Learned Helplessness

Re-reading Dennis Waitley's Empires of the Mind, I see that learned helplessness is a belief that we're at the mercy of external forces and no longer in control of what is happening to us. This is a learned behavior, a choice...one I feel that I've been guilty of making too often lately. I might have caught it from the kids.

Again letting the inmates run the asylum, instead of remembering to see our challenges as opportunities, and our setbacks as temporary inconveniences. We've been down before and we always get back on top. Always, because we don't quit.

Tabby has fussed all day long today, missing Memaw, she went down in a screaming rage over nothing this afternoon, not quieting down until Ray Ray walked in the house, then she must have felt somewhat embarrassed.

Edgar and I talked about going to see a movie while so few kids are here, Grandma said she'd babysit, but his negativity got the best of me, forget it, I need oxygen plus I knew the kids would be acting too weird with the others gone. We were going to see Wild Hogs, watch some fifty-something men act like fools, but heck it'd probably only make me want one for a pet or something. Just kidding, don't need any Men's Rights organizations fussing over that.

Jose who didn't make it to school for the first two hours, fighting with Gito, mad at CW, but the real burning issue involed his older birth brother, Javy, going away for the weekend. Jose actually participated in our "discussion" this afternoon about inapporpriate behavior and responses.

There are only 14 kids here, it's very quiet, leftovers for supper, maybe I should flip on the TV and watch Oprah...Sarah told me she'd never seen the show either...oh yeah, we grew up together, rarely with a working TV, if either of us have free time, we tend to pick up a book or go outside.