I make my children eat whole grains... wheat bread, brown rice, multi-grain pastas, even those goldfishy crackers come in a whole grain variety... took forever to convince them that it was okay to eat bread that looked like its main ingredient was birdseed... but it worked! I did this because I love my children and of course what mother would feed her child simple carbs? ummm... millions of them. that's right - it has nothing to do with love people... so I break down now and then (yesterday) and let the girl have her mac 'n cheese made with REGULAR pasta... the kind in a box that miraculously turns orange powder into cheese again! And although the REAL reason we switched to whole grains was because I needed some moral support - I ate some too... (comfort food? I don't know... I just caved)
okay, so we were definite INSIDE the car - Dad wouldn't have allowed this!
I'm amazed sometimes that any of us ever made it to adulthood.
Raise your hands if (like me) you were allowed to ride in the back of the family van without your seatbelt on... we used to "surf" and try to stay on our feet while my dad turned corners when the seats were taken out... or we'd lay on the floor and peek through the little hole at the road rushing by below, hoping for a glimpse of... ummm, I don't know - never saw anything but black asphalt.
okay, so we were definite INSIDE the car - Dad wouldn't have allowed this!Now raise your hands if you'd consider allowing your child to do the same thing... I mean, for crying out loud now my children have to stay in booster seats until they're 8 years old! (I know, or 80 pounds... with my lightweight children my biggest fear is that they'll change the law to say AND 80 pounds) In some states I myself barely make the height requirement for leaving a booster seat. Go ahead, laugh yourself silly at my expense... I don't mind. Seriously, call up your grandparents/parents/and ask them what kind of "car seat" they sat in... and don't be surprised if the word "apple crate" comes into the conversation.
I'm disgusted at things like $700 strollers, baby knee pads, etc... because the advertising all implies that if we have a lesser brand we obviously don't love our kids enough... and anyone who allows their child to learn to crawl without wearing those stupid knee pads should be thrown in jail for abuse...
I had a good laugh recently at the fresh fruit wash... mostly because my mother and grandmother scoffed at it - I grew up eating fresh fruit straight from grandma's garden... probably ingested my fair share of dirt, and maybe more than my fair share of little bugs in the process... but I lived. Does that mean that my parents (and their parents before them) didn't love their kids enough? Does that mean that I don't care about my children's health because I settle for a quick water rinse?
So be it. Sorry kids - I only love you to the tune of $20 strollers, generic diapers, and water... BUT at least I'll make you sit in that danged car-seat for the next few years... as "proof" of being a good mom!
(and yes - this is my offical 200th post... I'm not going to get very celebratory over it... but you're welcome to flood my comment box with love and adoration from all corners of the globe... just saying)
15 comments:
Congrats on your 200th post!
I TOTALLY used to surf in the back of our jeep. But now I wonder how on earth that was possible---cuz I swear there is not room even for a small person to stand.... Whow knows.
And I still eat fruit/veggies without washing them---shocks my mom a little bit, but same as you, I'm still alive. I'm already nervous for the lives of my children since I doubt I'll buy into all the "necessary" safety stuff:)
Oh the memories of life before the U.S. laws and public parental pressure became civilized. I'll tell you what. No matter how bad I know I should feel that I let my kids watch TV and freely use the computer, I take comfort in the quality of the things I let them watch and the sites they "choose" to go to. I too had no idea what a snuggie was and I haven't seen the advertisements for many of these good-parent necessities, but maybe that's because I'm too busy trying to keep up with a four-year-old who wants me to play 'The Game of Life' with her because she's so bored with the stuff she's already exhausted on TV and the PBS games. Either that or it's just because we have a skip button on our Tivo control. Either way, I don't let myself get inundated with messages that tell me how inadequate I am, because I just don't feel like my kids are suffering at all from the fact that they almost don't know that white bread is what everyone else is eating, and they have no clue about Spongebob or Hannah. They seem to be doing better than I remember doing myself. They think it's a treat when they get to watch Rocky and Bullwinkle or Animaniacs. Those we reserve for times when we need a break.
Nic needs a blog :) that's my beloved slightly younger but infinitely taller brother - say Hi!
Barb - hey, you're still alive too? go figure... live dangerously, eat an apple!
No biggie. I hit my 200 post mark about 7 posts ago and didn't even mention it, so your already light years ahead of me!
I always feel like a bad mother because I let my kids jump on the couch. Sure it's not as dangerous as riding around in an apple crate, but if you gauge by the looks I get from some other moms, it's akin to animal sacrifices or first degree murder.
P.S. My kids are lightweights, too. Eighty pounds is a loooong way away for them.
Oops, one more thing. I like what Nic said about the computer. I don't tell people that I let my almost five-year-old play on the computer, because it freaks some people out. But he loves the paint program and his favorite site is Starfall. Where's the bad?
I have to agree. It seems like everyone has to tell us "how" to love our children. No wonder the rising generation is afraid to have kids. Have a wonderful day, give your kids a hug, I bet they know you love them!And congrats on 200! You're awesome!
My husband is an EMT, and so he's an absolute stickler for seatbelts and car seats, as am I. We drove down to St. George a few months ago, and took my 6 year-old nephew with us. We picked him up from his dad's house and found out they didn't ever use a booster for him and didn't even own one. Nope, not going to fly.
We had to drive to Walmart and buy one.
Dirt never hurt anyone!
We used to pile seven people in a VW Bug, for crying out loud! I think we had to strap some of us on the roof or in the trunk (hood, actually) just to get home from church! And I am constantly amazed at how paranoid my husband is about safety issues when he, himself, nearly died a dozen times as a child due to reckless behavior on a Quad.
HA! We weren't allowed to STEP on the floor boards of our vehicles growing up, or we would end up on the asphalt. We too would watch for the lines on the pavement through the holes in the floor board.
We also didn't wear helmets when riding bikes or skate boards or horses. WEIRD! I know!
I too ate right from the garden that we planted every summer. I can't believe I am still walking around!
And when I am sick, I crave mac & cheese from a box.
True story.
Congrats on the 200th post! Woot woot!
That's so strange... we used to surf in the back of the van too. What a coincidence. And we'd have meat-on-a-stick for dinner quite often. None of that balanced, nutritional stuff. Psh. I'm still alive, albeit barely. Not that I don't think that people should be careful with children, or hyper-aware of harming them in any way... but Mac-n-Cheese is not the devil, and shouldn't cause anyone a guilt trip... ever.
Gratz on 200, by the way. ;)
We totally did the looking through the holes thing too! Way funny. We were all over our van. And dirt, my goodness.
I've actually wondered sometimes. Do you ever think that we built up a resistance to all those germs because we didnt always anti-bacterial every nook and cranny?
Congrats on your 200th post! Hip Hip Hooray!
I am convinced that liability lawyers are sucking the fun out of everything. Our communtiy pool won't let you go down the slide until you are a certain height. Some kids are that tall when they are five but it took my daughter until she was eight. So unfair.
Congrats on the post. Sometimes I forget to notice.
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