Moms vs Dads

Happy Mother’s day to all the mothers.  If I had my way, you would have had a week set aside for us to pay homage to the women who cared unselfishly for us.

Moms are so awesome, aren’t they?  Without them, the world would be filled with wannabe macho men trying to live up to their dads’ expectations.  Ever been to a youth soccer game and listen to the parents of a kid?  The dad would shout in his gruff man voice, “Come on boy! Kick that ball like I showed you in practice!  You could do it!”  Mommy’s little voice would chime in, “Go baby, you are doing great!  Nice work.”

A dad gets home from work to find his 4-year old has made him a card with drawings that he toiled on for hours.  “Daddy look what I made for you!”  He shouts excitedly.  Dad glances at the thing and thought in his mind, What the heck is this? but says, “Good work son,  show it to your mom when she gets home.”   Sure enough mommy is quick to gush over her kid’s handiwork.  “Awww…that’s so sweet.  Look at it!”  And that’s why we love em.

Moms recognize their roles and accept it.  That’s why when a kid is acting up they would say,  “Just you wait until your Dad gets home!”  Dads recognize their roles also and play it well.  If the child does something nice, Dad would say, “Just wait until your Mom gets home and show it to her.”  Because Daddy doesn’t really care about such things that much.  He would add in his mind.

So that’s why we love our mothers.  They keep us in touch with our feminine sides and let us know that it is ok for grown men to cry.  Even if Daddy is watching.  We love you Mommy!  Have a Happy Mother’s Day!

Forgive Me Father For I Have Sinned

As a kid growing up in the Catholic church, I had to take my First Communion and also Confirmation.  Us kids were excited to make our First Communion as it meant we could ‘partake’ in holy communion.  To most of us, we were just happy to do what that adults did.  Plus it involved eating that ‘bread’ and drinking that ‘wine’.   Bread and wine sounded not too bad.  But before we could be awarded with such a prize, we had to first go to confession.

Confession meant kneeling at the side of a small room inhabited by the father. (preacher).  We would tell him what we did wrong (sins) and he would forgive us on behalf of God.  Well the problem was, we barely knew right from wrong and had to go to pre-confession classes so the nuns could tell us what to say.  Beep!  Shouldn’t confession be a bit more private and personal than that?  A few of my friends confessed to stealing bread from the dinner table.  I confessed to lying even though I didn’t know of any recent lies I had told.  I also confessed that I had stolen dried milk and sugar from my parents.  Something kids enjoyed from time to time.  To me and my friends, confession was a joke.  We confessed what they wanted us to confess.  We were not penitent.  We were too young to understand what it really meant.  Which brings me to the reason for this post.

A friend of mine has a young daughter who is about to make her first communion.  Or is it confirmation?  They are basically the same to me.  Anyways, she told me that she’s attending confession and knowing her tender age,  (She’s not much older than my 6-year old)  I immediately remembered my first experience.  I am sure her daughter does not fully grasp the concept of confessing her sins.  Her kiddie sins.   Can you imagine that little girl going home after confession and changing her ways? Staying in her room reading her bible?  I can’t.  I didn’t.

So do you really think kids should go to confession?  Ignore the fact that confessions should be solely between a person and their God.  Remember that after God died on the cross, the way was opened for us to communicate directly with him and through and intermediary but we won’t go into that right now.  Should kids go to confession?  I think not, but then again

It’s just my take.

 

 

 

Related articles

• I went to confession. (sarahberardi.com)

 

Opening your gifts

 

I was thinking, like I always do, about what I would have liked to be doing instead of doing what I’m doing.  Where would I be and so on and so on.  This thought led to another and another and soon enough, I was thinking about the gifts that we are all born with and how some of these are extraordinary and unique yet they sit in our mental cupboards, unopened.  We are scared to open them as doing so could drastically change our lives the way we knew it.  We are influenced by our peers not to open them or we are too shy.

 

On Christmas morning, parents sit with expectant looks on their faces as they watch their little ones rip at the gift wrappings on their presents.  Cameras are cocked and ready to record the looks of excitement and glee on the little ones faces as they see what is inside.  Upon opening a much-wanted present, all unwrapping comes to an end as the child is now occupied with that one gift.  “Come over here and open the other presents you have under the tree”.  Each present is special and without opening each one, the child would never know if there’s one that trumps his now-prized present.

