Are the voices in my

head guardian angels

or spirit guides?

How do I know if I

can trust them?

Do I have to do what

they tell me to do?

How can I know if

they are good or evil?

What if I’m crazy?

Voices

Divinity or Insanity?

answers these questions

and more

40 of Skye Thomas’ most popular articles have been brought together to create this magical book.  Give it as a gift to someone going through a rough time to show them

your love and support.  Give

it to your teenagers as a series of life lessons to help them get through the difficulties of becoming adults.  Give it to yourself as a reminder that

you have what it takes to

get through the dramas that

life throws your way.  

When All Else Fails,

Find Your Heart’s Song and Sing Louder!

is one of those pick-me-ups

that you can rely on to always be there like a good friend ready to cheer you up on a cloudy day.

Who can I trust with

my heart?

What type of person

is naturally

compatible with me?

Who will love me for

who I am on the inside?

Who is naturally loyal

and faithful?

Why Do I Keep Falling

in Love With the

Wrong People?

answers these questions

and more

How can I stop the

negative self-talk from ruining my life?

How can I conquer my negativity and become a naturally positive person?

Why am I so fearful

of trying new things?

How can I improve

my self-esteem?

Beyond the Inner Critic

answers these questions

and more

Quirky Goodies can be found at our

Tomorrow’s Edge

Gift Shoppe

Love & Compatability       Angels & Spirituality       Horoscopes & Astrology       Self-Confidence & Personal Development       Skye Thomas

Articles       Books       Newsletters       Abundance & Prosperity       Family & Friends       Contact Us       ...and so much more

August 14th, 2006

Family Issues

Good Morning,

Hope you are all enjoying these final days of summer.  The kids and I are wishing it would last a lot longer.  We’re all dreaming of sunny beaches as a permanent way of life.

take care,

Skye Thomas

Tomorrow's Edge

...inspiring leaps of faith

www.TomorrowsEdge.net

Long Live the American Dream!

 

 

 

Quote of the Week:

"You aren't wealthy until you have something money can't buy." – Garth Brooks

“Tell me who admires you and loves you, and I will tell you who you are.” – Charles Augustin Sainte-Beauve

This Week’s News of Interest:

September 2006 Horoscopes

The new September 2006 forecasts are on schedule to go out early this month.  We are planning on sending them out to subscribers Friday the 18th.  Worse case scenario, they should have no problem going out by the 20th.  The August 2006 forecasts will be posted to the website over this upcoming weekend too.

Back-to-School Shopping!

Don’t forget our t-shirts, hoodies, spaghetti strap tank tops, camis, sweatshirts, tote bags, notebooks, and other goodies when you are doing your back-to-school shopping this month.  We have a special section of clothing for younger children and then a separate section of clothing items designed by teenagers for teenagers.  Some of it’s a bit silly, but it’s all wholesome and fun!

Feature Article of the Week:

 

Family as an Entity

As a mother, I feel that it is my duty to look out for the needs of each individual in the family.  I believe that no one person - child nor adult - is more important than any other.  Every single member of the family is unique and special and their needs are unique and special.  Even if all kids live under the same house rules, they are taught and enforced differently depending on each one’s learning curve and personality type.  Also the adults in the house are to be equal regardless of who raises the kids and who brings home the money.  Everyone’s emotional health, spiritual health, and physical health are equally important.  There is a hidden family member that sometimes gets forgotten when we are juggling the needs of the individuals.  What about “The Family” as a unit?  How does it weigh into the equation?

First let us look at the dynamics as they pertain to the individuals in the family.  The adults cannot make themselves the center of the universe.  Parents who are so caught up in their own careers, relationships, or just in their own heads all of the time, often have lonely depressed children who doubt their parents’ love and devotion.  Studies have already shown a very high percentage of teens experimenting with drugs and alcohol are from homes where the parents are too self-absorbed to notice or to pay attention to what is happening with their own kids.  

