Fans– we can’t live without them in this country. No, I’m not talking about Facebook fans or fans of your blog: rather the actual, physical electrical fans that spout out air and blow wind into your face. Yeah..THAT fan.

Maybe we have been unlucky, but it seems that we are always replacing our electrical appliances every other year. From fans, to coffee machines to microwave ovens, I don’t think they have lasted for more than 2 years in our home. And, in the last 2 months, we have had our fans replaced 3x: 1 for each room because they all decided to take turns to go completely kapoot.

Our microwave oven would probably be the next one have to be replaced soon. For a year now, we have been living with its dial that doesn’t quite work anymore and every once in a while, it starts microwaving on its own without anything inside (I know what you are thinking. No, it’s not the doing of any ghosts.) And it has only been less than 2 years old.

The price range of these electrical items did not seem to matter. We have tried the cheap ones and we have paid a premium for one or two thinking they would last longer, but they ALL seem to stop working after only 1 year of usage.

Has quality of these electrical appliances gone from bad to worse? It’s not like we are reckless when we use them, too. It’s a marketing ploy to make consumers buy more often, isn’t it? Or is this just more prevalent in Thailand?

Unfortunately dear marketeers, we don’t have money that grow on trees! So please make them last a lot longer. Like at least 20 years. But of course, why would you do THAT!

This post by Jennifer, author behind The Champagne Supernova, was written quite a bit months back and I’ve only stumbled upon it a couple of weeks ago from (I think!) one of the linky parties. 

Her post left an impression on me…a jolt to my head, as I wouldn’t have a clue as to what to do if and when my children face the reality and heartbreak of rejection from mean-spirited friends.  Jennifer posed the same questions like I did in my head when my mind wanders. This is one of life essentials and I’ve meaning to re-blog it.

Here’s an excerpt of her post:

Weeks after this play date, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Mean Girls and the reality that my daughters will eventually face the heartbreak of rejection.  I wanted to know the best way to address the pain that they- and I- would feel when they were excluded from the lunch table, didn’t make cuts for a sports team, or weren’t invited to a birthday party. What would I say? What would I do? How would I be able to protect them? I combed over this issue for a solutionad nauseam with girlfriends who have young daughters and nobody could offer an easy answer other than “they’ll grow out of it.”

I think somebody else figured out the solution.  A couple years ago, I stumbled upon Brene Brown, Ph.D. while watching a TED Talk about the power of vulnerability. Brene is a research professor at the University of Houston who studies vulnerability, courage, shame, and worthiness. In her recent book, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way we Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, she completely nailed the “what to do when my daughter is rejected” issue. Nailed. It. The solution is to sit with your daughter in the dark.

Read her entire post here.

I hope I’ll never see my kids retreating to the dark side;  it would break my heart to see that. But like Jennifer, I would willingly go to the dark side with them and bring them out into the light when they are ready. And I’ll bring them out into the light as someone stronger. 

Conversely, if I ever find out that they are the resident mean girls/boys, I’ll make sure that I give them a back-hand swat to the dark side myself. The sad face can’t fool me. And yes, if you happen to see my kids being mean, you have my permission to tell them off. I’ll be totally cool if you report their behavior to me and let metake it from there. Trust me, as long as it’s a genuine case, I’ll forever be indebted.