Welcome back to this week’s Confident You challenge. Last week we took the challenge to question that inner voice of yours to better equip you to ignore it when it’s being a jerk. This week I’m challenging you to find your confidence through being good to your parents, the creators of your life, no matter how much you adore them or how much of a jerk they have been. Ready? 

I attended a course once, this course gets a bit of a bad rap but I went through a number of their programs and came out the other end a stronger, more assertive version of myself. Which is probably why some people aren’t keen? Not everyone likes assertive. Anywaaaaay. During this course we discussed the way we view people, our parents and ourselves. Often coming back to the conclusion that unless your parents are psychopaths {my assertion, not theirs} then they do the best for you with the skills and knowledge they have right then.

So they can, do and will get it wrong.

As a child you don’t realize that. Not really. I certainly didn’t. No gaze upon those parental units of mine with biased, joyfully blinded affection. Not my parents. Not real people. Nope. These are mythical beings who have been dropped from the sky to cater to me. To mould me into the finest human being I was capable of being and therefore they MUST be perfect. You probably thought the same way. And most parents they sure as heck wouldn’t tell you otherwise.

But as you grow up, maybe even have children of your own, certainly when your friends have children you notice something. Parents aren’t perfect they are people. People you grew up with who you’ve seen pick their nose, dance on a table or make bad choices. And it dawns on you, if you take the time to think about it, that YOUR parents are probably people too.

Shocker.

So the challenge this week {timely given it’s Mother’s Day weekend} is to show your parents some love. Unless they are dangerous, literally, I’m taking no excuses. For a moment suspend whatever it is you have going on and do something nice for them. Go for a visit. Make a call. Go to dinner and a movie. Send a card if that’s all you can muster. Just do something.

I know this could be hard for some of you. All of us have some sort of issue with our parents. Some have done unforgivable things, said things, are just crap at life. I get that. I love my ridiculously much and think they’ve done a great job raising us. They are people I admire and look up to and I still have ‘things’ that drive me bonkers about them. Different I know, but we all have our things. It’s the scale that varies. Stay safe and consider for a moment that as an adult you are in control now.

Be kind, be generous and be a shining beacon of awesome love in this world. Because it’s they’re close to you they’ll love it, if they miss you, they’ll love it and if they are bat-shit-crazy and probably won’t acknowledge it anyway, YOU have the advantage of feeling good about what an awesome person you are. A grown up living breathing example of what they couldn’t do. Maybe you could be grateful to them for showing you that?

Challenge accepted Sugers? Are your parents a part of your life, lost or the bat-shit-crazy variety?

Melissa Walker Horn

Hi! I’m Melissa Walker Horn. Around here, they call me Suger. I’m the Chief Blogger and doer of all the things here at Suger Coat It. Blogging since 1901; I love a casual ootd, taking photos, and writing about things that irk or inspire me. I love wine and cheese, long days at the beach and spending time with my family. I make stuff for the internet over at Chalkboard Digital. You know, living the sweet life.