2012-10-29 – My son Nat was feeling blue. And so was I. It was, as they say, a teachable moment. Parents are not always transparent about their feelings.

“I’m feeling down because of all the work on my new job,” I told him. “It seems insurmountable. I hardly ever get to see you anymore and your brother is away at school. The house is a mess and it’s not likely to get any better for a while.”

But then the twist.

“You can really feel beaten down by all this,” I said. “But it really depends on how you tell yourself the story. I could just as easily say that I’m excited by the challenge on my new job. That I’m proud of how hard you are working to build a career and of your brother for doing well at college.”

“And you’re glad about the remodeling?” Asked Nat.

“Yeah,” I said. “You decide how you’re going to think about things.”