O-mama - Opinionated Moms

Here are some very good thoughts from Zig Ziegler: Unconditional love from the parent almost always precedes self-acceptance. What is unconditional love? It’s just what the phrase implies—loving a person without any prior conditions, because of who the person is and not because of what the person does. Unfortunately too many parents love a child if he cleans up his room, makes good grades, is home by eleven, is a “good” boy or girl. In short, the love is conditional. This means that often a child doesn’t feel he deserves love, even from his parents. The love is tied to performance, and if the performance isn’t good, the indication is that there is no love. If the child feels the parents love only the good actions or good performance and not him, a Pandora’s box of potential trouble is opened up. If the child doesn’t feel he deserves love from his own parents, he assumes that he is unworthy of love; therefore, he should not love himself. Logically, then, if he can’t love himself and feel good about himself, who will love him? Indeed, it is a very short step to feeling of no value—a nobody. Such a blow to the self-image-namely, feeling “I’m a nobody”—is devastating. Zig Ziglar, Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World.

Hello grannies! Anyone have an opinion about the AWOL lawmakers? Should they go back to work? Or not? ????

Calling all computer literate grammies out there, have you every "skyped?" It is free video conferencing and a great way to stay connected to your babies! http://www.com-foryou.com/skype.php

Question of the week: There are a few things I could say to my daughters-in-law (I have three), but I stop and think about my parenting and how I would do things differently if I could do it over again. And so I know they will have the same trials I had and they'll do the best they can and appreciate me for staying out of their business! I can say this ONLY because they are all 3 good mothers. And, they live in a different time of raising children than I did with a lot more and different issues to deal with.

I live with my ex-husband, my unemployed carpenter son, his wife, and grandson. I thought at this time of my life that I would be relatively financially stably and do whatever I pleased. Answering to no one, I could go to the city, Chicago, and window shop, go to a museum or two whatever. Even maybe stay at a hotel!! Well, just isn't the case. My grandson just turned two. Gideon is the little tyke's name. He can not say his tr-s. So I get very embarassed in the toy department at the local Walmart. He also repeats every word you say, yes the swears. He has a vast vocabulary of them. I went back to school, yes at my age, to become a paralegal. I need a living wage job because I do not believe the economy is going to get any better soon. So hello to you Grandmas and this is Amy. You will hear more from me.

Sweet weekend! Lucky kiddies to have such a great granny and grandpa!

Is it okay for someone who doesn't have children to give advice to someone who does?

Mom and grandma of missionaries to Haiti... anyone relate?

It's hard to cut those apron strings for sure...some of us never really do, no matter how old we get!

DD hit the nail on the head..again! She needs to have a class for grandmas and new moms. She rocks!

Great New Year's resolution ....totally agree with DD

Where is our ditties from DD? I miss her great pearls of wisdom :)

We are ready for another pearl from DD

Clearly, old-school. Be kind to us, our mothers have freaked us out!!! I'm afraid to do anything wrong!!!

I love this grandma! The new moms should have a read!

Check out all the news from this weekend!

@latinmama I agree!!!!! We have become a nation of instant gratification and the cell phone does just that....need to talk to someone pick up our cell, need directions and our cars do not have GPS devices turn to our cell phones!! I agree we need to put down the cell phones and realize we can and will be OK!

DD is on fire this week! Let's put the cells down and give our kids a quarter!

@momof2stepof1: YES! I totally agree. Our kids are too plugged in to sit still without being constantly stimulated. We need to unplug them, ladies!

Great conversation....I think because kids today are going in so many different directions they do not know HOW TO SIT STILL let alone sit through a meal. I think back to my childhood and as a generation of the 60' and early 70's we certainly did not have all the constant stimuli and so many choices that we sat down as a family most nights. Heck my mother even took us to Coco's (which by the way it no longer there on the corner of 17th and Irvine Ave) once a month to teach us manners of eating out. Personally, I think today some parents are in too much a hurry and it is easier to just ignore the bad than to make the kids behave.

OC, latin and tired should invite their moms to come chat with DD if they are "of a certain age". We need all the grandmas we can get!

oh DD, I am going to enjoy your pearls of wisdom!

DD is a genius...she sounds like my mom too!

O.k., so is this my mother? Why is it that when she this stuff, I tune out? But, when D.D. says it, I pay attention? There is a psychological wall when mother's preach, I guess.

Hey O-MAMA's check out our great new discussion group starter topic and tell us what you think!

Do you have a good scratch pie crust "recipe"?