Friday, March 4, 2011

Farewell

03.04.2011

Hard to believe but this is my last post. The experiment has come to an end. I am grateful that I did this because I definitely grew more comfortable with the idea of having kids. I learned a lot about myself and I sharpened certain thoughts and opinions and even find myself changing on others. I learned to accept that everyone’s on their own journey and that we make the best choices we know how at any given moment. Hindsight is always 20/20 and no one’s perfect, most of all me.

Thank you to anyone who read any entries; I appreciate your readership and whatever journey you happen to be on with whichever topic, remember, it’s your journey and you’re in control of what you make of it.

I now leave with an excerpt from a book by Richard Back titled Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah that I have, since high school, considered to be a kind of Bible of mine.

The Master answered and said, “Once there lived a village of creatures along the bottom of a great crystal river. The current of the river swept silently over them all – young and old, rich and poor, good and evil, the current going its own way, knowing only its own crystal self. Each creature in its own manner clung tightly to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom, for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current what each had learned from birth. But one creature said at last, ‘I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I shall let go, and let it take me where it will. Clinging, I shall die of boredom.’ The other creatures laughed and said, ‘Fool! Let go, and that current you worship will throw you tumbled and smashed across the rocks, and you will die quicker than boredom.’ But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath did let go, and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks. Yet in time, the creature refused to cling again, the current lifted him free from the bottom, and he was bruised and hurt no more. And the creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried, ‘…a miracle!...the Messiah, come to save us all!’ And the one carried in the current said, ‘I am no more Messiah than you. The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure…In the path of our happiness shall we find the learning for which we have chosen this lifetime. So it is that I have learned this day, and choose to leave you now to walk your own path, as you please.” And he went his way through the crowds and left them, and he returned to the everyday world of men and machines.

Thank you and goodnight.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Babies Make Adults Go Bananas

03.03.2011

I went with my sister to buy a baby shower gift and I thought I’d run out of the store screaming. First off, the service wasn’t very good and second, the store was split into two locations, each across the hall from each other. So you had to walk from one side to the other to find what you wanted and if someone was helping you on one side but you needed something from the other, they’d send you out and you’d have to wait for someone else to help you. I couldn’t understand why the first person couldn’t just walk over the 3 steps to the other side of the hall and help. But I’m being rational.

I don’t understand why we go so bananas for baby stuff. It’s damn expensive for one. You buy an outfit for $30, the kid’s gonna wear it once because he or she will completely destroy it or he/she will have grown out of it by the time you want to put on that outfit again. I keep telling Rob that I wish it were acceptable to not put shoes on kids and make them wear a burlap sack until they’ve stopped growing. Or at least until they’re in high school and are old enough to get a job and pay for shoes and clothes themselves.

There’s just so much stuff that comes with having a kid. And I’m sure parents don’t mind because of the mushy, gushy, “unconditional love takes over” mentality but…I don’t know. Half of the stuff we have for babies and kids wasn’t around 100 years ago and people still got by. I mean, a $200 video baby monitor? That creeps me out. Newborn toys that make noise? Don’t get me started. Swaddles that lock a baby in preventing him/her from moving? I know babies want to feel like they’re back in the womb but when I held in my hand that packaged swaddle that locks in a baby, my claustrophobia kicked in. They’re able to move more in the womb!

I suppose I don’t “get” any of this because I don’t have a baby. But honestly, I look at what’s out there and, you have to admit, most people expecting a baby register for pretty much the same items and after this Saturday I will have been to 2 baby showers in a month with another one in 3 weeks, and I’ve seen the same items on the lists. So I’m picking up on what mothers are getting but just like I questioned ¾ of the stuff I was told by “experts” I must register for on my wedding registry (and didn't), I’m beginning to question the whole baby registry must-haves too.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Raising Children Parentless

03.02.2011

A friend sent this article to me and it’s about a topic I would’ve never thought about and it gave me pause. As far as I know, my father is alive somewhere but he’s pretty much dead to me because I met him a total of 4 times my entire life. This reality dictated the course of my relationships throughout my life, especially romantic ones, but I never considered that the loss of having a parent could dictate a parenting style. (I am consciously considering growing up without a father similar, if not the same, as losing a parent because I’m taking into account that both shape how you view the world.)

