On Role Models

This guest article does not need an introduction

by: Michael Carey

Perched on a hill in a suburban utopia during the Rockwellian age of the Pax Americana, was the nest of my great upbringing. The greatness of it may have been influenced by the fresh air, the gorgeous trees or the lake down the way, but more than anything it was due to the people; the community. You see, in an age of commotion and turnover, my good fortune was to be a part of an unchanging neighborhood where neighbors spoke and parents watched over each other’s kids. In places like this children learn, not just from their own families, but from the many beautiful examples around them.

One such influence on me was an ever diligent and always humorous philosopher of sorts. He occupied the house just to the west of us with his wife two kids and two dogs. The wife and kids became ever more lovely as time went on, like the tree outside the living room door where I once saw a Golden Eagle, but the dogs had no such luck. Fred and Sabbie grew old and weary in the sprawling fenced in gravel pit of a back yard. When they passed, I saw that irksome fence come down and the gravel was replaced with grass. Lesson one was the transformative power of bringing down fences and seeding dead places with life.

With the fence down, our nomadic dog started to soil that beautiful new grass, but that wasn't enough to make the kindly philosopher turn us away. In fact, it seemed almost like an open door policy. Going over there with my brother to hang out with his boys was always a treat, and there was an inevitable soda to be had. I recall addressing him as Mister as we were so stiffly instructed to do, but he quickly corrected me opting for the far more familiar Dave. Lesson two had to do with treating others well, and having an open door of hospitality and amicability.

There was always something fun to be done in a house where inquisitiveness led down endless paths. As ever present neighbors we went to coin shows and collected pennies, bringing them home and shining them up with Taco Bell sauce. Another day took us to a Pepsi bottling plant to see the source of those ever present cans. There was a time when the garage was full of baseball cards and each was meticulously organized and carefully graded. We tied flies into the late hours of a weekend night, and I learned lesson three, which was the joy of an endless curiosity.

Becoming more like part of a tribe, on occasion our hunting party would venture out to Cub Foods on wholesale shopping excursions. It was on these trips that I learned to spot a good deal and take advantage of it, but the real story is in the journey. You see, there I was, in the back of the car, and we were heading west down Quincy with Led Zepplin playing over the radio. Now, maybe you've got a song or two that takes you right back to a specific place and time, but for me it was Stairway to Heaven at high volume that night. Every note was so clear and joyful, my mind was elevated and before that I had probably never really been turned on to music. Maybe that is lesson four.

Buying soda for the neighborhood kids and cleaning up after a well fed German Shepard gets expensive, and like every self made entrepreneur, that good neighbor had to climb the stairway for quite some time. In fact, I recall some dark days in 82 when there was a for sale sign out in front of his blue house. I loved my neighbors and didn't want them going anywhere. Fortunately, my consternation abated and the sign came down as the economy perked up. The outside world was fluctuating, but this neighborly role model diligently persisted until the hope of a new dawn appeared on the horizon. The quintessential lesson lies somewhere along that road of hope and perseverance.

May we all perpetuate the lessons of those role models who have shown us the way.

Michael Carey March, 2010

Thank you MC, I had no idea.

Comments welcomed

Other guest writers are still invited to submit articles.

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A real life hero

A real life hero.....The Green Beret
by Jeanine Suazo


"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." George Orwell

The United States Army Special Forces - also known at the Green Berets - are trained for unconventional warfare and special operations. President Kennedy called the Green Beret "a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom."The U. S. Army's Special Forces work in teams of 12. The Green Beret motto is, "De Oppresso Liber" - to free the oppressed.

It is said that if you want to wear the green beret of the Army Special Forces, you must be able to do hundreds of push-ups, you need to have superior intelligence, have an outstanding record of prior military service and very high motivation.

So with all of that said, I would like to tell you about my personal interaction with a Green Beret - a modern day hero.

