One weekend last year, I posed a challenge to our older son, Jordan when we were going away for the weekend.  I told Jordan that we would have a secret challenge that we had to try and make the weekend happy and cheerful, for Dad and Owen.  We would both participate, and it could be anything from asking if we could help carry something for them, giving a smile, pat on the arm, offering to share a bite of a treat if we had one.  Anything that we could do that would make it a cheerful time.  I told Jordan we would keep it a secret the entire weekend, and we didn’t want it to be so obvious they would guess what we were doing. He could count how many little things he did during the day, and if he did more than me, I would let him pick the dinner menu for the following 7 days.  Not eating out, but food he would like me to make.  The motivation that started this challenge was that Jordan had had an awful mood, was cranky and picking fights with Owen, to the point that Jay wanted to cancel the weekend.

You know that I have been working on Law of Attraction for the last two years. I am realizing the importance of teaching these practices to my son (well, both boys). My husband and I say that our older boy, Jordan, is my ‘mini-me’ and the younger one, Owen is Jay’s mini.

My natural tendency, often, is to be annoyed.  Getting annoyed was a habit, I see that now. and I can see it with Jordan.  He will be 13 in a couple of months, and the teenage attitude has started.  Life is not easy for him (heavy sarcasm – first world problems)… he is the only one of kids his age who does NOT have a cell phone, or get video game time (electronics) during the week.  We do limit the electronics and allow times on the weekend – based on how well they have been getting ready for school during the week (which never gives them more than one hour per day on the weekend).

In a time where he seems to equate happiness with the amount of video game time he gets, or getting to spend his money out shopping, I think one of the most important things I can teach him is how to find happiness within.  We have not been more frustrated then feeling like nothing is good enough. When you plan a fun activity on the weekend, and then his mood is determined by knowing when he will get home to play his video game.

I need to start a happiness habit challenge with him.  Something I won’t neglect either, since being consistent can be hard.  It’s one thing doing this for yourself and really forcing the habit, but another to encourage another to adjust frame of mind as well.

I guess I can start with reading some quotes (or at least one) each morning and encourage him to believe and be happy and confident in himself.  Maybe I can do something like the weekend challenge on a longer-term scale.

Any suggestions for me?

wish me luck,

XO

Devon