For anyone who has lost a parent or both, I encourage you to read the entire article but I offer highlights:

  • Grandparents provide an opportunity for babysitting laying a foundation for grandparents and grandchildren to get-to-know each other. It also allows for family traditions to be passed down and information about family and ancestors to be shared.
  • Grandparents offer another place for children to turn to should they need. They can pass down their love of art and music and/or teach skills that maybe the parents don’t have.
  • Death is considered to be one of the top three reasons couples separate. Where children are involved, jealousies could arise that one parents’ parents can be a part of the kids’ lives and the other can’t. This can strain a marriage and feelings of loss often dictates the parenting style. Someone who’s lost a mother or father (or both) may be prone to approach parenting from a “worst case scenario” mentality.
  • Those who have lost a parent at a young age live with the fear that they themselves will die young. (This I know to be true because both my best friend and her brother who lost both parents within 6 years of each other are convinced they’re going to follow their parents and die young.) The fear of dying young also easily feeds into how someone may approach parenting. If the loss of a parent contributes to the mentality of “the worst case scenario” and all decisions come from that part of the heart, then the fear of dying young would underscore everything.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Baby's Infectious Laugh

03.01.2011

I came across this baby video on Yahoo! and the baby’s laughter really is infectious. And as a side note, I always marvel at how much babies look like senior citizens only they’re tiny. But, alas, my friends, that is what lies ahead of us: we may drool and have no hair, but, hopefully, we have lots of love and laughter.

Enjoy!

Monday, February 28, 2011

Growing Up Fatherless

02.28.2011

For anyone who grew up without a father, you and I understand the emotions behind these words…

Amber: “…and the other thing is, I actually can’t go to Alcatraz because I get sick on boats which, you know, is something that everybody that knows me knows. But, you know, I just forget that, it’s basically like we’re strangers, so - “

Seth: “Sweetheart, I’m just trying to --”

Amber: “Stop calling me that, I don’t even know you, you don’t know anything about me. You can’t just waltz in here after all this time and act like everything is fine and just, like, buy us a burger and, like, give me a crappy guitar and everything’s just gonna be to fine again. And you know, I guess it works, I guess it works on everybody but me. I guess I’m the only person that, you know, has a problem with it but, I’m sorry, but I can’t forget the fact that you didn’t come to my birthdays when you promised that you would, and you didn’t take me out all the times that you promised that you would, and you were not there for me when I really needed you. And so I have trouble believing that you’ve changed because I’ve heard it all before and, I’m sorry, but I look at you and I just see the same loser who let me down.”[1]


[1] From Parenthood, Episode 17, Season 2.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Studying and Observing

02.27.2011

We were at an Oscar party held by some friends whose 9-month old baby boy presented me with a very sweet memory. When we got to their house, he took one look at Rob, who has a goatee and wears glasses, and just stared at him with his jaw open. You could see he was studying Rob’s face and was trying to figure out why he looked so different from daddy. To watch this was so cool. After a moment, he outstretched his hand, patted Rob’s face a couple of times before realizing that a goatee and glasses scare him.

I’ve always been an observer, studying any number of subjects, and I found it fascinating to study this little boy as he tried to figure out if Rob was acceptable or not. Eventually I told Rob that I found out a while ago from his mom that outside of his dad, he’s still very unsure about accepting the company of other men. Women, on the other hand, he adores. Rob’s response to this was, “That’s my kind of man.” Sigh…

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Staying Involved

02.26.2011

One of the most significant changes within the Lithuanian school community that I’ve noticed over the years is the number of dads that are involved. The school continuously operates on life support and it’s only by the dedication of its members that the school exists. While there are still more mothers that bring the kids to school, I’m impressed with the number of fathers who either bring the children themselves or come with their wives. None of us want to get up early Saturday morning and make the drive down to the school for 4 hours, but we do. A lot of the fathers are involved not just in bringing their kids but get on the parent committee to help put together events, parties and other school-related activities, and it makes me proud to be a part of a time where such behavior is acceptable. I have a cantankerous relationship with the Lithuanian community as a whole but like a family member I accept it for what it is and get out of it what I can and only hope that it gets out me something positive. It’s good for children to see both of their parents involved in any activity that they partake in. No, it’s not just good, it’s necessary. I know what it’s like to not have a parent (or two) come to something important to me and it’s a very lonely feeling. Having one parent participate is the cake while having both parents active in a child’s life is the icing.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Teen Emancipation

02.25.2011

At the check-out stand today, I noticed one of those tabloid magazines splashing the story about Miley Cyrus’s feud with her dad. I vaguely remember seeing something about it on Yahoo! but I don’t know the details nor do I care. However, based on the tabloid’s headline, I gathered that rumor has it that she has cut off her dad and the two are now not speaking. He’s apparently upset by all her partying and blames Hollywood for her out-of-control behavior. Frankly, I could write just on how it’s not Hollywood’s fault but I’ll leave that to the certified psychologists.

