Scaring Teenage Boys Who Date My Niece: Setting The Example

My niece who will be 16 at the end of this month has a new boyfriend, whom I will meet this weekend. I had to laugh out loud when she said she was more worried about him meeting me than her dad. Mind you, my brother is color wearing, motorcycle riding, tattoo covered biker and he is awesome! The joke amongst our mutual friends is that he is the nice sibling. It's partly true. My brother is easy going, hard working, deep loving and fairly quiet. He let's most things slide off his back and he loves his daughter more than life itself.

I, on the other-hand, have a big mouth, I call it as I see it and if you mess with my brother, you will deal with me. I'm even worse when it comes to my girls; my 19 year old daughter and my niece. I've made mistakes in my life that cost me a very dear price and many of those mistakes involved who I would become for whatever man was in my life at the time. When I saw my daughter repeating those patterns, I swore to change something. I was determined to become the person that I wanted my daughter to look up and I began to make new choices. Never again would I give up my own identity for a man, never again would I make the masses happy at the expense of my own happiness, never again would I settle for less than anything that makes me completely happy.

Remember, our girls are watching us and the choices we make and they will follow in our footsteps in one manner or another. How we treat ourselves can't be any less than we would accept for them. Treat yourself with love, compassion, kindness, forgiveness and acceptance of who you are and they will learn to do the same. You will find in time that anything less no longer feels comfortable and you will be a living example of what making yourself matter is all about.

 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I, will be explaining to a teenage boy that if he is afraid of my brother then he best treat my niece well or he will have me to contend with. I might mention that I used to beat up my brother who can appear scary to boys wanting to date his daughter.

 Live With Passion ~Bel