WHAT DO OUR CHILDREN NEED???

To thrive a child needs love, food, clothes, a roof over their heads. 

They do not need: iPod, iPhone, 40" flat screens, cable with all the channels/dvr, designer clothing, handbags, plastic surgery, a new car.

They need to learn responsibility, period. That means they know that every action has a reaction. That for every thing that they do correctly will bring laud & adoration (remember potty training?); for every thing they do wrong brings punishment (time out? corner time?). This is called: PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. 

If you fail to teach your children responsibility in spending, living, honesty how do you as a parent expect them to leave your home at age eighteen, go to college, get good grades, graduate, get a job?  Responsibility is taught at home. It is not up to the teachers, administration or professors to teach this to your child. It begins when they are toddlers, picking up their toys is not a hard chore; they may not do it to your specification, however if all the toys end up put away, then they have learned something. As youngsters, have them make their beds daily, keep their rooms picked up, hang up the towels after showering/bathing. It may not be the way we as parents want it to look, however they are learning to pick up after themselves. These small things will give you more time to do something you as a mom or dad want to do (i.e.: read a chapter of a book, call a friend, answer an email, etc). Chores never hurt any one of my friends, in fact it was always more fun doing chores at my friends house than it was at mine, and vice-versa. 

I have children, my children know what it is to work. They are all personally responsible for themselves. Does that mean I haven't spoiled them at Christmas or their birthday? No, it means that when they did wrong they were punished; when they did right they were rewarded. 

We are growing a generation of children who are ungrateful, lazy, whiny, brats. 

What are you as a parent going to do about it to change this trend?

SPORTSMANSHIP...What are we teaching our children??

Every morning I listen to "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on ESPN. This morning the topic of major discussion was "sportsmanship" in regards to what happened to QB Matt Cassel of the KC Chiefs, or more importantly what happened after he was sacked, laid writhing on the field in obvious pain. While I know that football players are constantly compared to the gladiators that once fought in the coliseum of Rome, are we reverting back to those times? I would have thought by now we have evolved...okay maybe I am asking way to much of the fans. I do understand being a "die hard" fan. But jeering and booing a player that has been injured on a play, continuing to do so while a player is hurt, is POOR SPORTSMANSHIP!!!

I have been to many sports venues, including The Carrier Dome, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, Progressive Field, Lucas Oil Stadium, Busch Stadium, and have heard the boos, hisses, when certain players and teams take the field, and have been in places where it has gone from complete pandemonium to dead silence in a matter of moments when a players was injured on the field of play. What happened Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium amazes me. Granted that KC hasn't had a winning team in a very long time, makes this venue a little more apt to erupt, however what happened Sunday has shocked many people in the sports world including Ron Jaworski, Mike Ditka, to name a couple. The following is an excerpt of what tackle Eric Winston had to say about what happened:

"It's sickening," Chiefs tackle Eric Winston said. "I've never, ever -- and I've been in some rough times on some rough teams -- I've never been more embarrassed in my life to play football than at that moment right there. I get emotional about it because these guys, they work their butts off. Matt Cassel hasn't done anything to you people. Hey, if he's not the best quarterback, he's not the best quarterback, and that's OK, but he's a person. And he got knocked out in a game, and we've got 70,000 people cheering that he got knocked out. We are not gladiators and this is not the Roman Colosseum. ... We've got a lot of problems as a society if people think that's OK." 

Now my question is, "What are we teaching our children?" in regards to sportsmanship. Children learn from example. When they are young we dress them in our team colors, we take them to games, we watch the games on television with them. When they are old enough they sign up for t-ball, softball, little league, pee-wee football, hockey, etc., we also teach them as the coaches do that you may not win every game. Whether we win or lose you will shake the other teams hand, and say "good game". We also teach our children when in the stands, that while 'booing" is not polite, it does happen; when a player gets hurt on the field you say a prayer that he/she will walk away with minimum of injury. 

What do we teach our youngsters who either watched Sunday's game or have seen the replays? Do we say, "It's okay to jeer, boo, hiss" at an injured player? Or do we teach them to quietly say a prayer for the player and hope he walks off the field?  

A Little Boy's Voice...

Many of us have been watching the candidates and their compatriots praise one another in regards to one thing or another. While I did watch one or two things in RNC and DNC, no one but I will be in the voting booth with me when I "pull the lever" so to speak.