What this piece of valuable information about Miley Cyrus gave me, though, is thoughts about how teens behave and how we treat them. Are they rambunctious solely because it’s the hormones or are they like that solely because parents didn’t properly discipline at a young age? It’s like asking whether the chicken or the egg came first, I think, and I guess if forced to construct an opinion, I’d say that both nature and nurture are at play. Although, I’d probably err on the side of nurture more because if you instill proper discipline at a young age, teens will quickly learn what’s acceptable and what isn’t.

But my point is that I began to think about why our society designates “18” as an adult. Why that particular age? At one point in history, girls were married by the time they were 16 with at least one child. This would mean that they were already carrying what we today consider to be adult responsibilities. I know that with advances in education, borne out of the abolishment of child labor in America (if kids weren’t going to work anymore they had to go somewhere), the notion of what a child means to a family and what he/she can accomplish has changed. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But I just think that we sort of act surprised when teens want to emancipate themselves from their families and I wonder how much of that is actually hard-wired.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Bombs of Hope

02.24.2011

In the summer of 2004, I had an internship at the Smithsonian’s National American History Museum in Washington, DC. Very soon after I arrived, former President Ronald Reagan passed away and I got to view his funeral procession down Pennsylvania Avenue where his casket was taken to be viewed in Congress’s rotunda. I wanted to go to the viewing but once I caught wind that the wait could be up to 16 hours long, I decided against it. I figured it was enough to be present for the procession. What I didn’t expect, however, was that the moment that would be embedded in my memory from that day would not be the moment I saw Reagan’s horse-drawn carriage ride by. It’s what happened during the 21-gun salute that is forever burned into my mind.

The Air Force conducted its “lost comrade” plane salute followed by a 21-gun salute done with an actual cannon which I quickly realized was about 100 feet away from me. Upon the cannon’s first fire, those of us standing nearby jumped out of our skin. I can’t begin to explain the noise and the power of the cannon; it scared me shitless even though I knew it was firing off empty shells.

I stood there and began to weep surprised at my own reaction but thankful that it was a funeral since I could easily mask the real reason for my tears. With each fire of the cannon, the reality that there are people, children, that hear this kind of sound every day surfaced in my mind. The Iraq War was well under way by this time and I couldn’t help but think of all the children that witnessed cannons and other military equipment aimed to kill (on both sides).

We are so spoiled in America even with all the daily struggles we have, with all the poverty and selfishness that surrounds us. We are content to go to war as long as it’s not in our back yards. I think about the horrors that my grandparents witnessed during WWII and other atrocities witnessed during that same time period. There’s no denying that humans can be kind, thoughtful and heroic but there is also such a dark side to humanity. It breaks my heart that there are many children who get exposed to that dark side at such an early age. We spend so much time in America focusing on the well-being of children and making sure that they have a childhood that, I think, we take it for granted. I hope, and I mean deep in my heart I hope, that the world experiences more kindness and that more children reap the benefits of that kindness instead of more bombs, guns, and death.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

A Woman's Inner Battle

02.23.2011

I’m currently reading Tom Brokaw’s book titled Boom! Voices of the Sixties in which he includes brief memoirs on different events and people. As a woman, my life is shaped by experiences that affect my gender and I don’t care what men think, they’ll never understand what it’s like knowing that the odds are against me in getting equal pay or equal opportunity because of my gender. But as aware as I like to consider myself to be, I’m realizing that I really don’t know what women went through so that I'd have the right to vote or the right to choose whether I want to work or not. This particular choice, it’s important to note, is not one that men have. I certainly take issue with the idea that I’d have so much more to give up but when it comes to working, women do have a choice even if it’s not the most financially sane one. (For example, there’s a couple I know of where the wife refuses to work and just pops out kid after kid to avoid the discussion or there’s another couple I know of where the husband was out of work and despite this, the wife refused to get a job because her job was raising the kids – even though her husband was at home too, unemployed, and taking money from his parents to put food on the table). That was a long tangent but my point is that women have the choice to work with kids or stay-at-home with kids. Men don’t naturally have that choice.

