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There’s a Danger in Abandoning Ourselves
My greatest strength became my greatest weakness
I could see self-doubt on the face of my typically confident son. Adolescence can be stressful and I sensed he was losing sight of himself. My support fell on deaf ears.
So I adopted a mantra.
“I will be the person in the room standing next to you — reminding you who you are until you remember again,” I said.
I recognized the signs of temporary self-abandonment.
I had let hit happen myself.
Like me, my son had given his power away by caring too much. Not in a relationship but towards a goal that meant everything to him. And as my marriage counselor often says, “Our greatest strength can become our greatest weakness.”
When my son was little, I would have all three boys in the backseat of the car. Two of my guys would finish the cookie I had given them and ask for another. I would gaze in the rearview and watch him split his own cookie in half, giving one side to each of his brothers.
“Sometimes you have to keep your own cookie,” I would say.
As a mother, I was urging him to periodically self-protect.
