacher. She noticed them, too, but we thought we were the only ones.
For the longest time I thought she and I would be the only ones to see this behavior, but yesterday I learned that we are not. THE WHOLE SCHOOL SEES THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE! In a meeting about academic awards, one teacher mentioned these students as nominees, and to my surprise, almost every teacher that has taught them, said "no" for one reason or another. The responses were all similar...character, integrity, honesty. I was shocked, but I felt so vindicated. Their carefully constructed facade was not a facade at all.
I feel bad to say that I am happy in this fact, but it is not that I am happy, it is that I feel vindicated. People at church would always ask why I was not a fan of these students, and I always avoided the question (for many reasons). People would go on about how these students are excellent examples of "the youth of today" and that it must be so wonderful to have such "honest and Mormon" kids in my class. To that I always stated, that I have many students, and many non-LDS students, who have more integrity, class, and character than many LDS students...that usually ended the conversation pretty quickly.
I am sad for what this might make students think about LDS in our community, but grateful to know that I am not the only person who was not fooled by these students.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
So here goes...
Dear Readers: This was difficult to write, so please read this with that in mind.
So here goes...
Last year I won a national teaching award. I told hardly a soul. My husband, children, my parents (that took a while to tell them) and two sisters. Why didn't I tell everyone? I probably should have shouted in from the rooftops, but I truly thought that it would be a bad thing to brag about myself in such a way. So, my national award went mostly unnoticed by my family, friends, and community. Of course, the school new, but I asked my administrators not to make a big deal out of it.
Thanks to Lisa at FMH I am going to do the "unthinkable." I am going to brag about myself. This is not an easy thing to do, but I like challenges.
So. Here. Goes.
I am the first person EVER in the entire history of my family to graduate from college. I am the first person (my husband is the second) to graduate from Graduate school. With Honors.
I am intelligent, and I love that I am. It is something that I am extremely proud of. I love learning everything I can and have a wonderful ability to absorb and remember what I learn. I have a ridiculous memory that allows me to memorize anything that I care about...from birthdays of every family member (extended included) and all of my friends to entire passages from books that I love. Even calculus formulas that I haven't used in years.
I am a good teacher. Yesterday a student told me that I am an "usually good teacher." Confused, I asked her to explain. She said there are some teachers who teach really well and students learn in his/her class, but those teachers are not usually fun and personable. They are strict. She said that kids learn a lot in my class but that I am not "strict" in the same sense. I laugh and smile, a lot. I interact with my students as human beings. She said that I am strict in my classroom standards, but I am also a really fun and personable teacher. She said that she learns more from me in my class than any other teacher but that my class is fun. I love that. Teaching is second nature to me, and I truly believe it is what I was born to do. I have created an environment in my classroom where students come to learn. It is also an environment where students feel safe. Other students agreed with this one student and another offered that he always knows that my classroom is a place where he can come to feel better, to celebrate when something good happens, to laugh when something funny happens, and to talk (and even cry) when something bad happens. This is something that I take great pride in and the fact that my student's test scores and success rates are high adds to my pride in this. I am a good teacher.
I read more books than anyone that I know. I read everything from Nabokov to Susanne Collins. And I read fast and still comprehend everything I read.
I am good at almost anything that I try. (I hate not being good at things, so whenever I try something, I go full throttle.) When I am not good at something, I do not stop until I am, thus, I truly believe that there is nothing that I cannot do. I am confident. Maybe over-confident, but I spend a great deal of effort hiding that fact from people who do not know me well.
I am a good dancer. I love to dance and spent the majority of my childhood and teenage years dancing in some shape or form. Dancing comes easy to me, even as 40 is way too close for comfort. (I still have a few years, but it is there...looming in the distance.)
This is really hard...I know that there are other things that I can brag about, but I cannot think of a single one.
Well, other than I am a good wife and mother. Which I am going to add because I am proud of it. My children are amazing. One particular (and unusual) thing that I take pride in is my children's vocabulary and articulation. They speak like adults. They use words that other children their age do not even know. They have a grasp of language that makes people stop and tell me so. (Of course, my children are also well behaved, polite, and all around good kids, but their language is a quirky thing that makes me smile...a lot. And I take full credit for this fact. :-)
So here goes...
Last year I won a national teaching award. I told hardly a soul. My husband, children, my parents (that took a while to tell them) and two sisters. Why didn't I tell everyone? I probably should have shouted in from the rooftops, but I truly thought that it would be a bad thing to brag about myself in such a way. So, my national award went mostly unnoticed by my family, friends, and community. Of course, the school new, but I asked my administrators not to make a big deal out of it.
Thanks to Lisa at FMH I am going to do the "unthinkable." I am going to brag about myself. This is not an easy thing to do, but I like challenges.
So. Here. Goes.
I am the first person EVER in the entire history of my family to graduate from college. I am the first person (my husband is the second) to graduate from Graduate school. With Honors.
I am intelligent, and I love that I am. It is something that I am extremely proud of. I love learning everything I can and have a wonderful ability to absorb and remember what I learn. I have a ridiculous memory that allows me to memorize anything that I care about...from birthdays of every family member (extended included) and all of my friends to entire passages from books that I love. Even calculus formulas that I haven't used in years.
I am a good teacher. Yesterday a student told me that I am an "usually good teacher." Confused, I asked her to explain. She said there are some teachers who teach really well and students learn in his/her class, but those teachers are not usually fun and personable. They are strict. She said that kids learn a lot in my class but that I am not "strict" in the same sense. I laugh and smile, a lot. I interact with my students as human beings. She said that I am strict in my classroom standards, but I am also a really fun and personable teacher. She said that she learns more from me in my class than any other teacher but that my class is fun. I love that. Teaching is second nature to me, and I truly believe it is what I was born to do. I have created an environment in my classroom where students come to learn. It is also an environment where students feel safe. Other students agreed with this one student and another offered that he always knows that my classroom is a place where he can come to feel better, to celebrate when something good happens, to laugh when something funny happens, and to talk (and even cry) when something bad happens. This is something that I take great pride in and the fact that my student's test scores and success rates are high adds to my pride in this. I am a good teacher.
I read more books than anyone that I know. I read everything from Nabokov to Susanne Collins. And I read fast and still comprehend everything I read.
I am good at almost anything that I try. (I hate not being good at things, so whenever I try something, I go full throttle.) When I am not good at something, I do not stop until I am, thus, I truly believe that there is nothing that I cannot do. I am confident. Maybe over-confident, but I spend a great deal of effort hiding that fact from people who do not know me well.
I am a good dancer. I love to dance and spent the majority of my childhood and teenage years dancing in some shape or form. Dancing comes easy to me, even as 40 is way too close for comfort. (I still have a few years, but it is there...looming in the distance.)
This is really hard...I know that there are other things that I can brag about, but I cannot think of a single one.
Well, other than I am a good wife and mother. Which I am going to add because I am proud of it. My children are amazing. One particular (and unusual) thing that I take pride in is my children's vocabulary and articulation. They speak like adults. They use words that other children their age do not even know. They have a grasp of language that makes people stop and tell me so. (Of course, my children are also well behaved, polite, and all around good kids, but their language is a quirky thing that makes me smile...a lot. And I take full credit for this fact. :-)
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