Mr. Brokaw wrote about women who were involved in some way with the women’s movement in the 1960s and although I didn’t agree with all the women’s choices or beliefs, what I appreciate is they didn’t let society’s view of what they should be or do hamper their goals in any way. It’s very easy for us women to push ourselves to the side because we’re taught from a young age to serve others and though I’m not advocating selfishness, I think it’s important to keep one’s goals in mind and not lose sight of that. I want to share some quotes that inspired me and made me feel proud to be a woman. It also made me appreciate all those women before me who paved the way for me. On behalf of all women today, Thank You.

She has little patience with women who worry about what they should “do.”
For her, it “isn’t an ethical question. It’s a question of how are they going to
move forward. There was a wave of sentiment that you were somehow
diminished if you didn’t work. My view has always been, work if you want to.
If your job repels you, move on to something else. Be good at what you want
to be.” – Carla Hills, lawyer, Beverly Hills, CA (p. 229).

She thinks that characterizing issues related to family as “women’s issues”
guarantees failure. “These are universal social issues that involve men, women,
and children. If you want to raise a family, it takes time and energy, and it
requires life adjustments – remember what every expectant parent hears: ‘It will
change your life!’ And it does. When ‘family’ is only a woman’s issue, then it
is women who will be expected to make the adjustment.” – Laura, Carla Hills’
daughter, mother of 2 and lawyer herself (p. 231).

“I used to think you could have it all,” she says. “Now I believe you can have it
all, but not all at the same time. There are costs to every decision. Mine weren’t
cost-free. I had only one child and two divorces. That’s a cost.” – Dr. Judith
Rodin, 1st female president of an Ivy League university (U of Penn, 1994-2004;
pp. 221-222).

“I think my generation of women is constantly anxious about balancing
working
and motherhood. We don’t want to completely give up one for the other, and
we’re such compulsive mothers that we’re going eighteen hours a day between
the office and our kids – taking them to music lessons and soccer games, to
museums and swimming. The dads help a lot, but the moms want to be there
for their kids and for their jobs. It’s tough.” – Jennifer Brokaw, mother of two
and emergency-room physician. (p. 240)

The Heart of Mushy Cereal is Love

02.22.2011

I baby-sat today and after about a 12-year gap of taking care of a toddler, there are many things I forgot about. For example, bibs are an excellent invention and breakfast isn’t a 15-minute affair. In fact, it’s not a 30-minute affair or a 45 or 60-minute one. Also each action is a reaction to a negotiation and why more mothers aren’t hired as lawyers, contract arbitrators or political negotiators is beyond me.

I was also reminded that a “quick” walk down the block would be more than 15-minutes. And I learned that convincing a two-year old that traipsing through a bed of flowers takes more skill than solving a computer problem. Or that convincing said two-year old that chewing on miniscule dinosaur toys isn’t good for you could instantly become more challenging than any statistical math problem ever presented. Both involve logic, right? You’d think.

There are other things I forgot about in this 12-year absence such as the magic of tiny hands offering a hug or the stretching out of one of those tiny, chubby hands to share a now mushy piece of cereal that at one point was in the mouth but is now intended to be consumed by me. I also forgot how sacred the trust is that we are all born with and lose along the way. I also didn’t realize how protective I feel about that trust. I forgot how melodic a child’s giggle is or how wondrous is the moment when a child realizes if you pour sand into a construction toy it will make wheels spin. And how this simple mechanical toy fascinates a toddler’s imagination for a very long time.

I still believe that children are not ours to keep; that they are merely ours on loan and from the very first moment we hold them in our arms we are to teach them to be independent, respectful and loving. I also believe that whatever psychological and emotional issues we have as individuals they are ours to work out, not the child’s responsibility to either mask those problems or “fix” them. But what I’m coming to realize is that while we should be teaching them independence, they teach us to open our hearts and eyes to the world and to understand that independence isn’t the sole point to survival. Children depend on us and we depend on them to remind us that the flower they stop to smell is a necessary moment to feel connected to everything around us. Perhaps it is the children that are our true teachers and not the other way around…

Monday, February 21, 2011

Contemplating Life Without Children

02.21.2011

I think I’ve written about this before but I recently revisited the question, “How do you feel about not having kids at all?”

