During our trip to Idaho, we were able to take our tween, Lincoln to visit his Great Grandma.  Whenever we travel out west we have always taken the time to visit Lincoln’s Great Grandma.  It has been a few years since our last visit and Great Grandma has changed alot in a couple of years.  Her hair has gone from a pretty red to a snow white.  She has lost many of her teeth and doesn’t remember much of anything.

Lincoln has always loved his sweet Great Grandma and it is important to us that he is able to spend some time with her.  He probably won’t remember much from these visits, but he will have the pictures and hear the stories of her life. 

His Great Grandma is an incredible woman who has lived a life of  strength and integrity.  Not only is she an outstanding individual, she is also part of his legacy.  She is linked to him in our family tree!  Who she is and the way she has lived her life will always be a great example to Lincoln.

I want my tween to know that he is a part of a wonderful legacy.  His life and the things he does in his life will be remembered forever.  Each of us is important and someday when we are gone, our stories and our life will live on through our family.

Do you have people in your family that you use as great examples for your tween?

As we spend the month discussing healthy relationships, it’s important for parents to be able to identify what makes a healthy relationship and what creates a codependent relationship.

OHealthy’s article “Answers to Your Questions on Codependency” defines codependency as: an emotional and behavioral condition. It affects a person’s ability to have healthy, mutually satisfying relationships.

“Originally, codependent was a term used to describe people living with, or in a relationship with, an alcoholic or addicted person,” says Judy Stange, Ph.D., Dr. Stange is senior advisor for health care reform at Mental Health America in Alexandria, Va. “Today, however, the term has broadened to describe any codependent person from any dysfunctional family.”

What are the signs?

Q. How can you tell if you’re codependent?

A. Codependents often have these traits:

• An exaggerated sense of responsibility for the actions of others
• A tendency to do more than their share, all of the time
• An extreme need for approval and recognition
• A tendency to become hurt when people don’t recognize their efforts
• A drive to do anything to hold on to a relationship
• A sense of guilt when being assertive
• A need to control others
• A lack of trust in self and/or others
• Difficulty identifying feelings
• Problems with boundaries

If you see several of these traits in yourself, talk with a mental health provider, Dr. Strange says. “Effective treatment is available.”

Visit OHealthy to read the full article.

How do you keep your relationships balanced? Please share your comments in the box below.