Monday Motivation– Life is Like a Camera

Have you heard? Emma Approved is back! I discovered The Lizzie Bennet Diaries years after they came out. LBD is actually my favorite adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Don’t hate me! I think it really gets the point that the book is from Elizabeth’s point of view, that everything is framed in how she sees the world and the people in it and she’s not unbiased. I think it also shows her flaws and prejudices–how she grows. The spin off of Lydia Bennet‘s story shows the emotional abuse that Lydia goes through at the hands of Wickham which I think really adds a new dimension to her. Anyway, by the time I watched LBD, Emma Approved was out but I never watched it. I recently heard they are coming out with a second season so I had to binge Season One.

My kids were around for the last few episodes and we had some interesting conversations. Emma Approved really hones in on Emma’s need for perfectionism. She wants to better the lives of other people. While she’s confident in her abilities, she’s not conceited. Other people can make mistakes and get back up–but if Emma makes a mistake it’s like she wants to flay herself. That’s something that I can relate to so much and so can my kids.

My son has autism and has a very big perfectionism streak. If he even thinks he can’t do something perfect it can trigger a meltdown. Does he communicate it that way? No. With the autism he has trouble with emotional regulation. My daughter has ADHD and possibly Autism as well (we’re in the middle of evaluation for her). She can be so self-critical. She will avoid things that take more effort–which is becoming a lot of school things.

In the final episodes of Emma Approved, Emma crosses a line. Stressed to the max, she loses her filter. Just like Austen’s Emma, she insults Miss Bates. Then…well, then nearly everyone is mad at her and Emma crumples under the wake of disappointing so many people, including those closest to her. I told my kids that I have had to learn the lesson Emma was learning. I had to learn that I was allowed to make mistakes and try again to be better. I asked my son if he felt like he had to be perfect and he said yes. My daughter, always the talkative one, offered without me asking that she gets upset with herself all the time because she can’t write a 2 the correct way and instead always makes an S.

When I found this quote, I knew I wanted to share it on the blog. I think I’ll talk to the kids about this idea too. Remember the best moments, learn from the bad ones, and try again when things don’t turn out. I’d also add that sometimes when things don’t turn out as you wanted, it can still be a perfectly good photo.

What about you? Do you see moments in your life where these words have held true for you?