On my recent trip to Denver my flight was canceled. I found myself on a different flight, a different airline and even departing a different airport than was planned. That turned out to be the most interesting flight I have ever been on. I had to hold my child since her seat was somewhere else on the plane and I figured her row mates would not be thrilled to take care of a random one year old. Anyway, it was my intention to sit quietly and not "chatter" with the poor souls that got stuck sitting on either side of us. Of course it was 2 men. I apologized in advance to each one as they arrived and took their seats. The man to my left was interesting. It turned out he had gone to the same junior high and the same high school as me! He had graduated 10 years before me however. He was less than enthusiastic to sit next to my child and I. The guy to the right of me is the person I want to write about and remember. He immediately put me at ease, telling me he and his wife just had their first child a month ago. He initiated conversation and we talked for the entire flight, nearly 2 hours. It was nothing short of fascinating. I sat next to a Green Beret. This man had recently returned from a tour in Iraq. The first thing I did was thank him for his service to our country. He was very humble. I went on to admit that I am fairly ignorant about the ranks, etc of our military branches. He was not arrogant in the least and did not treat me like a stupid, blonde female. On the contrary, he was very polite and charming. He went on to explain to me what it is like to be a Green Beret. He told me that there were situations where the regular army guys either could not or would not approach. He explained that the special forces handled some of the most volatile situations. He spoke about his job with pride. I asked lots of questions, as I am a very curious person and not the least bit shy! I asked how he and his friends felt about the war. His response has been on my mind ever since. He told me that it is not his job to have an opinion. That he does what his Commander In Chief (the President) asks him to do and that it is not his place to have an opinion. He also told me that the media mostly shows the people that are opposed to the war. His face lit up when he told me about the thrill of giving a soccer ball or a piece of candy to a child in a war-torn country. He spoke of the appreciation in the eyes of the citizens. He gave me an education on that flight. We talked about many things, too many to even touch on here. When he found out that I had 6 children he asked some rather personal questions, which I answered. It was actually one of those moments that I felt really human. I was conversing with a complete stranger and we could not have been more different. He was a handsome young man, bodybuilder, incredibly intelligent, newly married, struggling with a new baby in the house and busybody in-laws, and a Green Beret. I was older than him, ignorant about some of the ways of the world, still in awe and learning about how different it must be to be a male in this life, married for years with six children, and living the suburban housewife lifestyle. Yet, we talked openly and honestly. No masks. I never asked his name, nor he mine. However, it was one of the most powerful encounters I have had in my adult life. I thank God for the men and women that chose to serve our country. Who ever he was, I keep him in my prayers because he is a hero in my book.

Comments are invited

So are other Guest Articles

My other blog is about Family Finances: Currently discussing the Real Cost of Raising Children

How much of you, your time, your efforts are yours and how much are the world's?

With the exception of one timely diversion for St. Patrick's Day, we have been enjoying guest articles lately. I still have several more to tickle your minds. Justin wrote a provocative piece about punishments. Now he is stretching our minds with some new questions. Be forwarned, sometimes his questions are like fingernails on the chalk board. Tell us what you think!!

How Much of You, Your Time, Your Efforts Are Yours and How Much Are the World's?

by: Justin Thyfault

On the surface the question seems easy to answer. All of me is mine. All of my time is mine. And all of my efforts are mine. But theories and reality seldom ride the same bus for the whole trip.

Part of living in a society is the requirement that every person gives up a certain part of their autonomy. Just because we live in a free country there is no reason to think that everyone is free to do whatever they please. Each person is expected to sacrifice a portion of their free will to make the place better for everyone.

I think most people can agree that to some degree this is necessary.

But what happens when you ask certain people to give up more than you ask other people to give up?

There is currently a huge debate on how to reform our health care and health insurance system. One of the leading (legislatively) proposals is to implement a new tax on people who make more than $250,000 a year to pay for health coverage for, theoretically, everyone not making $250,000 or more. I know these are not the exact numbers and policies, but this is the idea that is being debated.

