Be Self-Confident

“My mother said to me,
‘If you are a soldier, you will
become a general. If you are a
monk, you will become the Pope.”
Instead I was a painter,
and I became Picasso.’”

Pablo Picasso


Growing up, I was fortunate to have a “cool mom.” She was, and still is, very generous and hospitable. She was always at events and parties, usually with food. We would come home with friends and she would have fresh-baked cookies, and cheese and cracker and fruit platters, all laid out for us. She would go with us to water parks, set up a “home base,” and let us wander the water park and have a great time. She would arrive completely outfitted to fill any need we had: drinks in coolers, fresh towels, first aid kit, and cash for the funnel cakes. She has always been a great listener. I have been blessed to have the loving and accepting friend that I have in my mom, who has always been there to take my phone calls, no matter what time of day, and listen to my dramatic rantings about the craziness going on in my life at the moment.

She has always believed in me, and with her belief, I have always thought I could accomplish anything. When I would get wary and want to quit, she would encourage me to hang in there just a little longer to see whether things would change. I was always glad that I did. Whenever I stumbled, she was there, helping me build my self-confidence.

I was listening to a program that talked about what defines a “cool mom.” The speaker said it was a mom who lets the child get away with things that a “normal mom” wouldn’t. The speaker then went on to ask, “What is normal these days?” My four girls call me a “cool mom.” I am not sure that you could say I let them get away with things, but I do try to emulate my mom by being hospitable to their friends; I always try to have home-cooked food ready and available. I also try to listen to them, give them some freedom in decision making, offer advice to them when it doesn’t work out, and encourage them to try a little longer before they quit, just to make sure their minds don’t change.

So, I would like to thank my “cool mom,” Josie Keith, for helping me become the person I am and the “cool mom” I am to my children. Happy Mother’s Day.

Picture of Ladonna Armstrong

Ladonna Armstrong

Publisher of Aiken Bella Magazine.
Picture of Ladonna Armstrong

Ladonna Armstrong

Publisher of Aiken Bella Magazine.

In the know

Related Stories

Be in Love with Life | Palmetto Bella

Be in Love with Life

The “Amore” Issue! I love Love. I drive my daughters crazy with this notion. But it is true. “The Rose” was the very first song I can recall memorizing. I learned it at a church camp in Colorado Springs the summer after completing 7th grade. At the base of the beautiful Rocky Mountains we spent hours singing this song, rehearsing for the performance we would give our families at the end of the camp. Ever since, I have been singing this song to myself when I cannot go to sleep — it has always proven more effective than counting sheep or singing “99 bottles of beer on the wall.” Over

Read More »
Five Ways to Live the Paris Lifestyle Anywhere | Palmetto Bella

Five Ways to Live the Paris Lifestyle Anywhere

Ma Vie En Rose by Buck Jones She doesn’t come into our little café but once a week, but when she does, oh my. It’s her smile that grabs your heart, and as she walks over to give you the obligatory bisous greeting of a kiss on each cheek, the conversation is quick and easy. Long retired from being a professor at one of the local universities on the Left Bank of Paris, she and her boyfriend (a retired diplomat) sit at their favorite table and they order a coupe of champagne each. That’s what they always order, and for the next hour or so, they canoodle. She leans into

Read More »
Happy ‘Taughts’ for New Beginnings | Palmetto Bella

Happy ‘Taughts’ for New Beginnings

Excerpt from Rhinestones on My Flip-Flops My daughter, Caroline, loved watching Peter Pan when she was a little girl. She was glued to the television and loved every minute of the animated movie. After watching the movie, she pretended to fly around the house just like Peter Pan. On one occasion, I was upset over something, and my sweet Caroline, always a tender child, was very sensitive to my feelings. Her sweet face turned toward mine and her big brown eyes looked at me. She said, “Momma, tink happy taughts. Momma! Tink happy taughts!” she repeated. Then she said something I will never forget: “Momma if you tink happy taughts,

Read More »
All The Little Foxes | Palmetto Bella

All The Little Foxes

It made me think of the wasted opportunities that are lost to little foxes of “doubt” — about stories never written, journeys never taken, loves never known, truths never told — because of the little foxes of doubt nibbling at the edges of our confidence and courage. “Little foxes,” she said. My friend and I were walking with dogs. It was early morning, late autumn. We were discussing everything and nothing. And we were not walking too near to each other, which somehow prohibits the natural sharing of confidences. But we had been talking about something — I can’t remember exactly what — that concerned small worries, the kind that

Read More »