One of the many things both candidates have been discussing (I use that term loosely) is the "Gay Marriage" issue. While my own personal opinion is "it is no one's business" whom I love or marry, this issue is a hot topic for both sides. I was raised that marriage is between two people who love one another, while my parents and my faith did not say it, the meant between a man and a woman. I am a heterosexual woman with many friends who are in the LGBT community.

While reading down the news feed on my Facebook account this morning I found this video of the son of one of my friends, he is seven years old, and adorable his is fearful that his "mommy's" are going to be taken away from him. He is articulate, and makes a good argument for each and every one of us to think about what "marriage and family" are about. Thank you for making the video, and for sharing it.

At seven, our children should not have to worry whether or not one parent is going to be taken away from them because of the way a politician thinks or feels. He should be thinking about school, or his favorite book, or what he did in school that day, not what a politician is saying on television. Our children have enough to worry about with teen pregnancy, anorexia, bulimia, drug use, and bullying being the major cause for teen suicide in our country.

Maybe it is time for each and every one of us to stop pointing fingers, stop meddling, and stop being so close minded about what others do. As Jesus asked the crowd, "Which one of you is clean enough to cast the first stone?" I for one am not. I do not judge, or wish to be judged because of how I think or feel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfXZpz7v-DQ&feature=share

"...You didn't create that..."

I have been seething for the past month or so since I heard President Obama utter those words at a factory with  union workers on one of his campaign stops. Another thing Mr. Obama, union workers were not the only ones that built this country, ordinary men and women did also.

WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK CREATED SMALL BUSINESS' MR. PRESIDENT??? Surely not you or your ancestors. Sure as hell was NOT the government. It was the small business owner who took a loan, albeit, a SBA (Small Business Administration) loan to get their business started, but the owners and workers of these small business' made these business' NOT YOU or the GOVERNMENT!!!

I was reading a book, "Images of America COLUMBUS ITALIANS", when I came across a picture of the DiPaolo Food Shoppe. This was a small Italian grocery store in my mother's neighborhood that opened in 1915, it was the local shop where one could buy their cheese, meats, and provisions. That small family owned and operated food store would become a very successful $75-million food distribution empire. YOU DID NOT CREATE IT MR. OBAMA, Mr. & Mrs. DiPaolo did!!!

Across America there are thousands more of these mom & pop operations that began with a little bit of money and a dream.  The government is slowly killing these business' by over taxing them, making them buy expensive insurance products that do not cover much in the way of medical care.

You Mr. Obama created a mess with your promises of "CHANGE" when you were elected in 2008, with your promises of lowering the debt, it is now in the trillions; lowering fuel prices (approx $1.85/gal in 2008, $3.85/gal now); pushing through a $500-billion energy bill that former President Bush did not approve because of the business (Solyndra) being a money pit; you cut Medicare (when our seniors can barely afford prescriptions) to pay for Medicade. The alumni at Columbia Law do not remember you ever attending class, let alone receiving your Juris Doctor: your wife lost her license to practice law for accepting a bribe. You both deserve to be deported from the White House, but before you go, write the American taxpayers a check for Mrs. Obama's extravagant clothes & vacations, the girls salaries which they did not earn. Turn in your U.S. passport, you gained it illegally (have to show a BIRTH CERTIFICATE to obtain one which you obviously did not). Forget about taking Secret Service protection with you when you leave the White House, you can deal with the fallout you caused.

One last thing, Mr. Obama quit criticizing Mr. Romney, while you were busy trying to figure out first grade math, Mr. Romney's father was marching in the streets to bring equality to all. Mr. Romney is not perfect, however he has faced many more challenges than you have in his life, he knows how to read a balance sheet, and believes in LESS GOVERNMENT not more.

BUY AMERICAN -- AUGUST 1st -- SEPTEMBER 1st

This article was forwarded to me by a good friend. It is very enlightening just how much comes from China these days. So as the article states, let's "Buy American" for 30 days to send China a message, that America does NOT need their goods.

AUGUST 1st to Sept. 1st

Did y'all see Diane Sawyer's special report? They removed ALL items from a typical, middle class family's home that were not made in the USA .

There was hardly anything left besides the kitchen sink. Literally. During the special they showed truckloads of items - USA made - being brought in to replace everything and talked about how to find these items and the difference in price etc.. 

It was interesting that Diane said if every American spent just $64 more than normal on USA made items this year, it would create something like 200,000 new jobs! 