The argument has some valid points. Rich people have more money so they can sacrifice more. Actually it is not a sacrifice because they will still have more money than any person could ever need. Also, the government helped to create and protect that wealth and value, so it and the populous has a right to a portion of that value. The more money you have, the more that you need a government and a military to provide the comfort and security to maintain and protect your disproportionate wealth, so you should pay more. Likewise, if a few people have to make a sacrifice to provide for and help ten people, a thousand people, one million people, or everyone, the ends justify the means. As a society don't we need to help the greatest number of people as we can?

But is forced altruism really an exercise of justice?

LeBron James as a super-athlete, not a millionaire, is a great example. Do we as the populous have a right to experiment on his super-natural body or harvest his organs to promote the growth of anatomical science and general health? A lot could be learned from the superior performance of his body and organs that would help millions of us live longer and stronger lives. Cells or possibly even stem-cells from his body could be used to create super-organs for countless people on the cusp of death. But should he be forced to sacrifice a part of himself or his time (not his life), to help undetermined people without his consent? Why or why not?

Without getting into the validity of the legality of abortion let's consider another example.

In America fetal abortion is legal though the first trimester. The discussion of the topic could congest the internet for eternity, but in America that is the current precedent of the law. The people, through representative governance, have determined that a woman's right to her body extends to what is in her body up until the end of the first trimester. Whatever is in her body, regardless of how YOU define it, is not a cognitive self-evident human being but a possession of her and her body in the legal sense.

So up until the end of the first trimester the fetus is a possession, not a person; this is the view of women's rights and fetuses in our common laws. In our society possessions (wealth) are subject taxation and other forms of duties and obligations. If the government and populous has the right to impose duties and restrictions on possessions why should a fetus be any different? Isn't it not a human yet, just property of the woman like a wad of cash? Stem cells from fetuses have proven to be uniquely beneficial in organ development and research. For the benefit of the countless masses should women be forced to have a fetal abortion to promote the research for the longevity of the rest of us? Would that not be just another form of taxation, like taxing any other form of wealth and possession? A person in plenty providing for those that lack? Should a woman be forced by societal obligation to get pregnant to provide a fetus for research to help the rest of us?

To some people all of these are a violation of their rights. To others one or two seem wrong, but the others make sense. So as a society, what is just?

Saint Patricks Day

A young Irish immigrant followed several of her siblings to the United States in the 1960’s. As many young and healthy maidens of her day, she hoped to meet a nice American man whom she could marry and share the remainder of her life.

The young woman’s chances were promising, partly because she had a beautiful figure that would attract the eye of any healthy male. Next, she adorned herself with a bee-hive type hair-do, as was widely popular at the time. One of her most appealing qualities was her obvious accent. It was significant enough to require her listeners to concentrate on every word she spoke. But when it came to effective communicating, her loving demeanor was never difficult to comprehend. All of that just added to her charm. She was not yet 30 years old

She settled into Denver, Colorado because one of her sisters lived there. Naturally, she needed to support herself, so she was willing to accept practically any job, just to get by. She had no college or special training, so predictably, her options were somewhat limited. Eventually however, the lovely lassie accepted a bookkeeping position in a snooty restaurant, near the down-town area. She made an incredible first impression.
She always wore nice well-fitting dresses, and just the right amount of make-up and jewelry. Her new-found employment helped her pay her bills as intended, but anybody who ever knew her would confirm that her wisdom and people-skills would have been better utilized in the role of the hostess.

The fancy restaurant was right across the street from the State Capital Building. It was frequented by high-level local politicians, dignitaries and other successful businessmen. Naturally, she got to know quite a few of them and some were worthy candidates as life-partners but none of them worked out.

