I was not confident in a loud way. I would silently do what I believed is good, without the need for affirmation.

Humility pairs well with sustainable courage. 

And it is disarming to let things slide, let people slide, and not feel the need to be right in the eyes of others. 

Nothing can buy my loyalty. My loyalty is freely given when it is respected. 

As an adult, being told what to do when I disagree with the reasoning, it doesn’t make me want to explain myself, or debate the situation. I simply retreat and let them be. I didn’t have probably much room to debate as a kid so I learned to insulate my mind and my heart to preserve my integrity. 

Opening up for debate is a gift to others to help them see my point of view, but if they are too hard, harsh, stubborn, I don’t even try. This is sad in some ways, because I have moved on without looking back if I hit a wall in some probably superficial friendships. 

On the others hand, I do feel like my life is too full of people. Maybe the ones who have a tendency to control fall out of my life and off my radar naturally and it’s a good thing. 

As a kid my parents had a few clear rules. I said this before. And I seem to pass them onto my kids. They are ground rules of what i believe it’s important in their lives while they are in my care. They concern God, health and school. 

Teaching them about God, surrounding ourselves with followers of Jesus. Teaching them about healthy eating habits and giving them a good foundation for school and academics. 

Otherwise they have a lot of freedom to learn to chose, to discern, to feel the world around and self preserve when they are pushed and pulled by seemingly good things or good people.