Email of the Day

Dr. Laura,

I'd like to thank you for helping me open my eyes after reading your book "Bad Childhood, Good Life". Unfortunately, I have spent too many years of my life being the adult victim of my childhood. Negative-Nelly would be an understatement.  After realizing it was affecting my marriage and my children, I took a big look in the mirror and decided it was me who needed to make the change. I downloaded your book and sought counseling - not to fix the past, but to look at myself and how I was going to move forward.

I have been making great strides, I have become my husband's girlfriend again and my children's mom. I would have never thought that by just changing my own attitude changed so many of the things that used to drive me nuts. Who knew it could be so easy to be happy and have the ones you love the most to be happy as well. I saw exactly why with my own eyes yesterday while sitting on a plane for nine hours. I was lucky enough to be behind a woman who acted in many ways as I used too. I don't think I heard one positive word out of her mouth the entire nine hours. The plane was not able to leave due to weather, radio tower and other issues all of which we had no control over. In the past, I would have acted just like this woman - disappointed that I wasn't getting home to my children as soon as I had hoped.  But watching how she behaved reaffirmed to me that all the complaining and yelling wasn't going to get me home sooner to my kiddos and definitely wasn't going to make me a better girlfriend or mom. Man, did I used to be a B*&^%!

The new me decided to take this as an opportunity to spend more time with my husband and reminisce about our great weekend. The best part though was hearing him tell me on our way home from the airport that he was proud of me. I knew what he was saying without him saying anything else.  It made me feel so good and proud to be his girlfriend. It's hard to realize that you may actually be the one person standing in your own way of being happy. I am doing the tough work to change and I am enjoying the benefits.

Thank you for writing a great book that helped me open my eyes and for all your advice!

Signed,

New and improved girlfriend and mom, Caroline