Then one day, her elder sister told her of yet another possible candidate. Naturally, the younger one wanted to know what the potential suitor did for a living. She was disappointed to discover he was nothing more than a sales manager for a local soda pop company. She had had several previous and unsuccessful dates with various salespeople, so she was apprehensive about dating another one. But in spite of her cool response, the elder sister insisted that this particular fellow was different. Furthermore, some of the ladies considered him to be quite the looker. The elder sister was so insistent that the little Irish bookkeeper relented, and the date was set.

As fate would have it, the Irish lassie immediately realized that her wish had come true: She had met her very own Prince Charming. Before long, the bookkeeper and the sales manager were dating regularly and the next inevitable step was taken. That eventful moment would lead to both the best 25-years and the worst10-years of the young woman’s life.

Shortly after their marriage, the husband was promoted to vice-president and their fairytale life was unfolding beautifully. They turned out to be extremely well-matched. They were especially hospitable and gathered dozens of mutual friends. They regularly went camping with their pals and enjoyed holidays and parties and all sorts of fun gatherings.

The young Irish gal loved America and all of its customs and holidays. But as you would expect, she always held a special place in her life for St. Patrick’s Day. Naturally, she singlehandedly transformed an otherwise obscure holiday into something special for everybody who knew her. She frequently told stories about the old country, and leprechauns and shamrocks. She made incredible corned beef and cabbage. And after a few green beers, she would even show her friends how to dance an Irish jig. Her enthusiasm for life was contagious and legendary for one and all.

The unlikely couple built a wonderful life together. Then, one day, they took a trip to Texas to visit one of her other sisters and to conduct some personal business. Unfortunately, it would be the last thing they would ever do together. While attending a business matter, her husband had a fatal heart-attack and died instantly. They did not even get to say good-bye.

It was a sad ending indeed. Without any advanced notice, the young maiden suddenly lost her Prince Charming and she would never recover emotionally. The precious lassie lived another ten years and she did the best she could, but her remaining time was always crowded with sorrow and a broken heart.

Her name was Bridget. Her husband was my dad.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Bridget. I really miss you!

What about you? Do you have any special Irish friends?

Don't forget to visit my other blog about family finances, currently discussing the cost of dependants.

Should The Punishment fit the Crime or the Criminal?

Should The Punishment fit the Crime or the Criminal?
by: Justin Thyfault

I was listening to talk radio the other day when a story came up concerning the title question. In the case on the radio they were talking about a German law/potential law that the fine for speeding should be relative to the drivers income. The story went something like this: If two drivers got pulled over for driving over the speed limit an equal amount, the fine for the wealthier of the two should be a lot more than for the poorer driver.

The argument for this fine structure claims that if the fine was $200 for anybody speeding that speed, that poorer people are effected by the punishment more than rich people. To add some numbers to the story we'll say that Driver PoorMan makes $20,000 per year and Driver RichMan make $2,000,000 per year. The speeding ticket of $200 for PoorMan would amount to 1% of his income. If RichMan had to pay $200 it would be only 0.0001% of his income. The $200 fine wouldn't be that much of punishment for RichMan, nor a deterrent for him to speed again. However, if RichMan had to pay 1% of his income, the punishment would have the same impact as $200 for PoorMan. This would mean that RichMan would have to pay $20,000 for the same speeding infraction. So should the punishment fit the crime or the criminal?

We already impose different judgements for unique criminals in other areas of our justice system. The sentences for minors are significantly less than for adults. In most states mentally retarded/insane people are held to different standards than 'normal' people. The fine for speeding in a school zone or roadwork zone are double the fines than in other areas.

Are there areas where we don't currently impose different punishments where we should? Should somebody without a driver's license always be at fault for an auto accident because they were not even supposed to be on the road? Should a preacher be punished harder for molesting a child than a complete stranger would because the preacher used his position of righteousness? Should a legislator be punished more for breaking a law that they passed?

Or should we all be held to the same standards, each of us entitled to 'Due Process'? There are parts of the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the constitution that provide every citizen the right to be treated just as everyone else would be. Afterall, isn't Justice supposed to be blind?

