Ohmigod, you have described me (mom of 3 boys) to a TEE! Even down to the fact that I was stressed out watching the entire FBDO movie, thinking about all the things that were going to go wrong. Just take the car back, Cameron!! Lol! I’ve been called a ‘control freak’ since I was three years old, and it’s only in the last few years that I’ve started to be able to let things go another way than I want them to. But I’m still most comfortable and calm when I’m planning things down to the last detail. (You should see the trip I’m currently planning for my family to Disneyland. My family thinks I’m nuts. They can’t understand why I’d want to have the brand of milk we take with us for our re-planned breakfasts picked out ahead of time. Don’t they understand that if we have the wrong brand it could lead to catastrophic vacation disasters??!!)
I will say that with age I’ve made an effort to take the anxiety out of it for myself. I try not to get freaked out that I can’t control things, I just know that I am more comfortable if I can. Like, I’ve learned ot let the house be dirty sometimes, bit look at a pile of dishes and let it sit there for awhile while I play cars with my sons instead. It’s hard – and totally against my nature! – but in the long run, I can feel it is better for my overall anxiety level. And with some practice, there are things that I’ve actually stopped caring about having “my way.” (A little. See milk reference above.)
“So if you’re a Mary- or Martha-type please don’t despair that your sway is doomed to failure, you can reprogram yourself to some extent and it will really help your sway.”
I can’t wait to hear about the “re-programming” part! I’ll be checking back all weekend for more on this essay.
FABULOUS job, atomic! This is really interesting, well-researched stuff. I’m so impressed. (And was laughing throughout. Well researched and entertaining for the win!)