Moving forward but looking back!

Thank you all for being classmates with me.  I have learned from each of you many different idea and ways to do things.  I will take these with me as I move on in life and in the next few classes.  Yes some of us are in the same track, I peeked at next week classlist.  I have already started to use much of the information from this class in other part of my work, social life and volunteer work I do.  I learned more from this class on collaboration and communication than I did in the BA program I did with two intensive weekend in person with classmate I already knew.

Thank you all!  Best of luck to each of you as you start on your speciality!  I hope to see you at Graduation next year!

Saying "good-bye" to a group.

The most recent group that I finish with did nothing for "good-byes" it is a church council so it is on going. The another group I belonged to talked about a celebration but in never happened although it did have a wrap up meeting to review our findings. I do not feel disapppoint because I see the group members frequently.

The other group I  belong to, Girl Scouts, does something at the end of the school year.  We recognize the achievement the girls have done and those girl who are moving on th new age levels, graduating from high school or new girls joining the troop.

As we get closer to graduating from this course of study I hope that we can either stay in contact through social media, blogs or even see each other at graduation.  Although face to face will be hard because we live all over the United States.  Staying in contact maybe a way to help problem solve if needed as we work with our students and co-workers. 

In a Conflict?

Right now I am not in any type of conflict other than dealing with a moody teenage daughter.  I deal with her by just listening and asking if she wants my help.  Most of time I am the person she is just venting to or I have to be the mom and say "because I said so". Yes! I know that is not the right thing to do but it is not that often and often revolves around doing things as a family or with family.

However my oldest daughter, Jessica, is trying to establish a relationship with her new mother-in-law which is a her conflict that she bring to me, so in a round about way it is my conflict too. What she see as her problem is her mother-in-law goes to her son to find out what is going on with Jessica rather than ask her directly.  What I have told her over and over is that in order to establish this relationship ask her mother-in-law about herself first then she will ask about you(Jessica) then NICELY thank her for asking and respond.  That is a key concept for her to understand "nice" even though I have drilled into her head for years it seems to have taken a backseat lately.  The other part of this equation is the mother-in-law lives in another state so communication is either by phone, text, or skype. I know in my heart will work out for them but they will each need to realize who is the important person in the relationship and by putting the son/husband in the middle is not good.

I fall back on the old adage " you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinger."  If she can be the honey then her mother-in-law will start asking about her rather than go to her son.