WHAT are YOU doing to your kids?!

WHO is the parent?
Are you letting everyone ELSE be the disciplinarian for your child?
Are you too busy?
too lazy?

I'm on my BOX today........

I recently heard that KY Athletics have passed a new rule that there is now no longer hand shaking allowed after sporting events.
I'm sorry........ WHAT?!!!!!!
No more "good game" pats on the butt??!!
Are you serious??
Because of FIGHTS.  THIS is where the rule came from?
Because of too many FIGHTS after sporting events???

ARE.  YOU.  KIDDING.  ME???????

Hey - I've got an idea...... why don't we take out the "good game" handshakes after the games AND give EVERYONE a trophy for PARTICIPATING!!!
JEEEEEEEEEEEEZ
I mean - we wouldn't want to HURT anyone's feelings!!!
Or offend a kid..... I mean PARENT or two!!!!!!

So rather than PUNISH the kids who don't know how to act.......
like hey - how about THROW THEM OFF OF A TEAM for fighting!!???....
yeah RATHER than punish those that don't know how to act.... let's punish ALL the kids and take away the last shred of sportsmanship we had left in our kids lives
Let's teach them that rather than punish those who don't know how to act and show THEM that there ARE repercussions to their actions......   rather than PUNISH them..... let's just teach ALL of our kids..... the ones that are playing sports for good reasons... let's teach them that sportsmanship is useless.
Stupid in fact.
A waste of time.
Not worth the effort.... or trouble!
Let's teach our little athletes growing up that it is all about YOU and the other team isn't worthy of your respect of even the time to shake their hands.
Let's teach them THAT LESSON as small children, so that IF they do grow up to play sports as a profession, or even if they DON'T  - they can KNOW ... for SURE.... without a doubt - that the game and the world is all about "ME".
"selfie generation"

WHAT are we doing to our kids?

WHERE are the parents standing up against this?
Is no one else at all offended about where the world is taking our children??

I'm surprised teachers are even allowed to give GRADES anymore...... for fear of making someone's child "feel stupid"!!!  I mean really......
your kid gets better grades than mine and it's not fair... it makes my son feel stupid.
We should stop giving grades.  It's JUDGMENTAL and punishing to some kids!!!
It's not FAIR!!!!!
NO - My kid does his homework and works his butt off for those A's....... your child is lazy and you are condoning that!!!

When did it happen that we as adults decided that we would revolve the WHOLE ENTIRE world around the kids?  When did we decide to start basing everything on them and what works for them?  When did we decide that discipline wasn't worth it?
It is too much trouble for you to teach your child right from wrong?  Is it just easier to let them do whatever they want and bend OUR lives to accommodate that?

What about the clip I found from Kelly Rippa on "LIVE with Kelly and Michael"??  She is discussing (or rather RANTING about) how some kids broke in and vandalized an NFL players house and then posted pics of themselves in the house..... drinking, destroying and living it up.  THEN the parents of said kids want to SUE the owner of the house saying that HE, the victim, might cost their children a chance at going to college....... because he exposed the kids!!!!!

WHAT?!!!

Here is the video....... watch it
you SHOULD be outraged!

GOSH - nevermind - I can't get the video to work - if you are friends with me on FACEBOOK you can find it on my facebook page.
STUPID.  just STUPID!!!

These kids DESTROYED someone else's property and exploited themselves on the Internet and then THEIR parents came to the rescue.  Defended them nonetheless.
WHAT??????????

These children will one day be the adults in our country!!!!!!!
These children will one day be our doctors... our lawyers.... our POLITICIANS..... they will make laws and oversee companies.
And they will believe that they are invincible.  Because this is what we are teaching them.

I just don't understand.

I LOVE my son with all my heart.  I do.
And I would do anything in the world to protect him and make life easier for him.

BUT
at the same time, I am his MOTHER.... not his best friend.  I am the parent.  It is my JOB to teach him right from wrong and to TEACH him how to survive in the world.

NOT to teach the WORLD to treat him as a GOD!