Which brings me back to the title question; Should The Punishment fit the Crime or the Criminal?

Visit my Family Finances blog, currently discussing the cost of raising children

http://ourfamilyfinancesbydavethyfault.blogspot.com/

Who Do You Trust With Your Kids?

Guest bloggers have been traveling the road about children lately. In that spirt I thought it would be interesting to find out what an Au Pair is and why somebody would go that route. Heather has explained it very well. I am certain you will find it interesting.

Au Pair
by: Heather Rhode

Families have so many options when it comes to providing child care for their children. The options include stay at home mom or dad, enlisting the help of another relative or friend willing to watch your children, in-home daycare, center based day care, hiring a nanny, babysitting cooperative, hosting an au pair. I’m sure there are even more options, but those are the major choices parents are faced with when deciding on childcare.

I can’t reasonably speak of any of the options except for hosting an au pair, as my husband and I have hosted an au pair for over four years. I thought it would be helpful to outline some of the common questions my husband and I receive and also a mom’s perspective on what it’s like to host an au pair.

Before I begin, I want to clarify that an au pair can be a young man or a young woman. I will refer to the au pair as “she” throughout the rest of the article as we have never hosted a male au pair and 98% of au pairs are young women.

So what exactly IS an au pair anyway? Isn’t that the French word for nanny?

Many people erroneously confuse an au pair with a nanny. The word "Au Pair" is a French term, which means "on par" or "equal to", denoting living on an equal basis in a reciprocal, caring relationship between the host family and the children. An au pair will typically be a young woman and sometimes a young man from a foreign country who chooses to help look after the children of a host family and provide light housekeeping. The au pair is given room and board and is typically paid a weekly "pocket-money" salary. Au pairs generally stay with their host family for one year. One major difference is that an au pair is a young adult from another country who lives in your home and watches your children for a set number of hours in exchange for a weekly stipend. A nanny typically already lives in the country and works as many hours the family needs. Sometimes the nanny will live with the family, oftentimes not.

Whoa, stop the presses….she lives with you?

Yes, she lives full time with us. We are fortunate that most of our basement is finished and she has her own rooms and her own bathroom, separate from the rest of the family. The only common area is the laundry room and I try to stay out of there at all costs! The au pair agency we work with (as I’m sure is the case with all au pair agencies) requires that the au pair have at the very minimum their own sleeping area. Many host families have finished basement areas where the au pair stays; it allows the host family and the au pair more privacy.
She eats dinner with us most nights but usually when she’s off work she will attend school as per her visa requirements, go out with friends, or relax in her room. As you'd expect from a 20 something young woman, she is not interested in spending THAT much time with us, so most of the time, we hardly know she's around.
Sounds fancy, you must be rich!

Well no. Not hardly. Many host families are quite well off, or so it seems on the surface. We are actually one of the “poorer” host families. But we’ve come to find that as long as we treat our au pair with respect, love, and as a member of our family, the fact that she doesn’t have a two year old luxury SUV to carouse around in or a 52” flat screen TV in her room hardly seems to matter.

The au pair program is pricey. It’s definitely not the most budget friendly option out of the ones I mentioned above. The annual program fee cost is $7,195. The application fee is $350. The au pair’s weekly stipend is $195.75. The flight from Newark (where they first arrive for orientation) to where we live is $430. Also we must pay up to $500 per year for the au pair to complete her educational requirements. So the very minimum cost is $18,654 per year. We give our au pairs some additional perks. Our au pairs have their own car which we maintain and give a $75 per month gas allowance. She also has her own cell phone which costs around $65 per month. If we’re going on a family vacation, we take the au pair along with us and give her the time off and don’t charge it against her two week vacation allowance. This year we are not going on a family vacation, so we are giving our au pair a plane ticket and a couple of days off to fly wherever she wants. Then there’s the extra food, water, heat, electricity that is involved with having another adult live in the home.

