Lesson Learned

I know I've told many of you before that maintenance is tough. It really is because I've gotten (and many of you have also) to the point where I can eat any and everything. It's really just like before the surgery only now I have better control. I think it really comes down at this point to exercise.

I've been working with my daughter to get her assignments in at school. That's all I'm asking of her this year. You might thing, easy! But it's not. She does amazingly well when she's at my home but sadly she's not always here. I ask her what homework she has, what long-term project she has. I check her homework and help her in areas where she's struggling. We talk about the importance of school and why it's structured the way it is and we discuss ways to finish things you start. Like any child, she needs someone to help her. To sit down with her to do homework. Learn how to organize so she completes assignments on time, how to manage time to get a long-term project done, etc. I understand the concept behind the "Let the child do it herself, if she fails she'll learn" parenting style, I simply disagree with it (as do most experts). I believe a parent is there to guide, to teach. If you never introduce your child to something (in this case a way of doing things), how can you expect them to do anything but flounder?

Anyway, I bring this up because my daughter also wants to get into better shape. She's a typical teen, worried about how she looks in comparison to other girls. She really shouldn't, she's absolutely beautiful. As a parent, I'm highly motivated to give her a sense of determination, an understanding of how to create a habit/routine, to show her how to start (and finish) something. Right now she starts things but has issues with finishing them (i.e., schoolwork, projects, exercise).

At the forum on 11/9/11, I was introduced to Linda. She's amazing. She's run a 10k and a half marathon. Are you kidding me? I was taken back to a few months ago when my daughter and I talked about running a 5k this coming summer. So I asked Linda.. how did you get started running. She told me how she couldn't run very far when she started but she stuck with it. Why does that seem to me a lesson that we can use for everything? Hmmmmmm.

So, how do we get started? I have a few ideas. Stay tuned as this is to be continued soon. Very soon. On this very blog.