Be The Hero

New book I am reading called :  "Be the Hero:  Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life" by Noah Blumenthal.  Here is one of my favorite excerpts that summarizes the book:  "The way you think- what I call your stories- can lead you to be an everyday hero.  The stories you tell can make your life positive, hopeful, and empowering or bitter, miserable, and hopeless.  You can choose your response to everyday events that might disappoint, frustrate, or anger you- to react in a way that casts off the victim mentality and enables you to act with a hero's resolve."  There are three stories that we tell ourselves:  "People stories.  Heroes choose to feel others' pain and seek to understand their actions.  Victims focus on their own pain and blame the people around them.  Situation stories.  Heroes see the best in their lives and appreciate what they have.  Victims focus on what is wrong in their lives.  Self stories.  Heroes believe they can influence their lives and choose to take action.  Victims believe nothing can be done to improve their lives."  "Your stories are how you interpret the world around you.  In fact, you are already a skilled storyteller.  Unfortunately, you're telling the wrong stories."   So I am going to work on this at work and at home.   Vacation was nice.  Spent some time with my Dad and stepmom.  Went to church with them on Sunday and then another meeting at the church on Sunday night and a meeting on Wednesday night.  They are very caring and warm people and it was nice.  We also watched the movie "Fireproof" while I was there.  Very good Christian movie about dealing with a marriage that is failing.  So between the book and the movie, I come home to face my battles head on.  LOL!  Paul and David did not kill each other while I was gone but things did not go well.  David got several more detentions.  One more and he gets suspended.  Paul was sick with a cold.  Miserable, yelling, angry and totally shut down on me.  David got his interim report card:  3 F's, 3 D's and 2 C's.  And the 2 C's were in band and home economics.  And it is a battle with the teachers, although David is not blameless.  But he is finally getting homework done but forgets to hand it in, so still gets a zero. Psychiatrist wants us to put in back on Straterra.  Says there is no reason that the meds are giving him the reaction we were seeing.  Now thinks he is ODD.  Possibility of sending him to hospital for a month or 2 for residential treatment if things do not improve.  (David does not know this.)  But Psychiatrist was talking to David in session last week and David just up and walked out of the office.  My hero story worries about David.  He obviously cannot face challenges and walks away from them or gets angry.  I worry as a mom as to how he is going to be able to deal with life down the road. Kona really missed me.  Got my face licked off when I got home last night.  Flight was delayed 3 hrs coming home but otherwise uneventful.  It was in the 90's all week with high humidity, so did not get a chance to spend any time outside.   We are off to Penn State game tomorrow.  Can't wait.  If Paul and David survive until then.  This yelling around here is just not good.  I have to find a way to turn this around quickly.  We just cannot live like this.  I wish Paul would get some medication &/or go away for a few months.  I worry about the long term affects of sending David away with whatever abandonment issues he has.