I know you’ve heard me say that I’m working hard to rebuild the site to its former glory like TheMommiesReviews.com was before Covid hit but for the past couple of weeks I’ve been moving 1 step forward and two steps backward and I can’t keep doing that or I will not get anywhere and that isn’t going to help my family.
Even though I’ve been working really rebuild my site into something bigger and better and people are starting to notice. One of my goals was to create more opportunities to attend events, work with businesses, share our experiences, and hopefully bring in income to help take some of the pressure off David.
Which the LORD has been seeing my need and helping me with this. But it isn’t something that happens overnight. It takes emails, research, relationship building, planning, and a whole lot of time behind the scenes that most people never see. So when I secured two events over the past couple of weeks, I was absolutely thrilled!
The first was the North American Cryptid Museum which honestly I got for David but also thought Bradley might like it and the second was Six Flags I knew Charlie might not be to crazy about but Bradley would enjoy it. As well as David who loves #Halloween. I also thought it would give Charlie and his friends something to do.
I was excited about both opportunities because I wanted to share them with my family. I wanted us to spend time together, experience something new, take pictures, create memories, and have stories to share on Greatful Moments. Unfortunately, neither experience turned out the way I had envisioned.
, I’m not going to blame it on anyone I’m just going to say it wasn’t what I was expecting of the people I was depending on. But I know the LORD has plans for me so I will just keep moving forward. And I’ve spent some time thinking about what happened, what I could have done differently, and what I need to do moving forward.
When the opportunity to visit the Cryptid Museum came along, I asked Charlie and Bradley if they wanted to go. Both Bradley and Charlie said yes. I made sure they knew about the plans ahead of time, and I was looking forward to having everyone together. Then Bradley canceled.
When the day arrived, Charlie had stayed up all night gaming, and when it was time to go, he decided he didn’t want to attend because he wasn’t comfortable with the horror-related aspects of the experience. Now, I understand that Charlie isn’t a big fan of horror. I know that about him, and I’m not upset with him for having his own preferences.
But what disappointed me was that I had specifically asked him if he wanted to go, he had agreed, and we had made plans around that decision. In my heart I believe he decided not to go since Bradley wasn’t but I can’t honestly say that for sure but it has happened in the past.
For me, the trip wasn’t just about whether he liked every aspect of the museum. It was also about spending time together as a family and supporting the work I was trying to do to rebuild Greatful Moments. It was a chance to share something David enjoyed with our family instead of something Charlie and I wanted to do.
I wanted to create opportunities for us to enjoy things together while I worked toward building something that could help our family financially. When someone agrees to participate and then backs out at the last minute, it affects more than just that person’s plans. It can affect the entire experience and the work that went into arranging it. I was disappointed, but I moved forward.
Then Came Six Flags. which I was especially excited about this opportunity because I knew David and Charlie could enjoy the rides together. There were rides David wanted to experience, and I honestly wished we could have gone as a family but David and Charlie needed one on one time together to rebond and connect.
Once again, Bradley had to cancel because he wanted to bring his girlfriend, and Charlie wasn’t comfortable with that arrangement. I understood Charlie’s feelings and respected his decision. The tickets had been arranged for Charlie and David, and I wanted them to have a good time together.
This time, though, Charlie did get up and go with his dad, and I was genuinely grateful for that. I appreciated that he followed through and that David and Charlie had the opportunity to spend time together. Since Bradley couldn’t attend, Joseph was invited along, just as he had been included in our earlier plans.
I wanted everyone to have a good evening. I wanted them to enjoy the park, experience the rides, and come home with happy memories. Unfortunately, things started going wrong before they even picked up Josephy who wanted to go to a Book Store which was in the oppostie direction of Six Flags and I said no.
Once Charlie picked up Joseph he was very excited, but some of his behavior in public made the evening difficult. He was getting into people’s personal space and shouting at them, which made Charlie uncomfortable. These weren’t behaviors Charlie was accustomed to dealing with, and he was trying to navigate a situation that was becoming increasingly stressful.
Then there was the food situation. There was an arrangement for getting meals and snacks, but Joseph used his badge to get chips before it was time to get the next food item. Later, when he was hungry again, he tried to order chicken strips and fries but couldn’t use his badge because it had already been used.
Charlie stepped in and used his own badge to help Joseph get something to eat. Later, when Charlie was hungry, he asked Joseph to use his badge to get him something. The situation became frustrating, when Jospeh said I’ll get us both something and Charlie said no, that isn’t how it works.
Charlie ended up not getting anything to eat that evening and the food paces we had been given was practically wasted and that made me made because Charlie came home and went to bed hungry which should never have happened. That upset me because no, one should have went hungry.
But there was something else I learned after David and Charlie returned home. Joseph had hit Charlie in the back during the evening. Charlie’s back was already hurting, and that made the situation even more upsetting. I wasn’t there, so I can’t tell you every detail of what happened. I can only share what David and Charlie told me and how it affected them.