 

This can be the used to describe our lives.  We choose our paths based on financial reasons, popularity, peer pressure or other.  We settle on that one gift that make us at least comfortable.  We have not explored our other gifts because we feel comfortable ‘settling’ with what we have.  Married with kids and a basically comfortable life, we fear rolling the dice could upset our lives and so our gift, our unique talent is left unopened and unexplored.

What is your talent that sits unopened?  Life is short, rip it open and see where it takes you.

 

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• What’s your gift? (thundergodblog.wordpress.com)

 

Sexual Assault Case Tossed Over Technicality

In yet another gross and blatant miscarriage of justice by our Justice system, a case involving sexual abuse of a minor was tossed out based on a flimsy technicality.  Tossed out like dirty dish water.  If there ever was a right time to yell B**L  S**t! this is it. Totally BS if you ask me.

Let’s talk.  In a nutshell, the victim who was just seven at the time of the alleged abuse, which included fondling and oral sex, is now 17.  She went to the cops with a statement of the incidents when she was 14 but a request by the police to speak to the accused, her mom’s ex boyfriend, was refused.  A warrant for his arrest was served but never executed until 18 months later and that my readers, is where the technicality lies.

The presiding Judge tossed the case out because it took too long.  My question is, would he have felt the same way if the victim was his own daughter?  So now we have a child molester and pedophile out there somewhere probably preying on some other kid as we speak, and a girl who was betrayed by the very system that was put in place to protect her and other kids like her,  from this nightmare.  Unfortunately, because justice was never served, her nightmare will continue.   For her, it would not just disappear because time elapsed.  The judge felt that the accused rights were violated.  Well, seems like this judge has his sense of responsibility all confused.  How about the rights of the young victim? Wanna talk about violation?  The perp violated her and you, your honor, violated her further.

A sex crime against a 7-year old is disgusting and disturbing to say the least.  It is reprehensible.  No technicality should exist that would enable the perpetrator to get off the hook once he’s proven guilty.   Granted, this guy was not proven guilty.  The court never got the chance to prove his guilt or innocence.

Injustice and lack of compassion is what this is all about.  I hope that the victim could find strength to make a full recovery from her abuse and subsequent misrepresentation by a toothless Justice System.

Related:

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/girls-sex-assault-case-tossed-177816061.html

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo

No one bothered to tell me about this show before? I had to find in while surfing the web.  No one also bothered to think that this was a bit odd and wrong?  A 7-year old  parading around dressed inappropriately?  And we wonder about our lost morality and values…  And we wonder why there are so many young girls in Hollywood messed up to the hilts.   We promote it with garbage like this.

So I found out that Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is a show on TLC featuring toddler, Alana Thompson and her family.   Apparently, the family gained famed after being on Kids & Tiaras, another exploitation show.  (Oops, did I say exploitation? I meant beauty show).  In its first season, it was one of TLC’s most watched shows.  So there’s definitely an audience out there for that sort of thing.  We both know what they are called, it’s illegal in some states.

In case you didn’t know, HBB’s mom give her Go Go Juice so she could be alert for her engagements.  Don’t be alarmed, it’s only a mixture of red bull and mountain dew, the equivalent of two cups of coffee.  Nothing a precocious 7-year old can’t handle.

Now I don’t know about you, but this makes me furious.  I know it’s not my kid but seriously?  Have you seen pics of this girl and her family?  Worst yet, have you seen pics of this girl?  Suggestively posing in skin-revealing clothing that some, even you, might find cute but I don’t and I can’t.  How far is this exploitation of children going to go?  I know we are in an economic downturn and people are doing anything for money to take care of themselves and their families.  Fame and fortune at any cost is the order of the day.  But please, not the children.  Let them be children.

You know you should quit when your kid tells you they hate being in the spotlight and hate it when fans approach them.   End it now before it becomes  ”There Goes Honey Boo Boo”

 

Hey, if this sort of thing turns your crank and you are a fan of this show, don’t let me rain on your parade, knock yourself out as they say cuz it’s just MY TAKE.

Related articles

• Kris Jenner Wants To Manage Honey Boo Boo – Report (hollywoodlife.com)
• Honey Boo Boo’s Niece Kaitlyn Already Competing In Pageants (hollywoodlife.com)
• Honey Boo Boo Doesn’t Like Being On TV, Hates Fans Encounters (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Is Honey Boo Boo Headed Towards A Meltdown? (997now.cbslocal.com)
• http://herecomeshoneybooboo.wikia.com/wiki/Alana_Thompson

Living in a bubble

Do you want to know how much our kids are pampered and coddled these days?  Well never mind, I am sure you do know.  It’s clearly visible every single day.  As a daddy, I am scared of what they are going to be like when it’s their turn to run this world.

