Here's the Happily Ever Today, Queen Power and The Alert Parent all rolled into one!
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Hi, All!

Well...it's been a long journey to New York City and back. I picked bad weather travel days for both legs of my flight. The first day ended after 15 hours and the return day ended up a day later (with an overnight delay). But here I am, finally back in my office. Ahhhhh!

Hope you enjoy this edition. If you'd prefer to read the articles in full blown color, click on the links provided. Otherwise, the text versions are included below. Keep scrolling!

Take care,

Allyn Evans
P.S. Don't forget to forward this email to the women in your life.

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Feature Article #1: Not a Weed, But a Flower
www.allynevans.blogspot.com
(I loved this story. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find the source.)
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Feature Article #2: No One Is Perfect. You Are a Great Kid!
www.thealertparent.com
(This is the second installment of a story told by Kim Hix.)
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And now for the text versions of the article mentioned above.

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FEATURE ARTICLE #1: Not a Weed, But a Flower

Suppose you'd known for a long time that you were a weed.

When you were just a little sprout, before anyone had told you you were a weed, you'd known something of what flowers feel like; and as you grew, you felt you'd like it better if you were a flower.

But you learned to be satisfied living as a weed nonetheless—most of the time. You learned to bend a little so as not to take too much sun, and to eat and drink and breathe, not quite so much nourishment from the flowers around you.

It's only in spring when the flowers start to bloom, that it's hard to be weedlike; then, when the warm breeze comes, you feel a stirring of hope, a wish for just a taste of blooming. But you can't of course, you're a weed.

Now suppose that one day a lovely creature walks into your field looking for flowers, and suppose she walks straight up to you and says: "What a strange and lovely flower this is hidden from the light!"

For a moment you would not believe her. But oh, you would want to. So you might begin softly, to look and feel around yourself. And what if you discovered that this had all been a silly mistake—that you were not a weed, but a flower after all.

Well, that's what it feels like. A little sad that I spent so much time as a weed when I didn't have to. A little in shock. A little exposed. Excited, in a quiet way, to discover what I'm all about. I don't know much about being a flower, yet. But it's me, and I love it, and I'm giving it all I've got."

Author Unknown

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FEATURE ARTICLE #2: No One Is Perfect. You Are a Great Kid

Excerpted from Living Happily Ever After with your Daughter Today:

“When a mother finds out she’s pregnant she dreams about the life of her child. Although she might have fears and concerns about the baby’s health, she has no room in her dreams about imperfection. She has no thought, especially a first - time mom, that she might not like the child or that the child might be difficult. She thinks she is dreaming of her child, but most of all she is creating a drama in her head.”

In my forthcoming book I speak of a mother’s expectations. In the real world, children come to us with their own set of interests, strengths and weaknesses. It’s the weaknesses and differences that challenge us. It’s the challenges we’d like to wish away, especially if they are a mental, emotional or physical disability.

Kim Hix experiences this reality first hand. This is the second time I mention Kim and her son on my blog, but I feel the message is important. Kim’s 10 - year - old son suffers from neuropsychiatric disabilities. Kim didn’t talk to me about the frustrations of dealing with constant and uncontrollable outbursts from her son, but I am betting if asked, she’d say this was not how her dream was supposed to play out.

According to the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry between 7 to 12 million children suffer from behavioral, mental or developmental disorders, and these numbers don’t reflect physical disabilities or other maladies.

Kim wrote No One Is Perfect and You Are a Great Kid with hopes of helping other families facing similar challenges. With her son Zack’s permission, she tells about “a very special young boy who struggles with emotional difficulties.”

“From an early age Zack has experienced an array of moods including rages, depression, anxiety and drastic mood shifts. When I began putting pen to paper to tell this story I simply needed to remember conversations and situations that involved my son and his desire to understand why he felt the way he did.”

This mom’s main concern was making sure her son understood that she loved him. She also wanted him to understand his worth was not tied to what he said or did.

“My child deals daily with overwhelming emotions and behavior that at times are uncontrollable and confusing. I feel quite certain millions of other children feel isolated, rejected and different due to a multitude of reasons, yet quietly suffer alone as they wonder ‘am I the only one?’”

If there are millions of children, then there are many more parents and grandparents asking similar questions.

Kim reminds us that our children should not feel shame if they have emotional, neurological or physical disabilities. “Our children should not feel ‘less than’ if they are not great athletes or scholars, if they are not perfect in every way.” Kim is right. No one is perfect, and no one should feel less because of it.

“It is up to the adults to teach tolerance and acceptance, to embrace the broad range of personalities and idiosyncrasies of others. I feel we must teach that our differences are what make us each unique and interesting. My son is not a perfectly well - mannered, high - achieving child, which does not lessen our love for him or his gifts to this world. He was born with complicated neuropsychiatric disabilities that manifest in behavior that is very difficult to understand.”

Kim’s willingness to share her story is heartening. “It is my hope that other children realize that despite any disabilities they may have that they too possess strengths and gifts,” she says. “A disability does not make a person, it is simply a part of who he or she is.”

To order Kim's book, visit Amazon. If you have a need for a bulk order, Kim says her publisher will offer 40% off (Booksurge).

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Allyn Evans
www.allynevans.com
info@allynevans.com