7.27.2014

Bad Childhood - Good Life



I'm not much of a self help book reader.  I don't listen to Dr Laura, but I know I have friends who do. they seem to like her. Someone requested I check this out for them from the library and I thought I might as well listen to it before returning it.

She has some good points. I know I went through much of what she tells of with my own shrink a few years back.  I found it interesting that much of what she said conflicts with what my shrink wanted me to do, things I still do today when trying to cope with things. She made me rethink some of those practices. She brought up good reasons as to why to do things differently.

One good point she brought up was that there are people who use their tough experiences as excuses. I've talked about, in reviewing previous books, how bugged I am by people who say they "grew up poor" and they say it all the time, as if it is an excuse for something in their life. A friend's wife recently left him, uses the excuse of a traumatic childhood experience. He shared somethings with me, and not knowing what she experienced, but knowing what I experienced - I can understand much of what he said she'd shared with him, as far as feelings go and such. I know how she felt - but... she should have moved past much of those feelings so long ago, she should have moved past those feelings holding her back. 

I will talk about some of what happened when asked, but I'd rather not. No one wants to relive a bad situation. And I'd like to think everything is in the past now, and I try so hard to not let things hold me back. I recognize when they do. And it makes me really mad at myself. But more, it makes me mad when others bring it up, and try to excuse something I do because of past experience. Don't do that. Don't make excuses for me. Please.

I think this is a good book for people who have experienced difficulty themselves and for those who know someone like that (but don't try to fix them... duh!)

Enjoy.

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