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Dear Reader,
I didn't make any New Year's resolutions for 2014, but today I've changed my mind. Belated birthday cards, belated New Year's resolutions--hey, it's never too late. There's only one New Year's resolution on my list, and I'm sure I'll have no trouble keeping it, because I've discovered a secret.
In a recent interview I did with Jackson Galaxy, Animal Planet's Animal Behaviorist, he shared one of his rules for parenting cats: "If you give 'em a 'no' you have to present them with a 'yes.'"
When Fluffy's scratching on your new, soft-as-a-baby's-bottom, leather sofa (that you still owe three payments on), after you finish hyperventilating, and frantically waving your arms while screaming, "No, No, No!" Jackson's rule dictates that now you need to gain your composure and present Fluffy with a "yes."
"'No,' you can't scratch on my brand new leather sofa Fluffy. But 'yes' you can scratch on this nice big scratching post covered in cat nip, that's sitting right beside the sofa."
Cats, toddlers, teenagers, after thinking about it, I realize I used to use the same, 'give 'em a no, then present them with a yes' logic when my kids were young. "No, you can't go over to your friend's house, but yes, you can go clean your room. (Does that sound right to you? Maybe that's why those teen years were so difficult.)
Say no, then give 'em a yes. Life skips along smoother, everybody's happier, sounds good to me and that's why it's my one and only resolution. All I need is one this year, because it covers any situation.
If I say "no" to a new pair of shoes, I can say "yes" to a mint chocolate chunk ice cream cone.
If I say "no" to the mint chocolate chunk ice cream cone, then I can say "yes" to a one hour body massage.
If I say "no" to the one hour body massage, then I can say "yes" to my new pair of shoes. (You should see those shoes! They are gorgeous, AND they're on sale!)
"Yes, wrap 'em up, I'll take 'em." And it's all guilt-free, because I'm still keeping my New Year's Resolution.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
* This month's Penguin Classics book is BUTTERFIELD 8 by John O'Hara. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin bookbag. http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqN1AFE3FA7A11&c=CLASSICS
AUTHORBUZZ: THE COURIER (Thriller) by Andrew Britton
Global enemies; unthinkable terror; and only one man can stop them.... In a mission nearly a century in the making--and with surprising family connections--maverick ex-CIA agent, Ryan Kealey forms an unlikely partnership with the young Farsi-speaking nuclear physicist Rayhan Jafari to hunt down the devastating package. They can only trust their guts and each other to combat horrific destruction.
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE COURIER to read more and to email author Andrew Britton, you'll get a reply.
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