Just a few weeks ago, I was at a bbq and happened to notice that one of the kids had a weird contraption that looked like a hand-held fan.  On the table was a shallow container with soapy water.  It didn’t take my rusty brain long to figure out what it was.  It was a bubbles maker!  You dip the fan-like thing into the soapy water, turn it on and voila! you’ve got bubbles without wasting a breath.  Heck, one could still keep up with their texts while blowing bubbles now.  Are you kidding me?

Our kids are missing the point on life.  It’s not about the bubbles, it’s the effort it takes to let out just the right amount of air to give you that perfect bubble.  Can’t our kids get a chance to break a sweat over anything anymore?  The schools work around them and allow them to be tardy and underachieving.  For example, at a meeting with one of our foster son’s teachers, he was told by the teacher not to worry too much about the work that he did not hand in during the term as he could always drop them off after exams and get his mark changed.  Now what is that doing to us who are trying to instill in him, the value of getting his work done and handed in on time?  What is this kid learning here?  That the world waits on him and he could get away with anything?

In sports, our poor over-worked children are taught not to compete.  Don’t keep scores and leave the nets empty. (no goaltenders).  It’s all about the fun of the game.  Who cares about developing the kids early? Thank goodness Wayne Gretzky and Tiger Woods didn’t grow up in this.   Coincidentally, recent studies are showing that obesity is a growing concern among kids.  They are not active enough.  Duh.

Back in the islands, we made our own toy cars and trucks.  We blew bubbles using our breaths, even though I was asthmatic, I was right in there with the best of them.  We played sports and yelled and celebrated when we scored or won a game.  No kid was traumatized by losing.  We knew our limitations so it didn’t bother us  that we weren’t the best player.   We kept playing.  Our teachers marked us ‘fail’ or ‘pass’ and nothing we did after the fact could change that mark.  Now look at me now.  Ok, maybe I’m not exactly a good example so don’t look but yeah, you get my drift.

(Do you know that they now have an app that blows bubbles for you?).

Our kids today are pampered, spoiled, coddled and over-protected.  I fear that they are ill-prepared to deal with the real world that awaits them when the bubble bursts.  But what do I know? It’s just my take.

Related articles

• Really Big Bubbles – I Mean Really Big! (francineclouden.typepad.com)
• Why innovation flourishes in a bubble (cbsnews.com)
• Our Schools

Son, don’t listen to your daddy

Kenyan, my 3-year old son, takes his soccer games seriously, as he does any sport he chose to play.  While his easily distracted teammates wander around the field, Kenyan stays focused on the game.  Even when he’s sitting out he still chose to sit and watch his team play and cheers them on.  Not coincidentally, he is one of the better player on the team and scores an average of 6 goals a game.  This blog however, is not about his soccer exploits.

After clapping his first couple goals, I usually keep a low profile and encourage him to involve his team by passing the ball.  Most of the kids play a one-on-five game and plays against their team so this is hard to instill at that age.   Fortunately, he seems to get the idea and I high-five him for making passes as much as scoring goals.

Yesterday he started his shift by netting two quick strikes.  After the third goal he actually started passing off to his teammates, even giving up scoring opportunities.  He did not score another goal for the rest of the game.  Unfortunately, I don’t think his team did either.

Just before he got on the field for the last shift of the game,  I experienced a sudden bout of  selfishness and without thinking, said to Kenyan, ‘This is your last shift, go out there and score a few goals, don’t bother to pass the ball, just go!’  Yes, I did say that.  I don’t know what came over me and as soon as I said it, I felt disappointed in myself.  Thank goodness I have instilled values in my son and he had retained them.  Kenyan turned, looked at me in dismay as though he couldn’t believe I actually said that.  ”Daddy, they are on my team, I have to pass to them.”

Yes, that’s all it took.  A nice gentle rebuke from my 3-year old to nudge me in sensibility.  Yes son, you are right.  Don’t listen to what daddy just said, go out there and play with your team.

Isn’t it awesome when your kid uses the life lesson you taught him to bring you back on track?  Even as parents, we are not above rebuke.

Note:  Now don’t go all ‘awww’ as this is the same kid who just yesterday, yelled ‘Mikhail, you suck!’  at his brother’s soccer game after Mikhail missed the ball on an easy goal attempt.

Related articles

• Kids’ Soccer Season (caramieandtheboyz.wordpress.com)
• Lindell is ‘that kid’ yelling on the sidelines (bangordailynews.com)