I WAS BUYING FOOD THE OTHER DAY AT WALMART and ON THE LABEL OF SOME PRODUCTS IT SAID 'FROM CHINA'; FOR EXAMPLE THE "OUR FAMILY" BRAND OF THE MANDARIN ORANGES SAYS RIGHT ON THE CAN 'FROM CHINA', I WAS SHOCKED SO FOR A FEW MORE CENTS I BOUGHT THE LIBERTYGOLD BRAND OR THE DOLE SINCE IT'S FROM CALIFORNIA

Are we Americans as dumb as we appear --- or --- is it that we just do not think? The Chinese, knowingly and intentionally, export inferior and even toxic products and dangerous toys and goods to be sold in American markets .

 70 % of Americans,.. believe that the trading privileges afforded to the Chinese should be suspended .

 Why do you need the government to suspend trading privileges? You Can..DO IT YOURSELF, AMERICA!! 

Simply look on the bottom of every product you buy, and if it says 'Made in China ' or ' PRC' ( and that now includes Hong Kong ), simply choose another product, or none at all. You will be amazed at how dependent you are on Chinese products , and you will be equally amazed at what you can do without. 

Who needs plastic eggs to celebrate Easter? If you must have eggs, use real ones and benefit some American farmer. Easter is just an example. The point is do not wait for the government to act . Just go ahead and assume control on your own. 

THINK ABOUT THIS: If 200 million Americans each refuse to buy just $20 of Chinese goods, that's a billion dollar trade imbalance resolved in our favor ...fast!! 

Most of the people who have been reading about this matter are planning on implementing this on Aug . 1st and continue it until Sept. 1st . That is only one month of trading losses, but it will hit the Chinese for 1/12th of the total, or 8%, of their American exports. Then they might have to ask themselves if the benefits of their arrogance and lawlessness were worth it.

Remember, August 1st to Sept. 1st!  START NOW.

 Send this to everybody you know. Let's show them that we are Americans and NOBODY can take us for granted. If we can't live without cheap Chinese goods for one month out of our lives, WE DESERVE WHAT WE GET!

Lawmaker Berates Double Amputee

It is my guess that some members of Congress find veterans second class citizens. Rep. Joseph Walsh-IL(R) is doing his best to get reelected in his district, running against him is a combat veteran, who risked her life fighting for the belief that all people should be free. In that battle she lost her legs, while this would deter many, it hasn't dampened her spirit, nor her fight for freedom. 

My guess is that Rep. Walsh cannot find a single thing out of place in this veteran's background to cast dispersion upon so he uses her own words against her, the ones where she explains to her would be constituents how she lost her legs, and why she feels she must runs for public office. She is being "honest & upfront" about her disability, which means she openly talks about how she lost her legs. 

I guess Rep. Walsh was raised by wolves, and never learned the following golden rule: "If you cannot say something nice, don't say anything at all."

 http://www.military.com/daily-news/2012/07/06/lawmaker-berates-double-amputee-rival.html?ESRC=marine-a.nl

No Minors Policy....Where Are the Parents???

I just read an article at Syracuse.com* about a young juvenile who was arrested in possession of a sawed off shotgun, shells, and a bad temper , so bad a temper he was arrested for resisting arrest. The mall he was arrested at has a "NO MINORS" without an accompanying adult**. Now my question is where was the accompanying adult when this boy knocked out another patron, dropped shotgun shells, ran from mall officers (I am not talking about "Paul Blart: Mall Cop") as well as Syracuse Police Officers whom patrol the mall in the evenings. 

Was this a "gang initiation"? Retaliation for the latest shooting? A dare? Given that many of our youths think that being a "gang banger" is cool because of what they see on television, in music videos, and in the movies. It is NOT!!! It is a life of crime, and punishment. When this young man goes into court, we are going to hear about how "bad" he has it at home. Maybe we should start charging the parents as well as the juvenile offenders. Maybe this would be a WAKE UP call to all children/young adults. 

Yes I do believe it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes time and energy to discipline children, it is obvious that too many homes today are "one parent" and the main parent is working to keep a roof over the families head. My generation (I was born in 1962) had very few "one parent families"; okay so maybe discipline was left up to mom (or dad) however what you didn't hear from one of them you heard from the other, then you heard it from your friends parents, and then your family. I have great respect for single parents whom raise their children to become productive adults, who graduate high school, a trade program, technical school, or college. 

FOOTNOTES:
*  http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/02/syracuse_police_15-year-old_in.html

** http://www.carouselcenter.com/index.php?page=information