I Love My Kids: part 1

If you haven't caught on by now then there's no hope for you. I've been thinking a lot lately about their emotional development. I've written before about their mental growth as they mature and learn new things. I think a lot of emphasis is put on helping our youngsters to be smart and intelligent. However lets talk a minute about the other part that really makes them who they are. (*warning, this may be long*)
I grew up with two incredible parents. They loved me unconditionally. They taught me right from wrong. They taught me responsibility at an early age. And they taught me how to find my own worth.
I have a problem with parents who focus on appearance. Let's be honest, it's not just parents. Any adult really. Beauty was always taught to me on the basis of my beauty in the Lord. God made me. Therefor I am beautiful. I rarely struggled with self image as an adolescent and even as an adult, I am secure in who I am physically. Do I try to look nice when I leave the house? Of course I do. This isn't redundant. If I was created by God, I should be expected to take care of myself and honor the body that I've been given. Regardless of my outer beauty, I am to present myself appropriately as to honor what I have.
But there is a line. We live in a society that pushes that line and continually crosses it by miles. We focus on looks, on money, and on appearance. It is what has become normal and expected in our society and it starts early. The influence we throw at kids is overwhelming. Why wouldn't they all grow up to want to spend tons of money on fancy things, wear makeup when they're 9, and look to plastic surgery in their teens? We tell little girls that princess' are role models. Fine clothes, expensive jewelry, pretty hair and perfect complexion (re: makeup) is BEAUTY. We tell boys they have to be macho. We give them army guys and knights to play with and then continue feeding the flames with images of warriors, strong athletes, etc. Is is really surprising that the suicide rate in children is higher now than it has ever been?
What happens to a 12 year old girl with a weight problem, who has never been told she's pretty, who has trouble making friends? She develops an eating disorder, becomes secluded, more distant. And that little boy who has never had natural athletic ability? All his classmates are joining the football team and laughing at him for preferring other, less popular hobbies. I'm just saying, it's no wonder. We are setting these kids up for failure.
The solution? I don't know. Can you keep your little girl away from all the Disney princess's? Probably not. And I don't think you need to. My child is surrounded by that kind of influence, and I'd be a fool to think I could protect her from it. If she wants to be a ballerina at her birthday, then ok. I will make that the best ballerina party anyone's ever seen. But at home in between the tutu's and pink cupcakes, I'm going to shower her in kisses and daily remind her how beautiful she is. Not only because lets face it, she's a doll, but because God created her unique and wonderful. She will grow up not finding her worth in the latest trends and fashions, but in a strong self image that directly relates back to being raised in a home that values who you are as a person, as a child of God, and not what you look like.
In 20 years when someone asks her how she is able to have such a positive outlook on who she is, and how she is able to be so comfortable with herself, she'll hopefully respond, "I know I'm beautiful, outside and in, regardless of what I'm wearing, regardless of what my hair and makeup look like. I'm beautiful because God made me who I am."

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Today we're celebrating with Green Yogurt! 

Yesterday we had fun partying with friends and had a blast with Irish centered games and crafts

May I present to you the two most adorable Leprechauns ever...

Excuse Me While I Get Political

(My Thoughts On Kony 2012 and its Criticizers)

I try to stay away from these types of topics because this blog is more about my life with my kids and hubs, then it is anything else. But this video has me heated. 

Not because I disagree with it though. Understand, I fully support what these guys are doing in spreading the word about Kony and doing what they can to help the world recognize him as the mongrel he truly is. But all this video sharing via FB, has brought on criticisms. This for example:

"Until you yourself are ready and willing to put your own boots on the ground in a hostile country, or actively work to support those that do, I really don't care to hear more on the subject of Kony2012. " 

Now, don't get me wrong. I thoroughly believe that if you're going to verbally support a cause, you should be willing to put some effort into it. It's all too easy for me to sit in my heated, middle class, suburbia and click on a few tabs showing my support and then calling myself a humanitarian fighting for social justice. Please, lets be realistic. But this video was produced and posted in order to create buzz. It's sole purpose is to spread the word and make this guy a household name. So by simply clicking, I'm not making my support out to be any more than it is. I'm sharing a video because I agree that this guy must be stopped. The videos producers were smart enough to know that the fastest way to get attention on a topic is by making it viral. 

People are complaining that before we go stepping over our boundaries and assist a country that we have very little political relationship to begin with, we should be focusing on the atrocities that take place in our own country. 

And to them I say: You're damn right we should!" 

But we're not. I'm not. I mean, sure, if the opportunity arises for me to step in and make a difference with a cause that is working towards making our neighborhoods safer, or our school system better, or our government less corrupt, then sign me up! But like I said, these guys are smart. They picked a subject that they are passionate about. They picked a crime that is un-ignorable by not only governments and the UN, but by anyone who hears about it. They took that passion, combined it with the severity and urgency of the need for intervention and they applied it in the best, most effective way possible. 

And to them I say: More power to you! 

This country would be a different place if more people like them created noise over domestic problems. What if every documentary producer stopped traveling overseas and stayed here to create films on our own issues! Holy Smokes! This country would be amazing. There'd be so much of that passion against things like domestic abuse, sex trade, home meth labs, bullying in schools, should I go on?  There would be some amazing laws put into effect and legislation's created to combat all the things that get swept under the rug and briefly mentioned on the 10 o'clock news. We'd be more peaceful, more healthy, better educated, and happier, right? I mean isn't that's the point of arresting Kony? To help Uganda repair what he and his organization of thugs have broken? To work at healing those effected, and working to restore Uganda to a nation that can be proud of itself?

Yea, that would be amazing if this same type of passion and effort were put towards our problems. If somebody said "I have a dream to inspire American youth in the fight against drugs, or crappy education, or bullying in schools." It's too bad that guy hasn't come along yet, at least not to the same level as the Kony 2012 group.

I don't want to really get into the deployment issue. Frankly my ignorance would offend people. I'll simply say this: I come from a family of devout veterans and I know plenty of people with loved ones deployed. Those men and women signed up to fight. Does it suck for their families? Abso-fing-lutely. But wars are going to be waged, soldiers deployed, military budgets stretched thin. Lets make sure that when we send our soldiers somewhere, it's for a battle that we support, that we believe in, that we want fought and conquered as quickly and effectively as possible. (Did I offend you? Crap! See, I warned you)

My point? Instead of criticizing this movement and the "viral laziness" of people who think they're supporting it, why not give it some credit. Recognize the effort and the lengths that this group of young men have gone to in the past 10 years to get their passion to a point where they could create a video so effective that after 3 days online it has 40 million views! Furthermore, don't just share the link. Get involved with the movement, participate in Cover the Night. Bring Kony up at dinner with your parents, coffee with your girlfriend, and at your next book club meeting. Then start thinking of ways you can inspire people to have this kind of concern about a social injustice you're passionate about. Because I'll say it again, if more people had this kind of drive for stopping the crimes of our own community, this would be a ridiculously better place, and you'd have less to complain about.