Things I have learned in 2012

2012 was a year of many lessons. Here are some of the lessons I learned:

• Chewing gum cannot be removed from hair. You have to cut it out.
• Earthworms can be pets.
• It's fun to put pet-earthworms to work in a worm-farm.
• I-messages are wonderfully effective.
• So is active listening.
• So is EMDR.
• It is ok to be vulnerable sometimes, even for men. Even for dads.
• In life, you have to gamble sometimes. Perhaps you will win, perhaps not. But if you don't try, you lose anyway.
• Love is a risk worth taking.
• Nothing could have made my parents love me, even if I was perfect.
• In the eyes of society, the reputations of powerful adults are still more important than the well-being of little kids.
• No matter what you do, there will always be someone who will criticize you for it.
• The average adult has no idea how to help an abused child.
• I am not as strong as I thought, and yet - 
• I am much stronger than I ever imagined.
• It takes strength to admit that you are weak.
• A child should never be blamed for doing whatever it takes to stay alive. 
• 16 year old boys are still kids. 
• The simplest way to ensure that you'll make mistakes, is by trying to be perfect.
• Listen to your kids - you might just learn from them.
• School uniforms are helluva expensive.
• A cheese sandwich, made by a 5 year old, tastes better than a gourmet meal in a restaurant.
• A little girl's kisses can ease even the worst pain.
• Sometimes you can influence people in ways you never imagined, simply by sharing your truth.
• You cannot grow inside your own comfort zone.
• It's ok to fall. 
• It's ok to ask someone to help you get up.
• Courage is not the absence of fear. It's the willingness to act in spite of fear.
• Try not to project your own fears onto your children. Life is scary enough for little kids even without an adult's baggage.
• I get to write the book of my own life.
• Life truly is beautiful.

What have you learned this year?