When they got home, both of them made it clear that they didn’t want to invite Joseph to another event. After hearing everything, I understood why. This isn’t about labeling Joseph or making assumptions about why he behaves the way he does. Its about protecting my family and my work.
I don’t know everything about what he may or may not understand in social situations, and I’m not going to speculate. What I do know is that Charlie was trying to be patient with him and explain things, but the situation continued to be difficult. There were moments when listening, respecting personal space, and considering the needs of others could have made a difference.
I believe people can learn. I believe we should give people opportunities to experience new things, and I believe patience matters. But patience also has limits, particularly when someone is being hurt or an outing becomes uncomfortable for everyone involved. Or the person isn’t listening to the adults.
Looking back, I believe David should have stepped in when it became clear that the situation wasn’t working. He could have contacted Joseph’s mom and made arrangements for Joseph to go home, allowing David and Charlie to continue enjoying their evening together.
David didn’t want to inconvenience Joseph’s mom because she had worked all day and had a difficult day herself. She is a single mom and deserves time to herself but not at the happiness of my family. I understand his intentions. He was trying to be considerate of someone else.
But sometimes, in trying not to inconvenience another person, we end up allowing our own family to carry more than they should have to. And that’s something we need to think about for the future. Which is why I’m changing the way I run my site from now on.
I’ve been thinking about both events, and I realize there are things I could have handled differently, too. I chose the arrangements for both outings. I invited the people I thought would enjoy being included, and I hoped everything would work out. It didn’t. I can acknowledge that without blaming an entire experience on one person.
The Cryptid Museum wasn’t the problem. Six Flags wasn’t the problem. These were opportunities I was grateful, thankful and blessed to receive, and I appreciate the businesses that made them possible. The difficulties came from the circumstances surrounding our plans, the decisions people made, and the fact that we didn’t have the experiences together that I had hoped for.
I made some choices that didn’t work out, and I have to take responsibility for my part in that. That’s life. We learn, we make adjustments, and we try to do better next time. But I’ve also realized something important about the work I’m doing. Greatful Moments is my business, too.
Just as David has a job and responsibilities to meet, I have work to do. My work may happen through emails, writing, photography, relationships with businesses, and attending events, but that doesn’t make it any less important to me and both my business and I deserve to be respected.
When I arrange an event, I’m not simply planning a fun outing. I’m creating an opportunity to produce content, build relationships, grow my site, and develop something that can benefit our family. I want my family to be part of that when it makes sense. I love sharing experiences with them, and I want them to have opportunities they might not otherwise get.
But I also have to protect the work I’m doing. I cannot keep arranging things, making plans, and inviting additional people if those arrangements repeatedly create conflict or interfere with the experience I’m there to cover. And that brings me to a decision I need to make moving forward.
For future events, I’m going to start by planning for David and myself. If Charlie wants to attend an event, we’ll need to talk about it ahead of time and make sure he understands the commitment. If he agrees to go, I need to be able to count on him to follow through, arrive ready, and understand that sometimes an event is also part of my work.
If he isn’t interested in an experience, that’s okay. He can tell me that honestly, and we can make other arrangements. But I cannot continue building plans around someone who agrees to attend and then decides at the last minute that they don’t want to go. Or they don’t want to do photos or things we need to do when we arrive.
And for now, I’m not going to invite friends along to these events. I need to keep the arrangements simpler and make sure the people attending understand what the opportunity involves. This isn’t about punishing anyone. It’s about learning from what happened and setting boundaries that allow me to do my job.
I love my family. I want them to enjoy life, have fun, and make wonderful memories. I want to share the opportunities that come my way. But I also need to be realistic about what I can manage, and I need to respect the work I’m putting into Greatful Moments and the businesses I work with because they trust me to get a job done..
I hope that, over time, we’ll find a better balance between family outings and the professional opportunities I’m working hard to create. For now, I’m taking these experiences as lessons. I can be disappointed that things didn’t work out while still being thankful that the opportunities came along in the first place.
I’m grateful to the North American Cryptid Museum and Six Flags for the opportunities to experience something new. I’m grateful that David and Charlie had the chance to spend time together, even though their evening didn’t turn out as planned. And I’m grateful that I’m learning more about what it takes to grow my business, even when the lessons are difficult.
Sometimes building something meaningful requires us to make changes, set boundaries, and learn to say, “This is what I need moving forward.” That’s where I am today. I’m going to keep working on Greatful Moments. I’m going to keep reaching out to businesses, looking for new opportunities, and creating experiences worth sharing.
But I’m also going to be more thoughtful about how I plan those experiences and who I invite to participate. Because my work matters, my family’s time matters, and the opportunities we receive deserve to be treated with care. If you can’t do that Buttercup then you need to move on.
Have you ever had to make changes to the way you include family or friends in something you’ve worked hard to build? I’d love to hear how you’ve learned to balance relationships, expectations, and your own responsibilities. Here’s to learning from yesterday, making better decisions tomorrow, and continuing to move forward with faith.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed. ❤️🙏
GreatfulMoments.com
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