In my 20s, I would’ve offered a definitive answer that it doesn’t bother me. A decade or so later, I’m on the fence sometimes leaning in one direction and sometimes in the other. But the one thing I can definitely say right now is the notion of not having kids scares me more than having them because projecting into the future about 20 years it saddens me to see only Rob and me in the picture. I know that friends can become family and you can have an active life without children. I get it; I understand because Rob and I have lived such a life for 10 years now.

I was thinking about the show Brothers & Sisters that, I have to admit, has become a ridiculous soap opera, but I love the cast and so I continue to watch. But I was thinking about it today because I was thinking about Sally Field’s character and how now, with her husband dead, she lives her life day in and day out and how much more it’s fulfilled with her children. It’s hard to explain. I’m sure she’d be happy without her children (because she wouldn’t know otherwise) but there’s something about having her kids to lean on in difficult times or having her kids laugh with her in good times.

I also know that you can’t predict what kind of a relationship you’d have with your kid. I’d say my relationship with my mom (now) is pretty good. But she’s no longer in the States so the memories we create together are very few for the remainder of her (or my) life. I’d like to think I’d develop a good relationship with my kid(s) and I certainly want to be around in their adult years and see their kid(s) grow up. Jobs, career, money, cars, houses, etc will always be there in some form or another but what solidifies one’s existence is family. I think about the childless couples and wonder when a spouse dies, what’s left?

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Overpopulation Depression

02.20.2011

I skimmed over an article on Yahoo! today about projections on how the world is going to look by 2050 population-wise. I couldn’t bring myself to read the entire article. For one, I can’t stand reading articles on the Internet; I’m a purist (I need to feel it – a newspaper, a magazine, etc - in my hands). Secondly, topics on overpopulation depress me and I start thinking about how having a child would contribute to this which then makes me feel like I’m carrying the Earth’s burden on my shoulders even though I, logically, know this to be ridiculous.

Ugh! It’s frustrating!

The countries with the most overpopulation are the poor ones. And the poor ones are usually the most religious. And those that are religious are against birth control. And here we go round and round the mulberry bush. I hate this topic. I wish religious institutions would get off their high-horse and discuss birth control. It would bring awareness to the dangers of STDs, it would bring awareness to unwanted pregnancies and its repercussions, and, most importantly, it would teach WOMEN responsible sexual activity not as a means of necessarily promoting it but to be protective and respective of one's body. Why are people so afraid of education? Why?

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Send 'Em Outside! It's a Good Thing.

02.19.2011

I’ve been catching up on the LA Times from last weekend and I came across this article about the fact that kids who spend more time outside may be lowering their risk for near-sightedness later in life. Considering I just wrote an entry about TV harming babies’ brains, I thought it was fitting that I provide another example of how important it is for kids to be creative and see the world without a screen in front of them.

Friday, February 18, 2011

A Trip to See's Candy Shop

02.18.2011

I was at See’s candies yesterday satisfying a chocolate craving and in front of me were 3 boys. Initially, I thought they were at least 7th graders but another woman in the shop struck up a conversation with them and I overheard that they were 6-th graders. I couldn’t believe it because they were so tall.

Anyway, I was observing their behavior toward the clerks and the woman who asked them questions about school and I was impressed with how polite they were.

It’s very difficult for me to look at boys without preconceived notions. Much of this is due to the fact that I grew up in a matriarchal environment, some of it is because of the views of boys and men that were passed down to me (some of which I assumed as my own beliefs while other conclusions I came to on my own based on my experiences). So there’s about 36 years of opinions I have to sort through and, oddly and for reason unbeknownst to me, I’ve only recently told myself to take a step back whenever I see a group of boys and find that I’m pleasantly surprised by what I see.

For example, I’m really enjoying working with the group of boys I teach on Saturdays. Then, there's observing the polite behavior of the boys at the candy shop. Also, a couple of weeks ago, I was coming into my building and a teenaged boy was walking out and held the door for me. I was pleasantly surprised and sent a mental “thank you” out to his mom for teaching him manners.

It gives me faith that even though I would have NO idea how to raise a boy, were we to have one, I don’t think I’d be as scared as I once thought.

TV Watching Bad for Babies - Duh!