Are people really so consumed with making sure their kid "LIKES" them that they just can't say no?
Are people really so consumed with NEVER being the "bad guy" and NEVER telling their kid no.... no matter what it costs?

Are people really so LAZY that instead of parenting their OWN children, that they just let everyone else do it for them?

I mean really people.......
You are setting your children up for FAILURE!
You are teaching them NOTHING.

We are failing our children and our next generation.

I just don't get it.

I love Z.... but I have told him no.   And I will continue to do so
and he's EIGHTEEN!!!!!!!
I love my baby boy.... but I WILL let him grow up
I love him but I will be honest with him.

He will KNOW that there ARE consequences to MAKING MISTAKES!!!!
 and he will make them!
SO.  DID.  I.

It will HURT when he gets his heart broke and the world lets him down.
But he will KNOW that is life and he will move on.... rather than running to mom expecting her to change the world.
He will know.
He will understand

and he will be wiser and stronger for it.

Period.
Does that make ME the terrible parent???!!!

(drop the mic..... step down from podium...... WALK AWAY.... in disgust!)

 

Thanksgiving

In honor of one of my favorite holidays because it can't be killed my commercialism and is instead focused on all we have to be grateful for....
Try as they might to devalue this day, "Black Friday" on Thanksgiving night... I will never lose sight and gratitude for all that I am blessed with!!!

I would like to share a little Thanksgiving!!

I am thankful for being a mommy! I was blessed to become a mother 17 and a half years ago. I look back now and I am truly amazed at all we have been through together! Z saved my life in many ways and I have learned so much in watching him grow into an honest, caring, smart young man. I am thankful for the hard times we have been through and the honesty we have shared. I am thankful that he knows life can be hard but we are tough!!! I am thankful (most days) that he is me made over in so many ways!

I am thankful for my parents! I am thankful for being brought up in a Christian home by two God fearing Christians. I am thankful for their tough love. I am thankful that when I chose the wrong path, they prayed... and let me fall on my face and learn the hard way. I am thankful that when I am wrong, they tell me rather than being my "best friend". I am thankful that they raised me to always work hard and always give back and to try to see the good in everything and everyone!

I am thankful for my brothers and two great sister-in-laws. I know I could call any of them at any minute and they would be there :)

I am thankful for being blessed with some of the best friends a girl could ask for!!! My core girls, who have walked beside me through the ups and downs.... Some who have been there for many many years... Some whom have come into my life more recently... I honestly could not ask for better friends!!

I am thankful for my B-rad :). I am thankful that even after making some pretty terrible moves in my life, God still saw fit to bless me with a good Christian man who honestly loves me with all his soul. I am thankful that even after pushing him away, he never stopped loving me. I am thankful that I know what TRUE unselfish whole hearted LOVE looks and feels like!  There is no one I have more fun with or am more myself with.  He is my best friend!! 


I am thankful for my job and all my co-workers! As if I don't say it enough, I truly LOVE my job and all that it entails. It is entertaining some days and trying on others, but every day I'm doing something I love and meeting new people (crazy they may be! Ha). As for my co-workers... ALL of them are such great souls. I truly refer to them all as friends. Just as quickly as people I have known for years, they would be right by my side if I needed one single thing! :). I am very blessed!!  How many people can honestly say they LOVE their job AND ALL the people they work with!?

I am thankful for our babies (*dogs*). Bailey Shea, the ol' faithful brown dog and Zack's very first puppy... She's knocking on 12 years old and just as sweet as ever. And our new baby Dane, Lido Armani. I swore I would never potty train again. He wears me out but he is just precious. Thankful for both babies!

I am thankful for my sweet little cozy warm house!! It's not much, and sharing one bathroom with a teenage boy has its downside for sure.... but it's mine and its warm. What more do I need?! :)

There are a million other things to be thankful for... But I wanted to especially address these and say thanks to everyone I love, for loving me!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Remember, even on the bad days, there is ALWAYS something or someone to be thankful for.

We. Are. Blessed.