On the other hand, it’s very easy as parents to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good of the family.  I suspect that this dynamic plays into the resentments and underlying tensions found in most households.  The adults often give up their dream jobs, drop out of college, or stops having a social life outside of the family because at some point along the way it seemed like the answer to some problem.  For whatever reason, there is no time, energy, or money left for the adults when all is said and done.  They seldom get to pick up those pieces of themselves that they sacrificed along the way.  The parents should not become martyrs to their kids or “The Family.”  It is up to the parents to find a healthy balance between these two extremes.

We all know people who say that the children should always come first - at any cost.  I don’t agree.  Children who are raised to be the center of the universe grow up to be adults who believe that they have a rightful place as the center of everyone else’s universe too.  It is unfair to teach the children that they are more important then everyone else.  They become self-esteem monsters and bullies.  The real world will teach them a very difficult lesson.  People will not like them no matter how special Mommy and Daddy think they are.  It is better to teach children that everyone is equal in regards to needs, hopes and dreams, responsibilities, and other dynamics of getting along in the world.  Mommy’s need for peace and quiet once in awhile is every bit as important as little Billy’s need to jump and run and play.  The key again is for the parents to find a balance between the opposing needs.

The hidden entity is “The Family” as a unit.  I’ve watched families that focused on each individual’s needs, schedules, etc to the point that there really wasn’t a family left when all was said and done.  The parents are busy scheduling their own lives while the teenagers are living independent lives dropping by the house to eat and sleep, but otherwise completely disconnected from the family and the little ones are so busy with soccer leagues and music lessons and play dates with their friends that they have no real sense of what family is about.  Everyone is happy, busy, flourishing individuals, but “The Family” as a unit has almost completely disappeared.

I’ve also seen families that went the opposite direction and nobody got their personal needs met because everyone had to constantly sacrifice for the greater good of “The Family.”  Your career is decided at birth as well as whom you will marry because you must uphold the family name or the family traditions.  Those people come to hate what family represents and want to bust out of the prison of it all.  Once again, the answer lies in the parents needing to find a balance between “The Family” and the individuals.

As a mother, it’s my job to juggle the needs and dreams of every single member of our household.  I always try to remember that secret entity “family” and what is it that “The Family” needs and dreams of.  I teach my kids to not only look at how their needs impact each other, but also how it affects “The Family’s” needs.  For example, if I let my teenagers spend the extra money after the bills are paid each month, then how will the family get to go to Disneyland this summer?  They are an active part in helping to determine “The Family’s” needs and goals as well as their own.  I am very much a part of who gets included.  “Wait a minute guys, did you forget that I need a new monitor for my computer before you get another game for your Xbox?”  

In so doing, they come to understand that they are important, but not more important then me and I am not less important then they are.  The two-year-old’s needs are just as important as the teenagers’ needs.  Everyone makes sacrifices at times, but nobody is forced to sacrifice all of the time.  The kids understand that no one person is more important then any other.  They also understand that “The Family” as a whole is just as important as each individual member within it.  We have an amazingly strong family bond as well as each of us having very strong sense of personal worth.  I feel that this may be the most important thing I do, balancing the needs of everyone including “The Family” as a whole.

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow’s Edge

Tomorrow's Edge

...inspiring leaps of faith

www.TomorrowsEdge.net

Long Live the American Dream!

Skye Thomas is the CEO of Tomorrow’s Edge, an Internet leader in inspiring leaps of faith.  She became a writer in 1999 after twenty years of studying personal growth, motivation, soulmates, self-esteem, parenting, spirituality, metaphysics, family dynamics, dating, and astrology.  Her books, articles, and astrological forecasts have inspired people of all ages and faiths to recommit themselves to the pursuit of happiness.  To read more of her articles, previews of her books, and her astrology forecasts, go to www.TomorrowsEdge.net.  To read more about Skye and to sign up to receive her free weekly newsletter, go to www.SkyeThomas.com.  

 

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