02.17.2011

When I was a kid, we didn’t own a TV until I was 8 and then the only reason we got one was because my sister’s dad and daughter moved-in with us from Lithuania and my mom felt that it would help them learn English. I hated not having a TV but I only missed it when I was reminded of the fact that we didn’t have one that was, honestly, not often. I would listen to records, play outside alone or with friends, and, I believe, nurtured the neurons that help me be creative.

When I was about 10, my mom instilled a rule that I couldn’t watch TV during the week at all and on the weekends, I was allowed 2 shows on Saturday and 2 shows on Sunday. Oh boy, did I hate that rule and I exploited every opportunity I could find to watch more. And trust me, there were many. Every time I hear the theme to Taxi or Cheers, I’m immediately brought to the late nights at my house where my mom and other adults were partying and she thought I was asleep but I was holed up in a student’s room, on guard at any moment to bolt out of there should my mom come down the hallway. Haha…yes, fun memories.

Now, older and hopefully wiser, I’m so grateful for those rules and plan to instill the same kind of rules should we have kids. I’ve always flinched at the thought of letting babies watch TV and I’m very glad that this article presents data that supports the notion that it’s not a good idea. Interestingly, educational material was shown to have neither a positive or negative effect on babies’ brain development. It was other kinds of shows that caused a developmental delay. Whatever the case may be, I’d rather be safe than sorry. Kids learn their ABCs and numbers when they’re supposed to. A 6-month old shouldn’t be watching Sesame Street because a parent’s convinced that he or she will start speaking by watching it. What’s wrong with letting your child develop naturally? This leads me into a discussion of those parents who scout out schools the minute they learn they’re going to have a baby and start teaching languages, musical instruments, and other things the moment the kid is born. I mean…this stuff makes my head spin.

Get the Infections Over With

02.16.2011

(I’m catching up on all these articles I wanted to share. So please excuse the fairly dry content this week.)

The idea that kids who go to day care get more infections early on but fewer later isn’t necessarily new and, in fact, is pretty obvious. But I think it’s a good reminder especially for anyone seriously considering home-schooling their child. This article breaks it down and describes the respiratory illnesses that children get and at what age they were most likely going to get what. Kids that are exposed to more germs at a younger age start building their immunity that benefits them in later years. Just one more reason why home-schooling is…well…wrong.

Drinking and a Babymoon

02.15.2011

The following article is from a while ago but interesting nonetheless particularly the blurb about drinking. I haven’t shared my thoughts on drinking (occasionally) during pregnancy because I know people will raise an eyebrow, but I have told Rob that I plan on having a glass of red wine on occasion while pregnant. My philosophy is “everything in moderation.” (Proceed with the judging…)

One other thing re: the article. Apparently there’s something called a “Babymoon.” I first heard about it when we were back east 2 weeks ago. Cue the rolling of my eyes… Really? You can’t just call it a “vacation?”

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day

02.14.2011

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I’ve always disliked this day. I’ve always seen it as a frivolous day for mass consumption and a day made to make many of us feel like we were inadequate in the relationship department. I certainly didn’t need an official day in the year to remind me of my inadequacies. I’ve always been of the opinion that one should appreciate one’s loved ones on a daily basis instead of saving it for one stupid day but I’ve relaxed such views over the years. Sort of.

I encourage people to make at least one affectionate gesture toward their spouse and should you have a kid, tell him/her daily that you love him/her. Don’t save it for a day like today or a birthday or some other “special” day. Life’s too short.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

His Smile

02.13.2011

I spent the latter part of the afternoon today at a girlfriend’s house playing with her 8-month old firmly gripping my fingers while we walked the circumference of their living room over and over. It was tremendous fun to witness his amazement at every nook and cranny, although, the thing that was most heartwarming was listening to his excited shrieks while “walking.” If a picture speaks a thousand words then a child’s smile speaks a million more…

Not Today

02.12.2011

I got some not-so-good news today about a family member and this, coupled with jet-lag and getting ready for a big project for tomorrow, has exhausted me both physically and emotionally. I can’t find the mental space to write anything meaningful.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability Video

02.11.2011

This video was sent to me today and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The speaker mainly talks about fear and vulnerability and gives suggestions on living a more fulfilling life, but she mentions certain things about parenthood and raising children that I find essential for all to keep in mind. I have many favorite quotes that I could share from this presentation but I will leave you with only one: Have the courage to be imperfect.