Hand me Downs

So I opted out of giving thanks every day on facebook.... not because I'm not thankful.... but because I don't think I could put all my thanks in a line.  Even spread out over a month's worth of days .... my thanks just couldn't fit in a status update!  (So I will share my list/blog of thanks tomorrow!)
I have so much to be thankful for!

But I couldn't pass up sharing this
"thankful for....."

HAND ME DOWNS.

I realized last night - that it's the things that we think shouldn't be handed down that I am most thankful for!  For they make me who I am today.
And will in turn make my baby boy the man he grows to be.....

........ so here we go.........

I am habitually LATE.  I am.  I blame my parents. (mostly my mother! LOL)   It's not that we WANT to be late.  I think we just have no concept of time.  And you would think that now working in a field where people being late is infuriating (and messes with my schedule) would change me...... but NO.
Now granted, when I have to be somewhere that affects someone else's schedule, I do try to make more of an effort to arrive on time.   (ON TIME.... not early!)
But the overall consensus is... I am late just about everywhere I go.
It is not malicious.... I think it's because I get so caught up in the moment that I truly do just lose track of time.
My mother handed it down....

and I realized last night..... - that I have in turn handed it down to my child.

When Z was little, he would always complain about us being late places.  It drove him crazy.  Actually - I think it still does!! (when it's MY fault!)  LOL
But last night - he had to be somewhere at 7.   He was leaving the house at 5 till.
with NOT enough time to arrive ON TIME.
LATE   LATE    LATE!
**You're welcome Z!  :)

And are you ready for this...
here's the next hand me down........

As he walked out the door he says "Crap.... I'm probably gonna run out of gas!"
see that?!!
acknowledgement that the tank is on E!!
Which would in turn mean - I'm late AND I have to stop and get gas.  
In a normal person's world.
BUT - nope.  Not in OUR world.
Instead.... since he is LATE, he just flies on to his destination.
Or at least he tried to.  

I got a phone call shortly after his departure.... with a panicked
"CRAP!!!... this is not good.... I'm gonna run outta gas.  yeah - I did.  I'm pulling over if I can.  CRAP.  I'm outta gas!"
As IF this is a surprising turn of events?
He was late - walking out the door saying - I should have gotten gas
But being late, you try to push the limit.
And ..... well...... sometimes you get burned.
And he did.
Rather than stopping to get gas CAUSING him to be late... he pushed on.  With the logic that stopping to get gas would MAKE him late!!
Instead..... he ran out of gas anyway and ended up having to RUN (literally) to his destination.  Making him even later than if he had just stopped and got the gas to start with.

After his appointment with the gym was complete -  we made a trip that I know all to well........

Gas station.  
Fill the gas can.  
Off to get the vehicle.  
Then back to the gas station to fill 'er up.

As aggravated as I was....... what can I say?!!
Do you know HOW MANY times I have run my vehicle out of gas!??
let's just put it this way -  more than I care to admit
Thank goodness for friends and family!!!
And that's why I live half a mile from my job!!!Ha ha

I had a green cavalier at one time that I SWEAR had a bottomless tank!!
I ran that thing PAST  E so many times!!!
I miss that car ...... mainly when my gas guzzling HOG pushes that E gauge....

But anyway - of ALL the things I'm thankful for - I think "hand me downs" is one I have never acknowledged before.
I'm thankful for all the hand me downs that I got from being raised by two awesome God fearing Christian parents who always kept me grounded and made me learn about life through experience, not through sheltering me and petting me.  I'm thankful that when I was wrong, they TOLD ME I was wrong and they let me fall on my face until I learned WRONG is WRONG.

AND I'm thankful that I can look into the eyes of my son and pass on some of those hand me downs and know that I have handed down some good stuff myself!
I've been blessed with an awesome kid who has also been raised to be a God fearing Christian man and when he strays.
As was passed to me, he will get lots of love and prayer, but a firm hand at the same time to experience life and learn a lesson from every road he takes!

I'm thankful for ALL the hand me downs.
received and the ones I continue to pass on.....