Sterling Institute of Relationship Women's Weekend - lessons on being a mother

It has been a lot of years now since I attended the Sterling Women's Weekend, but I still keep finding new places in my life to apply the lessons. When I first did the Sterling Women's Weekend, I was single, going nowhere in my career, and in the process of ending a 6 year relationship with my boyfriend. Today we are planning a party to celebrate our 20-year anniversary. It's hard to believe that the time has passed so quickly.

The Sterling Institute of Relationship's programs and classes for graduates have kept the principles and the lessons of the Sterling Women's Weekend alive in my life. 20 years ago, I was a loner with very few friends, mostly men. Today I have a lot of women in my life that I can go to for help, comfort, or just to get away and go skiing for a day. :-)

The big challenge in my life today is learning how to be an effective mother to boys. Every time I heard Justin Sterling speak in the last couple years, he has spent a lot of time talking about mothering. It has made me look at the assumptions I have about raising children. After all, most of what I know about raising children comes from my parents. They did a good job, but there are things I swore I would never do as a parent, and look -- there I am again -- yelling at my kids the way I said I never would.

Many of the disciplines of the Sterling Women's Weekend apply to raising boys, I think. Since January, I have been trying to make sure I spend 15 minutes a day with each of my boys individually. That is harder than I thought. I spend lots of time with them, but 15 minutes of individual attention, doing what HE wants, instead of what I want --THAT is a challenge. But it is really paying off. The boys are going out of their way to do little things for me, or to do what I ask them to do, when I ask them. They are noticeably more affectionate, and give more hugs and cuddles. They are 6 and 8 years old, so I know that the cuddly years are coming to an end. But thanks to the lessons I learned at the Sterling Women's Weekend, I know that I need to appreciate these years while I have them. The time for letting go is coming, but not just yet!