Tough: If You are Going through Hell, Just Keep on Going!

I was raised that unless I was too sick to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom on my own, I was going to go to school.

I was raised that if I didn't eat all my supper, I'd get it for breakfast.

I was raised that if I whined about anything, I'd get something from my mom to cry about.

I was raised that if I fell down and scraped my knees, rather than being coddled and babied, I was told to get up, dust myself off and keep going.

I was raised that if I didn't work, I didn't eat.

I was raised that if I made my bed, I slept in it.

I was raised that if I wanted something, I had to earn it.

I was raised that if I lost the race, there was no trophy to take home. The only recognition I was afforded was that I didn't stop until I crossed the finish line. If I stopped before then, I was labeled a "quitter" -- whether I won or lost.

I was raised to not have excuses. There is a solution to every problem. Where there is a will there is a way. (Some people wonder where I got my "stubbornness" from).

I was raised not to fight -- but if attacked, and I didn't fight back, I was busted again when I got home. And, if I got into a fight with family, I was forced to fight them until we couldn't fight anymore in the front yard. (Okay, that didn't happen, but it was threatened at one point...LOL)

I was raised that if I was working, and I was tired, not to complain until I was finished with my work. Tiredness was no excuse not to do what needed to be done.

And I was raised without praise for doing my chores. Why be thanked for what I should already be doing in the first place?

I was raised that the ONLY time I went to a doctor was if there was something I could not fix on my own -- like a broken bone, a concussion, or an illness that was getting worse no matter what I was doing, not better.

And a scar was just a permanent trophy of my toughness -- not my beauty, which went hand in hand with "never judge a book by its cover" and "beauty is only skin deep"

I was taught to face my fears and that if I am going through hell, to keep on going.

I have had people tell me I am the strongest person they know.

Well, this is why.

FYI: Toughness isn't something you are born with. It is something you learn.

To hear some people talk, all of the above could be considered child abuse. In my opinion, raising children who refuse to take personal responsibility who are weak-minded and full of complaints and thinking they are entitled is the worse abuse you could put on a child. The American Spirit only thrives in toughness.