children
Children: Our most valuable natural resource.
True Life: Motherhood
Surprises. This is what motherhood has brought me thus far. I became a first-time mom just a few months back and am surprised at how different it is from what I imagined and had heard. I am surprised at myself, surprised at my husband, and surprised by my daughter daily. Here are some of things I have come to understand about motherhood that no one really talks about.
By The Honest Mama8 years ago in Families
Schroon Lake
Nobody has heard of this place, but I managed to find it with both husbands. My first husband and I took the older kids here twice on vacation. We stayed in the Lakehouse at the Davis Motel and Cabins when Tom was a tyke and Jo was only a year old. It was nestled in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. I met my second husband through a friend at school when I was getting my B.S. in biology. When she heard I had been to Schroon Lake, she introduced me to Larry whose family owned a house there. There are unbelievable coincidences in life.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Families
Stupid Kids
Support groups exist for everything. You have a disease? There's a group for it. Overweight? Yup, there's a group. Sleep disorder? Yes indeed, there's a group. But there is no group for people with stupid children. Your only recourse is to find someone with children as dumb as your own and commiserate. This presents a problem because parents hide the stupidity of their offspring. They perpetuate the myth that children can be seen and not heard, that teens are controllable, that by 25 they are completely on their own. These are fallacies. Even if your kids are reasonably good, you know they've done wrong. Unfortunately, I had to fend for myself when my first husband left us, and again when my second husband died. All of my friends had perfect children. I did not. My kids made one bad choice after another, to the point where I got ill every time I got called into school, every time the house phone rang, and every time the police came to my door. I did all the right things. I sang to them, read to them, paid attention to every word they said. There were times I wished they would stop telling me everything so I could have 10 minutes peace. At Christmas time I would give them $20 dollars and take them to the local shops. They had a list of 10 people to buy for and $2 a piece to spend. They always came back with the most amazing, thoughtful things. So what happened? Shit happened.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Families
To My Child
To my child who is not yet born: there are many things that I wish for you now and on every single day after your arrival. Yet, life is not easy and the people in this world make it so much more difficult, but I wish you a good heart and soul. I am not a saint, which you will come to realize that I am not perfect and I will make many mistakes. However, I wish that you are stronger and distinguish right from wrong. As you grow, you will realize the little that we have, but my wish for you is that you realize family and love is the only thing that matters. My baby boy, I am very scared that I will do something that causes you sadness or pain. My wish for you is to understand that I’m only doing the best that I can. My tiny love, you are the greatest little thing to ever happen to me after twenty two years. Having you within me is a true gift from God. I truly wish you do best by us both. My child the world is a great adventure, but with every adventure comes danger so always protect yourself. I hope and really wish that you become a great man that protects, loves, cherishes and enjoys his family. No one is perfect, not on this Earth, not I, not your dad, and definitely not our families. Always and always remember that just because they’re family doesn’t mean that they have the right to hurt you. My baby, this world is full of love and great people and those that are the opposite, my dear please don’t lock your heart away after one heartache, for that can be rather painful.
By Lydia Cruz8 years ago in Families
Things My Son Says
Have you ever noticed how profound things can suddenly come out of a child's mouth when you least expect it? It's almost as though they are revealing the old soul that's trapped inside their little bodies. This has always fascinated me, so I decided to take a year and write down every funny thing my son said that totally cracked me up. He often catches me off guard with the witty things that he says, and I felt that I should record these lines so I could show him the evidence of his amazing calculating mind when he becomes an adult. I think he will be very proud that his innocent thoughts brought his parents joy and laughter at a very young age.
By Pamela Henry8 years ago in Families
Anything Can Happen Wednesday
"Today is a day that is filled with surprises; nobody knows what's gonna happen!" These are the words that opened the Mickey Mouse Club on Wednesdays in the early 1950s. Like all small children then, I loved the show, but Anything Can Happen Day was my favorite. So, when my children were young, I instituted this day to be fun, unpredictable, and interesting. What we actually did was dependent on how much money was available. There was never "extra" money. If we spent money then, it meant something was going unpaid, or we went without later. Still, I felt the need to bring a sense of adventure into the lives of my children.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Families
Know When to Shut Up
You’ll get to the hospital, probably hungry and sweaty. But you won’t know what's going on. Nobody will. But don’t ask. Don’t ask much of anything. Until you’re in your own house again. And even then, tread lightly. Its about her. There is a gender political vortex in play here. I thought as a dad who showed up, and a dad who had made it clear I wanted to learn something, I would be appreciated. I was wrong.
By Conor Miggan8 years ago in Families
How the Feeling of Guilt Made Me Stronger
“Why are you tired? Doesn't your wife stay home?” —Cindy, my husband’s prying coworker My husband and I are both teachers...kind of. While he goes to school everyday, I have the privilege of staying home and teaching our nine-month-old daughter. While I do have a teaching certification, our daughter decided to come into this world before I could get my career going. After looking into various child-sitting options, we couldn't justify having someone watch our daughter while I taught someone else's kids. I'd be making maybe a hundred dollars a week after deducting daycare costs; it didn't make a whole lot of sense to us.
By Kate Backus8 years ago in Families
Mom Fail 101
It was summer and it had been a long hot day and it wasn't over, after about two hours of grocery shopping with a hyperactive eight-year-old, who not only wanted everything he saw, but was also easily distracted by everything in the store. I was not in the mood to cook anything I had just purchased, so on the way home I opted to stop through a local fast food restaurant. I know, I know, not the healthiest thing to do, but most of us moms have done it. I still had to go up, clean up the house, and fix my husband his supper, not to mention, baths and bedtime for my other two babies waiting for me to pick them up at grandma's house. Pulling up to the drive thru, I asked my son what would you like.
By Angel Ponder8 years ago in Families
