It is the best of times, it is the worst of times.
I look at the headlines and see things about Cancer Genes being discovered and other technological breakthroughs, then I see a headline saying that Banning Gay marriage is a step backward. So, with technological advancements we regress in moral issues. This is such a funny concept to me because I have always believed there was Truth (with a capital t) meaning an absolute reality, unwavering for popular belief truth. During Pagan times it was the gods that controlled the weather, the crops, love, etc. Then we were enlightened and science explained it all, well maybe not the love thing so much. Why can’t others see the blend of the two, that God does exist, that He is an active player in this life and that he uses natural laws to govern the earth? There are laws of gravity, and other physical and chemical laws that hold our world/universe together. There ARE also laws, just as real, that God put in place to govern our societies. Why is that so hard to believe? Prop 8 just passed, and I am reading comments on articles and I am seeing ugliness on both sides. People for it saying “Go to Massachusetts, we don’t want you” and people against it saying, “you are ALL bigots, just you wait.” Such hate, such misunderstanding and refusal to look at issues from the other perspective. In a genuine, sincere love for others I understand why those who are gay would want to marry. I do. But I believe that the natural order of society, i.e. children being raised by a mother and father, would be horribly altered and that many of the minorities’ values would be enforced on me, even by law. That is why we live in a democracy. That is what makes us great. This is a difficult issue, that I don’t think any one person, or even a handful should decide. That is why we let the majority decide. And we did. It wasn’t to hurt anyone. It was to prevent future hurt of the majority. To me, God set up families to work with a male and a female (the whole making babies thing) and even though many heterosexuals aren’t honoring that either, I don’t see how it would help to further dishonor it. I am disgusted that Marriage isn’t as big of a deal for heterosexuals. It should mean more. If homosexuals are fighting this hard to get it, shouldn’t that tell you it’s not something taken lightly? I don’t believe in sex before marriage, I don’t believe in divorce (at least not taken so lightly, I don’t believe in staying in an abusive marriage either.) I also believe that we should all have the freedom to believe and say what we want in as much as it does not take away those rights from others. What can we do in a moralless society where everything is relative? There has to be some foundation of right and wrong. There has to be some Truth. Doesn’t that just make sense? How can we know so much and yet believe so little.
Love and Logic Magic
I just read Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood. I would recommend the book to any parent who is still doing any sort of parenting. While many of the methods wouldn’t really work on a teenager (I think they have a book for teens anyways) the basic principles are true and still apply. There is one part that reminds me that God is the perfect parent. He lets us struggle because that is how we learn. There are two different kinds of parents that it talks about, the helicopter parent who hovers over their children and make sure they don’t get hurt or fail or think…and then there is the dictator who tells their children everything they should do and think down to the minute also not teaching them to think. Little struggles while they are young teach great lessons…most of all it teaches our kids to learn, to think for themselves and figure things out.
Cell phones at the park
One of my pet peeves is the negligent mothers/parents who take their kids to the park and spend the whole time either talking on the cell phone or engrossed in conversation with another parent, while their kid is on the other side of the park…which means that other parent is also not paying attention to their kid. Today I almost gave my kid whiplash stopping the swing because a little girl ran in front of it. Now I have two kids…very active, crazy boys, and I have had other parents help protect my kids and I have helped with others when it has become necessary…but it becomes annoying when I have to save their kid because they just don’t want to get off the phone (and their butt) more than to yell, “watch out or you’re gonna get kicked” after the fact.
I think it is important to remember the purpose of the park…which I realize varies by the stage your child is in. When they are toddlers it is a place for them to be able to play with other kids, to learn how to socialize…from you. You need to be the one telling them it’s not ok to throw sand or to take a toy away, not some other big person, and if possible you need to catch things before some other kid is crying. The park is a place for you to show your toddlers how to have fun, to learn new physical skills and be brave. They are very much in the stage of copying, and so you may need to go down the slide, or up the rock wall…show them! When they are going up that ladder or down that slide for the first little while, they need your encouragement and praise…which is hard to do when you aren’t paying attention. I of all people know that you need a break, you need to be able to socialize, but I think that that is better done in a controlled, familiar environment like your or your friends home.
Of course everything changes when your child gets older and has already learned that you don’t kick and throw sand etc. Not only do you not need to be a foot away at all times, you would get tired and they would get annoyed. Even so, with the amount of sickos out there able to abduct children, I will always be watching mine.