That sounds expensive. Why not save some money and just do day care?

We sacrifice a lot to be able to afford this program. We feel that this is the best and only option for our children. They get personalized one on one attention all day, if they have activities or school, the au pair can take them and pick them up. Also we don’t have to rouse the children out of bed at 6:30 and rush through breakfast, get them ready and drop them off at day care, then hope we can get out of work in time to pick them up or else incur outrageous charges.

So you get unlimited child care, you never need to enlist the help of family or hire a babysitter?

Completely untrue. Au pairs are only allowed to work 45 hours per week. You can schedule the au pair’s hours however is amicable for her and your family, but she has to have at least one full weekend off per month.

In our case, since my husband and I both work full time, we use our 45 hours Monday through Friday. If we want to go out after work or on the weekends, we have to find a babysitter or call in favors to friends and family. Lucky for our au pairs, they have every single weekend off to do as they please; a rarity in the au pair world.

Does she clean your house and cook your dinners too you lucky girl?

The au pair is required to do light housekeeping as it pertains to the children and is required to maintain her own living areas. So for example, if the kids do an arts and crafts project, it is her responsibility to pick that up (or better yet, have the kids pick it up and she supervises!). As a member of the household, our au pairs will help clean up common areas, like the kitchen, putting away dishes and occasional vacuuming, but no, she is not a housekeeper or a chef.

As part of the cultural exchange, our au pairs will occasionally cook meals with us that they enjoy in their home country.

How do you pick your au pairs? Do you place an ad in newspapers around the world?

People ask us this all of the time – I can’t make this stuff up – they give us far more credit than we deserve! We actually utilize an agency that does the leg work for us. We pay them $7,195 per year, and in exchange they help us find an au pair, get her paperwork in order, get her here, and provide support along the way. There are dozens of au pair agencies out there; it’s really a growing industry. I suppose one could go out and find an au pair without the support or help of an agency, but that thought kind of scares us. I mean not only is this person living in your home, driving your cars, but more importantly, they are watching your children while you are not home. It is worth the money to us to ensure we are getting a prescreened qualified person. Plus I wouldn’t even begin to know how to get the necessary paperwork processed and filed.

How is it having another woman watch your children while you’re at work?

My husband’s perspective will be far different than mine, but for me, at first it was very very difficult. My daughter was only 2 months old when our first au pair, Camila, arrived from Brazil. How jealous I was to watch this other woman bond with my newborn baby. I cried about the fact that I had to go to work while this other person went to “Mommy and Me” classes with my child and I was inconsolable the first time that my daughter called Camila “mama”. There were many times when my daughter cried and I just would not do. She wanted her au pair.

After a couple of months though, I realized that since I do have to work, it was preferable to have a caregiver that so obviously cares for and loves my daughter, and to see that love and caring reciprocated by my daughter toward the au pair is truly a good situation. I enjoy it now and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Any other advice for someone considering the program?

Do your homework. If possible, talk to other families that either have, or have had au pairs and find out their experience. If you decide the program is for you, take your time interviewing. Ask questions. Ask questions you think aren’t your business or are “too embarrassing”. It matters. This person is going to live in your home for a full year at minimum, and if you aren’t both up front at the beginning, I can promise you at the very least, you’ll have constant problem and its likely things won’t work out and you’ll be without childcare, looking for a replacement au pair. Make sure the expectations are clear from the beginning and if possible, put it in writing so there is no mistake.

Once your au pair arrives, treat her with love and respect. She is NOT AN EMPLOYEE. She is a member of your family. Treat her as such. When she arrives, make a big deal at the airport. Have your children make a sign for her, bring balloons and flowers. Make her feel special. She’s scared and nervous so do everything you can for the first couple of weeks to make her feel at home.

