Happy Parent by Angie Ledbetter

As I was writing at my personal blog just the other day, I've had the extreme pleasure of being a really really proud parent lately. With the stress and strain of the normal relationship which usually exists between teenagers and their parental units, this elation doesn't come along very often, so I am reveling in it!

• Oldest daughter, nicknamed Last-Minute Lucy, has foregone fun weekend events such as parties in order to write and edit a class paper and study for an exam. I remember how hard that was to do in college. I really do. And I'm grateful for the good head she has on her shoulders.


• Middle son has received the Student of the Month award, and was nominated by two teachers. What a good accomplishment. He has struggled to maintain his focus on school work and grades instead of friends, sports, girlfriend and work. So I'm extra pleased of and for him. Same son also just completed his Eagle Boy Scout project (beautification and rehabbing of an awesome little inner city school's flower bed system) last weekend and squeezed under the age-imposed deadline a few days ago for securing final approval paperwork and such. Even though this all took place on THE day of his 18th birthday, I'm still overjoyed. Wow...the payoff of many years of coaxing, begging, bribing and such finally paid off. Besides his parents and family being proud of him, he is proud of himself. And that was the whole intent.


• Youngest son is doing great in school. His first semester report card of junior year reflects straight A's. I could never have done this, especially not in a private school and taking mostly honors or advanced classes. He's maintained his grades while working, being on two bowling teams and participating in the band, which is quite time consuming.

Great moments in parenting far outweigh the grungy day-to-day drudgery of having to fuss at, discipline, talk to, reason with and otherwise communicate with your kids. I'm sure enjoying spreading my feathers and screeching with gratitude!

Is there someone whose accomplishments make you feel proud?

Healthy Kids by Angie Ledbetter

I'm thankful every day my three children are healthy and strong. They are independent for the most part, and old enough not to get those naggy childhood illnesses. Unless there's a sports injury, an unexpected appendicitis attack or a set of wisdom teeth that need extracting, the majority of what they deal with can be cured with vitamins, an occasional antihistamine or OTC allergy medication. Having loved ones who must endure bodily crises or chronic troubles brings the blessing of take-it-for-granted good health home to me more and more.

My kids are 16, 17 and 18 and are all in good physical and mental shape. Besides sometimes balking at doing the dishes or mowing the grass, the two oldest are gainfully employed at jobs that suit them and that they enjoy. The youngest just turned 16 yesterday and is looking for a job right now. I'm sure he'll find something to suit his tastes and activity schedule soon. I'm grateful they want (or know they must have) a job and all three have decent work ethics. They understand Mom and Dad work hard to keep the family finances balanced, and that it takes a lot just to operate and maintain five vehicles for the household.

Besides the physical concerns all moms have about their children, there's also the mental, emotional and spiritual ones. Things aren't perfect by any means, but for the most part, we make it over these other speed bumps and detours pretty well. It makes me feel good that my "babies" have good hearts and love helping others, don't mind giving time to someone else or the community, have decent self-esteem, are S-M-A-R-T, and after the normal teen resistance stage, begin to care about their faith lives.

There's not much worse than feeling helpless to make your child feel better either physically or emotionally, so when things are going great, it's something to celebrate with a moment of vast gratitude. Today, I'm that thankful Mom.

Gratitude Schmatitude by Angie Ledbetter

Yeah, today I’m grouchier than the average bear, and I’m not even sure why. It’s probably a combination of several factors – constant interruptions when I’m trying to write, people who don’t come through for you when you think they will, frustration over sidetracked goals, teenage angst times three in my household, and even traffic woes (I could write a book on the traffic situation here since we almost doubled our population with New Orleans evacuees after Hurricane Katrina).

I can usually get myself out of a blue funk quickly by counting my blessings or trying to gain perspective by seeing the bigger picture, both hackneyed aphorisms, but effective nonetheless. But something’s off kilter today because even the smell of fresh coffee wafting through the house isn't doing the trick. What to do now?

Well, I could “wallow in it” for a while and see if that improves my attitude, or I could vent to a friend – usually a good way to drain the poisons – or I could just press on in my daily routine and “fuggetaboutit,” as Stephen King says in his book on writing. But, wait! I say to myself. You forgot your secret weapon for getting outside of and over yourself. Do something unexpected for someone else (even and especially a stranger). My favorite of these gorilla random acts of kindness is paying someone’s restaurant or coffee shop tab. The confused-turned-delight look on the stranger’s face is always good for a jolt to my outlook. I bet that Secret Santa, Larry Stewart, who anonymously gave out hundred dollar bills every Christmas felt like a king all year round. His generosity will be missed. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,243578,00.html

Okay, now that I have a game plan, I feel better. I’m looking forward to surprising someone in the bookstore cafe to ambush at the cash register.

A Reason to Smile by Nannette Croce

Everyone benefits from a reason to smile.

When my daughter reached the age where she sensed my moods, I always made an effort to at least appear in good spirits when she awoke each morning. It wasn’t always easy. My husband and I were dealing with many stresses back then, some unavoidable, some self-imposed. There were mornings I woke feeling down and mornings I woke feeling angry and, like any Mom with a young child, mornings I felt just plain tired. But she always awoke with a smile, looking forward to the gift of a new day, so I forced a smile as well, and it stuck.

Too soon, my daughter reached that age where she saw my morning smile as a barb placed deliberately under her skin. Her moods were still infectious, only the other way around. Happily, we also had a dog. A very sensitive dog from a broken home that reacted to the slightest discord with fear of another banishment. As my teenager rolled her eyes and emitted groans, I ran on to the pooch in high pitched tones, rallying her spirits and, in turn, my own.

On the now rare occasions when my husband and I have words or see fit to punish each other with stone-faced silence, the dog will come up and shove her nose in the face of one, then the other of us. Looking directly into our eyes, her look says, come on, guys, you know you really love each other. How can we not smile? How can we stay angry?

Smiles are funny that way. Once there, they tend to stick around.