You CAN do it!

One phrase that we hear often as mothers is "I can't!" This phrase is one that I very much dislike to hear out of my children's mouths although I have been guilty of uttering it many times in my past as well. They say, "I can't do my homework because I can't read the directions." "I can't clean my room because I don't know what to do with the some of the clutter." "I can't wash my hair because the water is too hot." "I can't mow the lawn because my knee hurts today." All of these are actual phrases that the children have uttered and make me cringe each and every time.

Recently, I have been inspired by my 87-year old neighbor. I can only hope at 87 years old that I am as determined and hard-working as he is today. I went into our back yard to take the dogs out and see him in his yard up an extension ladder cutting down the dead tree that is in his yard. The tree is probably 30-40 feet tall, and he is slowly and methodically moving upper branch to upper branch carefully sawing each branch to bring it safely to the ground. If it had been in my back yard, I probably would have said the hated words "I can't" instead of even trying. His determination inspires me to stop saying "I can't" so much and give that difficult task a try! If an 87-year old man can cut down a dead tree, then I should be able to do the same. No excuses!

Sometimes this "I can't" feeling can be brought on from people in our past. Many times the voices from our past ring loudly with "You can't do that." "You are no good at that." "That is not for you. You show no talent in that regard." I have been guilty of letting these opinions of other people rule how I live and what I enjoy.

As you all know, I do product reviews as a sort of hobby in my spare time. I enjoy it very much. In February of this year, I received a sketch book and sketch pencils for review. In creating my reviews, I discovered that I LOVE sketching.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RCXQ7RE5LJ7DZ/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00PG8916A

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2HDGZEEVFWLNH/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00PWCQSV6

In the past, I had been told over and over that I was not the artist of the family, that I could not draw, that I should not draw, and that art and drawing was not for me. I know I'm not a professional artist, but I have found that I CAN draw, I enjoy sketching, and my sketches are not all that bad. I am so happy that I had the chance to review the sketching items and find that I can do it and it relaxes me and makes me happy.

Here are some of my sketches:

As a parent, I do not ever want to make my child feel that they are no good at something. I do not ever want to allow a teacher, a coach, a theater director, or anyone else for that matter to make my child feel substandard and not good enough. Maybe her first drawing won't look like Picasso's last, but if she is encouraged and continues, who knows what her last drawing may be. Maybe she can't stand still for her first theater performance, but if trained well and taught to perform which she already enjoys, maybe she will someday be on Broadway. It isn't my place or anyone's place to tell her what she can and cannot do.

We should all be encouraging each other to be the best we can and enjoy life.

I CAN do it! You CAN do it!