Keeping up with the Jones'

Mohammed was a husband and father of three children, Children he rarely saw anymore. Mohammed owned and operated three small businesses. To say he was ambitious would have been an understatement. Through the course of a week, Mohammed would manage a restaurant, operate a parking lot business near a local convention center and maintain a small in - home accounting service. It was not a surprise, when he told me he and his wife were having a few communication problems. My question to him was when are you home enough to communicate anything to her at all?” Mohammed would come home drained and exhausted most days. On one occasion, his wife urged him to take some time for them to talk about the family finances. Frustrated and stressed from a full day of work, Mohammed threw a shoe through the living room television. This explosion not only frightened his children and his wife, but it earned him a month’s stay at a local hotel. Mohammed’s wife insisted that he could not return home until he completed an anger management course.

We are bombarded with media images of million dollar houses, luxury cars and extravagant living. Often, we begin to think the lifestyle of the rich and famous is the norm. Marriages are destroyed, children are ignored and lives are ruined as we feverishly attempt to keep up with “The Jones’”. Who the heck are the Jones’ anyway and who made them the prototypical family? The truth is, everyone cannot be rich; but everyone can enjoy and appreciate what he or she does have. I have learned the hard way that my family, health and happiness are not worth a few extra dollars in my bank account. Think about it; are you letting the stress of getting ahead ruin your life?

--- Daybreak Counseling Service is an anger management education center. We use the Anderson and Anderson model. For more information visit www.daybreakservices.com