Darling You were born to stand out

 When did we get here? I can not recall the day it shifted. I can't grasp the reason why or stomach the thought that this is the new normal. We post inspirational quotes, have amazing recipes to share or new thoughts on business ideas, we spend hours upon hours making sure the outside of us looks perfect. Our lives are up to par, our kids have the best grades or have the best clothes or latest electronic device. When did we stop being caring humans? Rather than these numb selfish people raising numb selfish broken children?

  My oldest is 12 and in 7th grade. Life for her is so different than it was for me at that age. She does all her work on chromebooks, no embarrassing chalkboard moments in front of class. Every one of her friends has the newest cell phone, she has none. Name brand ridiculous expensive clothes are a must have, she loves second hand stores. Everyone has social media, she has

supervised computer time. Everyone eats unlimited amounts of junk food or doesn't care about what they eat, my kids a vegeterian. Basically my kid does not fit in!! Being 12 in 7th grade that is hard to not fit in. Its hard to not fit in as a grown women. I'm a 33 year old mother of 4 who loves documentaries, has random colored hair and loves to occasionally blog well everyone sleeps. I cook almost all our meals, love family time, haven't been to mall in forever love second had stores, could careless about latest phone and want to grown my own vegetables because I worry so much about what goes into our bodies and the side effects it could later

cause. I plan our meals weekly and love it. I don't attempt to keep up with the jones let alone know who they are. In a lot of ways I don't fit in. I get asked why I don't work and telling people I have this tiny window of time I get with these tiny humans and I want to truly vaule and cherish it, pour into them and allow them to change me before they are all in school and grown is always followed with an ......okay so where does your husband work? I understand so well not fitting into what's normal to others.

  Recently bullying has become an issue. Her not fitting in is making her stand out. Part of me a tiny slither feels somewhat responsible and a little sad. Did I cause this for her? Than when she opens her mouth and speaks I could not be more proud. She is proud she does not fit into every mold. She is 12 caring, amazing and loves to cook. She's been told since birth who and whose she is! The mama bear in me is beyond angry but I get it. I can understand why see gets picked on why her bully is trying to break her. This other child has everything mine does not except she's missing that one thing her self worth! When you have that you can appreciate difference in others.

As parents we are responsible to raise up these tiny humans to be confident, respectful, loving, kind, responsible human beings especially in a world that is already filled with so much hate. I hear so many people complain about hours they work and they need all these hours to pay for stuff; vacations, name brand crap or literally stuff. But is it worth it? When our children are left to fend for themselves? Eat fast food because we have no time to cook than wonder why we have health issues. I'm not knocking eating out we occasionally eat out we LOVE pizza but you can learn so much about or from your child when cooking health meals with them. I've seen so many families walking or eating out in zombie mode glued to a phone rather than a family conversation. I don't understand when it changed? The internet, tv or video games are not the memories I want my kid to have when reflecting about her childhood. 

We as adults have to do better!

We have to be better examples and hold our kids responsible to be better as well. Family game nights, no electronic days, go through your kids phone and social media, know who they know, ask them how or what would they like to see changed in your family, ask them what they love to do and do it with them. Remind your kids how amazing they are and how its their job to help others recognize something amazing about themselves. Tell them to be kind every day for no reason. Write inspiration quotes on their walls instead of your social media. Build them up so they stop trying to break other people down. I refuse to fit into the new normal and I refuse to have my children fit in. We can do better as parents and raise better tiny humans into amazing adults!!