Thursday, August 13, 2009

Vacation Time!

This time tomorrow, I’ll be in Colorado. Breathing in the mountain air (and probably needing an oxygen tank) Just thinking about all I have to do between now and then is making me tired. I think I need a nap. Next update will be post CO. I’ll tell you if I’ve been arrested, thrown from a horse, lost in a national park or if I drop my camera while leaning too far over the side of the canyon.
Stay tuned!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Teen Sets Self On Fire To Imitate YouTube Clip

And his mother is busy blaming YouTube. WTF?! Seriously? Your kid has no common sense, so you blame someone else? Fab.
Makes me wonder what caused this great parenting shift. Back in the day, when you did something stupid, your parents punished your dumb ass. Then they had to suck it up and apologize to others for your behavior. But now, it seems that parents refuse to let their kids accept blame for stupidity and/or refuse to believe their kids ever do anything wrong. Why is this?! They stick up for their kids, and then we wonder why the kids won't ever accept responsibility for their actions. Duh! 'Cause mom and dad said it's not their fault - ever!
Kids who shoot other kids are suddenly "victims" instead of convicts. Kids who steal are "misguided". Kids who bully are defended.
Well I'm sick of it. When my children make poor decisions I expect them to learn from the experience. I refuse to shelter them from right and wrong simply because I love them - because that would really be doing them a terrible disservice. But you know what's bad about that? Sending my kids out in into a world full of "It's not my fault" people and trying to explain their behavior :(
My rant is done, I just needed to share that. *whew* I feel a little better now.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Safe Havens Save Lives - So Why Aren't They Being Used?

On Friday night, on a nice looking street on Chicago's south side, a family was pulling into their garage at about 10:30pm after a day out. An 8 year old boy heard crying, and told his parents. They looked around, didn't see anyone, but they heard it. They were sure they'd heard a baby crying.
They called the police, who came with flashlights and looked around the alley. They focused on a garbage can. You know, the big, deep black ones. With a broken broom handle, they poked around and tried to figure out what was in there.
They lowered the can to the ground sideways to pull everything out. It had rained that day, everything was wet and dirty.
Including the newborn boy they found wrapped in a pair of sweatpants, his umbilical cord still attached. They scooped him up and cleaned him off, and to everyone's relief, he began to cry.
What an awful way to begin your life, by being thrown away by your mother. We met the little boy that heard the baby's cries, and he shies away from being called a hero. But the fact is, that family and those police officers saved that baby's life on Friday night. Instead of shrugging off a strange noise, they got help. That's pretty remarkable in these jaded times where everyone says, "Hey, not my problem."
Well let me tell you something - children being thrown in garbage cans IS your problem. It's my problem. It's their problem.
Until every child born here is safe and cared for -whether by birth parents, adoptive parents, foster parents- this will remain our problem. And we have a lot of work to do to stop it.
No one should begin their life like that.

CBS News Story