Elder Melle Check In

Hallo clever mini-women! Hoping that all is going well in the new school year. Just popping in for a moment to let you know that two new posts from Nancy are up. They were posted in the wrong spot by accident! I loved Miss Nancy’s post on Your Year of Power. Wonder Woman does, indeed have an origin story. It’s a great one, and I hope that you all get to read it one day. Here’s a little bit of mine…

• I love to read. Growing up, characters in books were some of my best friends. I liked reading much more than playing outside. (still do!)
• I’ve always been a bit of a nerd.
• I make up silly songs for my daughters, and my fur babies.
• I love learning. I am always teaching myself new things.
• Things weren’t always easy for me growing up. I was bullied in Elementary and Jr. High Schools.
• I am not a girly girl at all, but I still LOVE to play with makeup and change my hair color.
• I think I come across as a relatively serious person, but I am really a big goofball…who just happens to be a big ole introvert.

Here’s to you ladies, and your unfolding origin stories. Things won’t always be perfect, but they will help make you the woman you’ll become. I do believe that everything happens for a reason, but that reason is what you make of it. Make yourself a hero!

What’s Your Super Power (from 8/26/15)

Hello, Tribelet! Remember not-last-week-but-the-week-before, when I asked you to tell us what makes you “different?” Let’s make that a point-earning challenge, shall we? Go back and read that post if you haven’t already and leave a comment telling us WHAT MAKES YOU “DIFFERENT”.

     Even if it’s painful. Even if it’s awkward. Even if you’ve never admitted it to anyone. Even if you secretly like that thing-that-makes-you-different but nobody else does. No matter what, you’re safe sharing it with us.

Why do we need to know that? Because it’s the first step in discovering your Super Power.

Seriously, everybody has at least one. That’s totally a God-thing. It might not be the kind of power those Super heroes in the picture have … okay, I’m sure it ISN’T. But it’s a power even so. And most of the time, it’s the thing that makes you “different” that also gives you the power to be all that God made you to be. So for 5 POINTS, do these two things before next Wednesday, okay?

            (1) Read the post called “YOUR YEAR Of POWER” (click here )

            (2) Post a comment HERE telling what makes you “different”

   Then we’re going to make a super hero out of every one of you. So get your capes ready, because this is the year of your power to be yourself.

I can’t WAIT!!!

Blessings,

Nancy Rue, the Eldest of the Elders

Your Year of Power (from 8/19/15)

Hello, Tribelet! It’s so good to be back after a trip. I MISSED you. I haven’t gotten to read everyone’s comments yet, but I will before next post. I wanted to get straight into our next topic — the thing we’ve been working toward all summer. You ready, Tribelet members?

I’m sure by now most of you have either started back to school or are headed there soon. Will you check in and let us know which is true for you? Some of you are homeschooled, others are finishing up elementary this year or headed for middle school. You don’t have to tell us that part — just whether you’ve begun your next grade or are gearing up for that first day.

Whenever that is, you’re almost ready, because we’ve been working together all summer on respecting the dignity of every human being, including your siblings and your mom. In fact, you’ve made progress toward making your mom your ally when it comes to problems with other kids in your life, no matter who they are. You have this respecting-other-people thing down.

Now it’s time to turn that respect on yourself. You were made by God to be a special person. EVERYBODY is. “Special” isn’t just for the kids who make straight A’s or score all the soccer goals or always get picked for, well, everything. Special means you were created to be unique, one-of-a-kind, nobody-like-you. GOD did that, so basically we can’t argue with it.

Even though other people might.

Yeah, there are always going to be those kids who will try to tell you you’re nobody or weird or not cool. It seems like people just LOOK for reasons to point out how you’re not as good as they are. We’ll talk more later about why some kids do that. For now, we’re going to focus on YOU being your own fabulous, tailor made, designer self. If you know your own specialness, nobody can get away with bullying you because what they say won’t stick to you.

See this awesome, awesome, and did I mention awesome drawing Elder Melle did for you?

All the things that people who like to shine the spotlight on what they think is weird (or weak) about you are on the left. Maybe you:

  * like to stand back and watch people before you jump right into the thick of things

  * have interests that are different from most girls your age (maybe you’re into birds or fantasy or Medieval costumes instead of rock music and on-trend clothes and boys)

  *aren’t interested in being popular

  * look up to heroes who aren’t celebrities (maybe you’re into Gandalf instead of Taylor Swift)

   *believe deeply in God and try to live your life that way

   * you’d rather read than breathe

  * you ARE a geek and proud of it

   * you learn differently from the way other people do

   * you have a disability that makes you strong and brave.

