The first step is admitting you were wrong

35. List 10 times I was WAY wrong

When making my list I decided that part of reflecting on my last 39 years would include revisiting things that I was wrong about and realizing what I had learned from the experience.  It was way too easy to find times when I was wrong!  I am sure I could have made this list "40 times" and still had more to write about.

10 times I was WAY wrong

1. When I encouraged my son to suck his thumb because I thought it was hard for a baby to lose his thumb in the middle of the night.

Okay, breaking the paci habit sucked.  However, right now I have a 4 year old who shows NO SIGN whatsoever of stopping sucking his thumb.

Lesson learned: you can always remove a non-body part.  Sometimes the easy solution now is not easy in the long run.

2. When I thought I wanted to be a history major

I lasted one quarter at Clemson in a history class.  Not sure why I thought History was for me. I guess I thought it sounded good.

Lesson learned:  I excel in things that you can work through and get an answer to- not memorization of dates and facts.

3. When I thought that being prepared for a race one year meant that you were automatically prepared for it the next year

The first year I did the Irongirl I was SO over prepared that the race was easy. I did a full run through the weekend before.  The second year I remembered how easy it was, and I decided that I didn’t need to train nearly as much. The race was horrible.

Lesson learned: It is always better to be over prepared than underprepared.

4. When I thought that I knew better than the school at picking my kids’ teachers

We get so caught up in thinking that we know what is best for our kids that we want to control everything that involves them.  I have asked for teachers for all 3 of my kids that turned out to be good for them, but when their current teacher picked out their next teacher we have always been pleasantly surprised!

Lesson learned: Trust the professionals to do their jobs.  They actually know what they are doing.

5. When I thought I couldn’t possibly like “Gone with the Wind” because it was a classic.

I steered clear of this book forever, because most classics were boring to me.  I didn’t think I could possibly like this book because of all of the accolades.

Lesson learned: Old doesn’t necessarily mean boring.

6. When I took AP Turbo Pascal so it would help me with the up and coming age of computers

      Seriously???? Enough said.

7. When I was eager for Jack to be born already so that the pregnancy would be over.

I had preeclampsia with Jack and I was SO uncomfortable. My blood pressure was dangerously high, so I was happy and relieved when they decided to take him a week earlier than he was scheduled for.  Unfortunately, his lungs weren’t fully developed and he spent a couple of weeks in the NICU getting them ready for the outside world.

Lesson learned: Be patient.  God works at his own speed.

8. When I thought that E.T. would be the perfect movie for a 3 year old

Caroline was 3 when we decided to take her to an outdoor showing of E.T.  We thought she would love the experience.  Five minutes into the movie she was screaming terrified by the “alien.”  She is ten now and can’t even look at a picture of E.T. in a magazine without freaking out.

Lesson learned: Things that seem like little things to us can be big things to other people.  You may have impacted someone without even knowing it, and they may have long-lasting memories from it.

9. When I thought I knew what to expect with my second child, because we already had a girl.

When we found out Maggie was a girl I was so excited- I already knew how to do that!  However, once she started moving we realized that she was nothing like her sister.  She climbed, she got into everything, and her personality is totally different!

Lesson learned: Children are born with their own personalities.  You can encourage certain traits in them, but who they are is engrained from the start.

10. When I thought no one would read my blog anyway!

I have been so startled when I am out somewhere and people say to me, “I read your bucket list!”  I never thought that so many people would be interested in what I had to say. I am surprised, and humbled.

Lesson learned: Choose your words carefully; you never know who is listening.