Props

I am convinced that pessimism and optimism is partly based on your genetics. In this family I am VERY much the optimist. And if you know my Mom and Pops then you know that so are my parents. Joey is VERY much a pessimist and if you have met his parents, well you know what I'm talking about. In fact if I ever convince him to do that weekly podcast with me I want to call it "Half-full and Half-empty".

So what happens to kids that have an extreme optimist and extreme pessimist as parents. Well we are finding out in this house. See Joey is not mine to change. He is who he is. And anyways my half-full glass and his half-empty glass is still a full glass. But my kids, well they are mine to mold. The Phi has always been an upbeat kid but lately I have seen the pessimist rearing its ugly head. She is starting to complain and whine a lot more. I believe that your attitude and state of mind can lead to a happy life. It's all about  how you react and perceive things. At the same time it can also lead to a miserable life. And I want my kids to have super happy lives.

So I came up with something for us to do everyday to help keep the optimist in The Phi going strong. Something to reminder her of all the good in her life. Back in my UCSB HAU days, we had something we did called "Props". At the end of a meeting we would allow the girls to stand up and give "props" to another Hermana who helped her out that week. After each announcement we would all say "Props" and give one loud clap. I decided we needed something like this in our home.

So now at dinner, we go around the table and say one good thing that happened that day. After each persons turn we say "Props" and give one loud clap. The Phi loved to do it and Lou loves to clap along. The Phi reminds us to do it every night. And it doesn't matter where we are. On Easter Sunday my whole family had dinner at a restaurant. All 10+ of us, and she had everyone go around the table and give props. When out on our weekly dinner with Uncle Matty and Karla she made them give props. Last night, when Uncle Sam stopped by for a visit during her dinner she had him give props.

I hope that by talking about the good parts of our days it will remind The Phi (and eventually Lou) that there is good in our lives every single day.