These small gestures of kindness will be reciprocated in spades. I promise. I’ve seen wonderful au pairs treated like dirt by their host families and it’s so sad. There’s really no reason at all for it.

So in conclusion, this program is definitely not for everyone. It’s not even for most people. But the friendships and relationships we’ve formed over the years are priceless. We still keep in regular contact with our former au pairs, and our first au pair that I earlier mentioned, still lives in the U.S. and we see her every couple of months. I truly cannot imagine obtaining any other form of childcare; it’s perfect for us and for our children.

ENOUGH WITH THE DEMANDS OF THESE LITTLE CHILDREN!

Each of the two previous articles discussed young people. In a related discussion there was some thought given to how much should a partent (especially moms) do for the kids vs. teaching them to be responsible for themselves. Kim contributed this article about the topic. See what you think.

ENOUGH WITH THE DEMANDS OF THESE LITTLE CHILDREN!
by: Kimberly Cooper

Gospel Reading today Luke 11:29-32
"How demanding are the people of this day! They ask for a miracle, but none will be given except the miracle of Jonah." Luke 11:29

The first thought that came to my mind when I read the gospel today is how demanding our children are in today's times. What happened to children obeying their parents the first time and being happy with a big red juicy apple as a treat? Now children demand box juices, sponge bob fruit snacks, chips, crackers, movies, more and more toys...and the list goes on. My son, Benjamin, just started his T-Ball practice. I was amazed to hear all of the demands of these little 4 and 5 year olds. Needing a drink of their Gatorade after 10 minutes of practice and asking for a snack after practice. This is absurd if you ask me! Our children are accustomed to being doted on constantly. We are doing nothing but providing them a disservice in today's world. Children need to be happy to use the water fountain at baseball practice and okay with waiting to get home to eat supper on the dinner table that his mother so lovingly prepared. Enough with all of the handouts of needless fruit drinks and snacks at their beck-and-call!

As of late, I have stopped buying snacks. I load up on fresh fruit and vegetables and a source of protein for every meal. No juice....just water or milk at the Cooper household. I was sick and tired of my children going to the pantry to get full of snacks and then not eating their supper. Now they are delighted with a banana or apple slices. Not that I do everything right, I am still learning what works and what doesn't but I do know one thing, I refuse to have demanding, spoiled rotten children.

When, as mothers raising disciples of Christ, do we stop the nonsense? You all know I am a big believer in the old fashion way of doing things. I think if we continue to pick up their toys, give them everything they demand we are only raising children that will demand the life they want, not the life that is best for them...God's Will. We are teaching our children to be weak by giving them all of these excess, needless supplies of food, drink and "stuff". They need to toughen-up if you ask me! Less is more and teaching our children the simple ways of using the water fountain, a pay phone (do they have those anymore), making their bed, cleaning up their messes, setting the table, cleaning off the dinner table, less TV and more floor time of legos and baby dolls, less entertainment in the backyard and more use of their imaginations. Think about the old ways of our loved ones who have gone before us. Somehow, they enjoyed life and were thankful for each and every little thing given to them. More than likely it is because their parents didn't hand them everything they wanted. They either had to work for it or did without. Sure we want our children to have a wonderful childhood, but the less we dote, the more wonderful they will turn out. Enough with the demands of our children and let's demand some respect.

Thank you Kim. You obviously have strong opinions, which make for fascinating reading. So all of this brings us to a few questions. Where do we draw the line regarding performing tasks for the kids? A lot of time it is easier to just do it ourselves, but is that really the best thing? And then there is a certain pleasure in caring for our families and doing little thnigs for them, but at what point are we spoiling them or making them too dependant on us? When did you have to help with the household chores? Did it matter?

I want to thank my friend Pam for introducing me to Kim.

if you would like to visit Kim's blog here it is http://www.archangelmothersministry.blogspot.com/

And don't forget to drop by my other blog http://ourfamilyfinancesbydavethyfault.blogspot.com/

Comments Welcomed