Re: Staying Alive is Not Enough -6-

MurielB Mar 9 Jan - 23:27

Who is the most important person for you ? yourself. that doesn't mean that you are selfish or self-centered, it means it is bloody important if you want to have a successful life !

gerardM Mar 9 Jan - 23:45

MurielB a écrit:Who is the most important person for you ? yourself. that doesn't mean that you are selfish or self-centered, it means it is bloody important if you want to have a successful life !

This doesn't have to do with selfishness.
Thinking of yourself and making everything for you will lead to the fact you won't bother or annoy other people with your tiny worries.
> bloody important
LOL Did I influence you with my fav adverbs?

MurielB Mer 10 Jan - 9:38

Gerard a écrit:Thinking of yourself and making everything for you will lead to the fact you won't bother or annoy other people with your tiny worries.

Gerard You are right. The only person you can change is yourself. Before having a good relationship with someone or before bringing up children for instance you should have solved your psychological problems
it is true that you have taught me « bloody important »

gerardM Mer 10 Jan - 10:43

gerardM Mer 10 Jan - 14:08

gerardM Mer 10 Jan - 14:18

MurielB Mer 10 Jan - 22:56

Silence is s strong reaction !

gerardM Jeu 11 Jan - 14:11

MurielB Jeu 11 Jan - 22:22

Lynette Louise, a mental health and parenting expertT a écrit: The new positive parenting style isn’t only good for the child, but good for the parent, too. “Positive parenting [if] done correctly builds positive emotions and heightens self-esteem in parent and child, not just the child. One cannot look back at a different time and think that what was done then should be done now, only because it was done before. In many ways we could say that today’s challenges with violence and drug abuse are directly related to yesterday’s parenting. But whether that is true or not is irrelevant, since yesterday was a different world,”

gerardM Jeu 11 Jan - 23:04

Frightening.

MurielB Jeu 11 Jan - 23:08

It is not frightening. yesterday’s parenting may have lead to problems but we can learn from our mistakes.

gerardM Jeu 11 Jan - 23:12

violence and drug abuse are directly related to yesterday’s parenting

Did you destroy your kids Muriel?

MurielB Jeu 11 Jan - 23:22

Of course I didn't, like you I am proud of my grown-up kids. One cannot generalise. Anyway in the past the tendency was not to give the children a positive image of their own selves, it was more normative. Anyway I agree that what L said was a bit too much and exaggerated but she spotted something interesting didn't she ?

gerardM Ven 12 Jan - 14:40

The French are not confident enough in front of Americans or other competitors (on the job market).
I always insisted my kids knew their skills and potential to develop, and that sudying and training can open new doors. Life and society are so tough that they would put well enough barriers.

MurielB Ven 12 Jan - 21:59

Gérard I agree that most Americans are positive parents, probably because their ancestors were very strong-minded and optimistic. When they moved to USA to seek better opportunities they had "La niaque" (I can't translate that word into English) and that "niaque" passed on from generation to generation.

Buddha declared that, "The mind is everything. What you think you become."

In that case what you think of your kids, they become. This is the parental project. In all human beings there is an energy we can't see and which is very strong=>The power of the mind. There is not such an energy in robots that's the reason why I think they will help us but will remain "machines"

gerardM Ven 12 Jan - 23:24

Muriel, I use the spelling "niaque".
Have a look at Word Reference -> Avoir la niaque

MurielB Sam 13 Jan - 14:49

Tx Gérard for correcting my French and for the word Reference link. Il like the slang expression "to be full of beans". That is exactly what I wanted to put across.

gerardM Sam 13 Jan - 17:37

Muriel,
> "to be full of beans"
Be aware the meanings are different on each side of the Atlantic:
- BE (be lively) = être en pleine forme
- AE (be wrong) = se gourer complètement

Other idioms with "bean":
- I haven't got a bean¡ = je n'ai pas un radis
- I don't know a bean ou beans about it¡ = je n'y connais rien
- it's not worth a bean¡ = ça ne vaut rien

MurielB Sam 13 Jan - 21:06

Tx Gérard, this is good to know ! As Calais is near England I hear many more BE idioms ! $C\'est vrai!!$

gerardM Mer 17 Jan - 22:43

MurielB Mer 17 Jan - 23:46

Hi Gérard I wanted to check "The most with a noun"

The most with a noun

We use the most with a noun to mean more than all of the others’:
Ian earns the most money in our family. in the example "the most value"

gerardM Jeu 18 Jan - 23:29

Staying Alive is Not Enough -6- - Page 27 26239174_1578633125519610_3431043220423975941_n

I take advantage of this post to point this..."... watching you struggle..."
Here's a pattern verb-infinitive (without to).
Some French learners might be used to adding a "to" before an infinitive (as they learn a simplistic rule then never the complete one ).
Infinitive with to is far from being a general or even a common rule.
- no "to" after help, make, etc. e.g. help someone learn English, make someone admit it's hot
- no "to" after verbs of sense e.g. watch someone struggle, hear you sing
(it's also possible after these sense verbs, to have a gerund e.g. watch you struggling or watch your struggling but the meaning is slightly different)
- other cases of infinitive without to... see your grammar book.

MurielB Jeu 18 Jan - 23:39

Tx Gérard for that very useful rule !

gerardM Ven 19 Jan - 14:15

MurielB Ven 19 Jan - 22:02