So yeah, you’re “different”. Who isn’t? All of that is your Origin Story. Know what we mean by that? Superman has one. Spiderman has one. Wonder Woman has one (I think …) Those “differences” make you …. you … and YOU are a hero with special powers. God doesn’t make anything else.

So, if you want to post this week (no points yet — we’ll get to that in our next challenge) tell us what makes you “different.” They might be things you like about yourself, or things you don’t because other people don’t get it. Doesn’t matter. Just share your list with us. 

Here’s part of mine: I have a very loud laugh (sort of a shriek, really, often followed by a snort). I make up poems when I’m walking my dog. I talk to my cat. I’m always making up stories and characters in my head. I’m a complete spaz at sports but I love to watch football on TV. I can’t eat eggs because they make me throw up. I write in a journal every day and color in it and paste pictures into it and decorate it. Every day.

NOW TELL US YOUR LIST. WE’RE GOING TO FIND OUT HOW AWESOME OUR TRIBELET IS.

Blessings,

Nancy Rue, the Eldest of the Elders

Mom As Your Ally: Part Three

Hello, Tribelet, and welcome back to After School Wednesdays. Some of you have probably started back to classes but even if you haven’t, it’s time to get ready for what the new school year is going to bring when it comes to dealing with, well, difficult people — including but not limited to absurd little creep boys, siblings, and mean girls.

For the past few weeks we’ve talked about your Mom as your best ally when it comes to stuff like this and I’ve given you some challenges to help you get closer to your mothers. Several of you have risen to the occasion!

     EVE earned 5 more points (bringing her to 40) for getting better at not yelling at her mom. That’s huge for EVE because being home-schooled she’s around her mother more than kids who aren’t, and as we talked about last time, we tend to be “less nice” to the people we’re around all the time. (What’s THAT about, right?)

HALLE BELLE earned 5 more points for trying to be grateful that she even has a mom when hers asks her to do something she doesn’t want to do and 5 for making Mom a card,telling her how much she loves her. That’s going to be a once-a-month thing for them.  My daughter is 36 and she still does something nice for me once a month. Last year she made me a knitted sleeve for my Starbucks coffee for each one starting with January.  How cool is THAT?

NIMI earned 5 more points (bringing her to 20) for .. well, I’ll let her explain it: “I understood my mom when she told me to wash the dishes, so I didn’t pull up that much of a ‘tude. Another not so nice thing I do to my mum is give her the silent treatment. Working on that,though. So what I did to make up for all this,is to catch myself when I’m about to do it and NOT do it.”

Finally MEDOMFO earned 10 points for doing Part One AND Part Two, encouraging and listening to advice and thinking about something she DOES like when her mom asks her to do something she DOESN’T like. Are you ready for this? Those 10 points bring MEDOMFO up to 57 — which means, Medomfo, you get a Skype or speaker phone conference with me for you (with Mom present) or you and your Tribelet. Please email me at nnrue@att.net so we can set that up.

Here’s the thing about treating your mom better: not only will it make her more willing to be your ally — but you won’t be likely to bully other people the way you sometimes bully her. We tend to behave out there in the world much like we do at home. Something to think about.

And our next step? Think of something you’re really struggling with, especially when it comes to getting along with somebody (besides your mom) Maybe you’re always bickering with one of your siblings (about the remote, the front seat, the last cookie, the everything) or you and your dad get into it a lot or you and your friend aren’t getting along that well right now. Got that? SHARE WITH US WHAT THAT IS IF YOU WANT TO.

Next, write down a question you could ask your mom about that. “Mom, did you fight with your brothers and sisters when you were my age?” “Can you help me understand why Dad just doesn’t get me?” “What would you do if your friend was treating you like this …?” SHARE THAT WITH US IF YOU WANT TO

Finally, figure out a time and place to ask your mom that question. While she’s cooking dinner or has a splitting headache isn’t the best idea. What works is often when you’re out running errands together or when she comes in to say good night at the end of the day. Really think about it and SHARE THAT WITH US IF YOU WANT TO. 

When you do talk this over with Mom, let us know, will you? No points this time. You’ll just give me some examples to work with so I can help you really, really find an ally in your mom.

Can’t wait! Blessings, Nancy Rue (The Eldest of the Tribelet Elders!)

Bless