2012 was a year full of changes. Looking forward to more positive moves in 2013.
A Parent’s Worst Nightmare – Newtown, CT
I’m all cried out.
When the news broke on Friday, December 14th about the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, I watched in horror along with the rest of the country. Another school shooting. But this one was different. This time someone targeted babies. Little kids aged five through seven. This murderer killed 20 children and six adults.
I am a mother and I felt this event on a very personal level. I send my children to school every day fully expecting them to return home. Just like those parents in Newtown. Now that illusion is shattered.
All that you are left with is the why? Why did this happen? Can we stop the killings from happening? And we look for someone or something to blame. The media and politicians will talk about gun control, help for the mentally ill and the need for more security in our schools. There are hard questions that should be asked. There are solutions that this country needs to enact. But will it really keep us safe? Will it really protect our children from evil?
Past events have shown us that an individual intent on doing harm will find a way around our laws and our protections. Evil is persistent like that.
Yet, we find a way to wake up in the morning and feel positive about the future. We find a way to cherish the moments we have with those we love. We find a way to comfort our children and promise to protect them from harm. We pretend that we are in control. We rebuild that illusion for our own sanity’s sake.
What happened in Newtown, Connecticut was every parent’s worst nightmare. I pray that they find peace in the support on a nation.
Live the Quote – Weekly Affirmation
Too much fear and all you’ll get is silence.
Be without fear.
– A. L. Kennedy
Is It Thanksgiving Already?
Wow. Where did the time go? October, we barely knew you. Now here comes November being pushy as usual and flaunting two holidays (Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving). Okay. Fine. I’ll honor the traditions and celebrate the day of thanks with friends and family. I’ll eat the turkey and listen to the same stories that get told around the table. I’ll overlook that one cousin that gets on my nerves and I’ll hope no one notices that I haven’t lost any weight from last year. I’ll spend time with my large and loud extended family and I’ll miss not having my Hubby home for this holiday.
And even though life isn’t perfect, I’ll take comfort in knowing that I am blessed to have a family to visit and a meal to eat.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and may your family be safe.
Veteran’s Day – Thank You
To all military personnel (past and present), a heartfelt “Thank You” for your sacrifice. This is an under appreciated job but these individuals make a difference every day.
Related articles
- Grateful For Our Veterans (thestreetwhereyoulive.wordpress.com)
- Veterans’ Day (charlieray45.wordpress.com)
Single Parenting Ain’t for Suckers
I have a new-found respect for all the single parents out there. I was already amazed at the job they do. I was raised in a single parent home (my parents divorced when I was 13) so I am aware of what a thankless job it is to raise kids. What brought about this new enlightenment? I am now essentially a single parent myself.
Hubby has a job out-of-state. For the last four months, I’ve been adjusting to not only a long distance relationship but being a solo parent. Yes, hubby is in constant contact but it’s not the same as being here. It’s not an ideal situation but one that many families face every day.
And you want to know the truth about single parenting. It makes you tired. Like all the time. You have to do everything. Everything? Everything! It ranges from the routine morning, school, work, homework, dinner act to the more mundane answering of every question. No more passing off to the other parent. (Go ask your Dad has lost its effectiveness.)
Here is my plan. I’m going to take some vitamins, get some rest, and get back to parenting these kids. To all my fellow single parents out there I say, “Hang in there.”
What? Me Worry? – A Parenting Moment
A typical conversation in my household:
Princess: “Mom, you worry too much.”
Before I can respond, Diva pipes in. “That’s what moms do.”
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I’ll admit it. I am a mom. And I worry. A lot. But I have to ask, can you worry too much?
A teenage girl is missing in my community. The police suspect that she was abducted from her home. From her home. There is always a report somewhere about missing teenagers or accidents that claim a young life. You don’t have to look hard to find something that will paralyze you in fear. But that isn’t any way to live.
I dropped my girls off at mall on Saturday afternoon. The plan was for them to hang out with friends and catch a movie. I put on a brave face but behind that mask was a scared woman. I know I have to let them go. They have to experience things and learn to navigate the world. I just want to hold them close and keep them in the house with me all the time.
I reflect on my own childhood and remember feeling that my mother suffocated me. I wasn’t really allowed to go anywhere or do seemingly normal things like go to a Friday night football game. I remember thinking I had the meanest mother in the world. Now, I am not saying her methods were right but I do understand the emotion behind it. It was done out of love. When you are a parent, everything is motivated by love. I know now that I may not always get it right. But I love my children. I won’t ever apologize for that.
I still worry. I probably always will. But I will also beat down fear and allow my girls to grow. And pray that they will always be safe.
Related articles
- Jennifer Garner reveals parenting fears (bigpondnews.com)
- How to conquer worry (coffeewithchristine.wordpress.com)
- Worry!! (lyronpraise.wordpress.com)
I Love Basketball – Olympic Style
Any reader of this blog knows that I love NBA basketball. (The Lakers got Dwight Howard. Not sure what to make of it. More on thoughts on that later.) The 2012 Olympics were must see television for me for the chance to see our best athletes compete in track (women rule), gymnastics (Gabby Douglas), swimming (Michael Phelps), tennis (Serena Williams) and basketball.
Congratulations to both squads for bringing home the gold.
AMAZING
Like most people in the world, I’ve been watching the Olympics. Isn’t this amazing?
Sitting in the Passenger Seat – A Parenting Moment
Princess got her driver’s license. Exciting times, right? My girl is growing up and completing another milestone on the way to adulthood. I am a proud parent. I am also terrified.
Maybe terrified is too strong a word. I feel some discomfort. Yes, that’s it. I feel uneasy. Yesterday, I let her drive to the store by herself. My stomach was churning but I turned over the keys anyway. She has to learn to be comfortable driving solo. The only way to do that is to just do it. She’s gone to driving school and I’ve ridden with her several times. She is a good driver although an inexperienced one. I trust her to be careful. But I am a parent and I still worry.
Here is something I’ve realized. It gets harder to keep your kids safe as they get older. When they are babies straight through the elementary years, you know exactly where they are. The majority of the time they are with you. You decided where they go, what they do and who they do it with.
Teenagers don’t need, or frankly even want to, do everything with their parents. It’s a constant tug of war. They desire more freedom and good parents gradually let them fly solo and make their own decisions. But with that comes a lost of parental control. You have to trust that the values you’ve instilled will actually stick. You have to trust that your child will make more good choices than bad. You pray that a higher power protects them from harm.
Then you let go. And sit in the passenger seat while your kid drives.