Sunday, February 3, 2013

Labels

I was watching T.V. this week when I heard a quote that has kind of stuck with me since hearing it....I don't remember EXACTLY how the quote went...but it went something along the lines of...

"The important thing to remember about labels, is that they only matter if they stick." (Good Luck Charlie...yes you read that right :-P)

It got me thinking about all of the labels that have been placed on me over the years...growing up I was given many labels, even now I still have many labels.  Some of these labels I have embraced and made part of who I am....and other labels I have ripped off and refused to let them define me.

Some labels I had growing up included:
  • Quiet
  • Smart
  • Goody Two Shoes - this is something my sisters always called me, they hated that I always appeared to be the "good child" and were mean to me about it growing up....little did they know there were lots of things I did that weren't too "goody two shoes"esque....I just didn't get caught.  It bothered me that they called me this, but I knew they didn't REALLY know me so they just judged me for what they could see
  •  Sister - as a child, I can honestly say I wasn't the best sister.  My sisters and I never got along.  We fought ALL THE TIME.  The only good thing I did was try to leave a good example...and not rat my sisters out when they did something wrong....I always hated when they would rat me out.
  • Daughter - I honestly tried to be the best daughter I could be growing up.  I looked up to my mom and tried to help her out as much as possible.  It is the role of being a daughter that has taught me a lot about how to be a good Mom.
  • Granddaughter
  • Student
  • Cool Kid - being a cool kid is probably what every child wants to be...and I was...for a while.  The cool kids turned their back on me towards the end of elementary school because apparently I was "stealing boyfriends"....now I never actually had a boyfriend until I was 16, so I don't know what they were talking about.  Being a cool kid made me feel so good...becoming an uncool kid made me feel crushed.
  • Nerd
  • Loser - so after my reign as cool kid, came my reign as cool Loser.  After I got kicked out of the cool kid club, my so called friends started bullying me and I had to make new friends quickly.  It crushed me to be considered a loser and I actually went into a depression at 13....I didn't go to school for two weeks and never told anyone why...I played the "sick" card at home for as long as I could.  I dealt with this for the next two years....felt sick to my stomach going to school everyday for almost two years....but I survived...and it did get better!
  • Girlfriend- I had a couple of boyfriends in my younger days....and I learned a lot from them.  I learned what I didn't want...and what I did want in a relationship.  I had one other long term relationship before meeting my husband....it was a great relationship, we had a lot of good times, but in the end it really just wasn't meant to be and we crashed and burned.  That experience made me who I am today in a relationship though, so I won't ever forget it.
  • Child from a "Broken Home" - I honestly never thought my parents would be the ones to get divorced...it was something that just wouldn't happen to me, until it did.  To be honest, my Dad was never around growing up since he worked pipeline, which often took him away from home for work.  It still hurt like hell when he walked out on us though....I'm still dealing with emotions from it and it is almost 15 years later now.  I learned what I want in a partner and Father for my children and what I was willing to put up with in a relationship.  I also had to grow up fast....my mom needed someone to help her (even though she never once asked for help) and I knew that person had to be me. 
Some labels I have now as an adult:
  •  Sister - My adult role of sister has changed a lot from my childhood role.  My sisters and I now get along and have gotten a lot closer over the years.  I'm at a much different point in my life than my sisters are so sometimes it can be hard for them to relate to me, but they know I'm always there for them.
  • Daughter
  • Mother - this is probably my favourite label.  I enjoy being a mother SO much and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  It is one of the hardest and most challenging jobs I have ever had in my life....but it is so rewarding.  I truly hope that I do a great job as a mother and raise loving, intelligent, caring and respectable children.
  • Wife - another job I enjoy.  I have found a great partner to live my life with and look forward to our future together.
  • Employee
  • Boss
  • Friend - I think of myself as a good friend....I just find that the older I get the harder it is to keep those people close.  I get that life changes, people move on and grow up....it just kind of sucks when it happens to you.  I try to make a point of making appointments with my friends for dinner or just to hang out...but I find even that doesn't always get us together anymore.
  • Level Headed
  • Determined
  • Woman
  • Adult
What are some of the labels you, yourself have?  How have they impacted you and shaped the person you are today?

1 comment:

  1. Just wanted to let you know that I nominated you for a Liebster Award!

    Feel free to check out my blog post on it here! http://passthecinnamon.blogspot.ca/2013/01/the-liebster-award.html

    ReplyDelete