Stand out!

I try to get my kids to think for themselves. Instead of following the trends, I'd much rather them start their own trends. I mean, not going out of their way to stand out that they end up miserable, picked on, ostracized and outcast and bullied, but I don't think there is anything wrong with being an individual instead of a sheep.

It's not always easy veering away from the pack. I get that. My kids are of all different ages, but their peers and what they think of them means a lot to them. I get that too. It's kind of nice to know that I have sent them off into the world with a little edge on individuality though. I mean think about it. I'm not exactly your "average, run of the mill" type people. My kids have grown up knowing that "different is good" and that "mommy isn't like the other kids' mommies". But I also understand that peer/ group mentalities start to weigh heavier during the "formidable years" of a child's life and fitting in becomes more important than not. :sigh: so, just like everyone else, they have the same kind of clothes, the same kind of stuff, they do the same kind of things, talk in the same lingo, throw around the same attitude...... Blah.... It's pretty sad to see. Everyone is an expert about everything, they know better, they're right and fuck all to anyone else who doesn't agree. Yay.

Sometimes, I do get the satisfaction of seeing that, once in a while, my kids are the ones doing "something different", but it's just not often enough in my opinion. I need to work on that. I think I'd be failing them if I didn't try and push just a little bit harder with trying to make them self thinking individuals and basically ALLOWING them to become "one of the herd". NOT an easy task, I assure you.