Enjoy!

(Don’t be warded up by its 20-minute length. It’s informative and entertaining.)

Brene Brown: The power of vulnerability | Video on TED.com

Thursday, February 3, 2011

How Do Parents Do It?

02.03.2011

Happy Chinese New Year! Year of the Rabbit – it’s supposed to be a good one.

This passed week has been crazy and I can’t believe how fast it’s flown. In addition to the mile-long laundry list I had I’ve been under the weather. I always try to holistically heal myself first and if that doesn’t work then go to the doctor’s. Though I did go 3 weeks ago for my pink eye that I’m JUST NOW starting to get over. I think. I don’t know how parents have an insane schedule like I’ve had AND have time to be a parent. I understand that if it’s important enough, you’ll find the time for anything. But seriously, I really don’t get it.

And I’m sure all you parents out there are shaking you’re head and saying, “Of course you don’t.” Well, yes, I don’t. I’m barely surviving taking care of myself, Rob and two cats. Is it possible to survive on an even busier schedule? Hard to believe.

(I must take a hiatus for a week. I’ll be back next Friday.)

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Free The Hikers: Part III

02.02.2011

I’m writing about the hikers again because, I think, there’s been a misunderstanding about what message I was trying to convey the other day. I wrote that entry very late and after an exhausting day, and I later realized that it may not have made sense.

To start, for anyone who may be new to my blog and who may not have read my very first entry, the “rules” and “point” of my blog may not be clear. While I do get political and express my opinions, it’s always in the context of analyzing our society through the topic of children whether it’s on parenting or education, for example. I also often provide personal experiences to explore whatever issue(s) I’m discussing in a particular entry. I think my entry on the hikers the other day and relating it to my sister may have been doubly confusing without knowing the way I’ve set things up.

What I personally took away from last week’s event at USC with Sarah Shourd is how despite having every reason to be angry and spiteful, I’m to understand that she’s made peace with her interment and continues to fight for her fiancé and friend. Through this dark period in her life, she’s found a way of letting go of the anger and continues to hope and pray for the release of Josh and Shane.

From their mothers’ perspective, I understood that they too hope and pray (and fight), BUT, I would like to draw attention to the fact that the situation and ultimate decision of their sons’ fate is out of their hands. They can scream, turn blue, throw and break things but nothing will change it. They have the power to do exactly what it is they’re doing now but they can’t force Iran’s government to release their sons. Sometimes the most painful decision includes sitting and waiting and accepting that there is a greater power in control (and I mean that literally and spiritually).

It was this sentiment that I was trying to express when I brought up my sister. I acknowledge that it was a weak attempt and, obviously, my family’s plight at the time didn’t involve a family member unjustly detained. But, without getting into specifics, a life was in danger. My mom and I could do nothing to change the situation and we had to sit, wait and accept that there was a greater power in control. For my family, there was a happy ending. I too wish the same ending for Josh and Shane. I also wish that Sarah and Shane can marry one day and start a life together in peace. They most certainly deserve that as does anyone.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

A Disability Separates Mother and Children

02.01.2011

I read Sandy Banks’ Op-Ed piece from today and I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Divided by parental love

A 'good father' feuds with his former mother-in-law over visits between his children and their disabled mom. That shouldn't be.

Sandy Banks / February 1, 2011

The court file might be as thick as the Dorn triplets are tall by the time the legal wrangling between their father and grandparents ends.

The children — Yossi, Esti and Reuvi, now 41/2 — are at the center of an acrimonious legal battle over whether they should be allowed, ordered even, to visit their mother, who suffered catastrophic brain damage giving birth to them.


Times reporter Maria La Ganga has chronicled the story of the family: Abbie Dorn was left unable to move or speak by a series of medical errors during childbirth in 2006 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Two years later, she and her husband, Dan, were divorced. Her parents, Paul and Susan Cohen, became her conservators. They moved Abbie to their South Carolina home and enlisted an army of therapists to work with her.

Susan says Abbie has improved dramatically from the "vegetative state" once assigned to her. "She has vision; she can hear, she enjoys her nieces and nephews." It's time for her children to get to know the mother they have seen only once in three years.

Dan Dorn sees it differently. For months after the children were born, he hauled them to her hospital bed.

Those visits stopped, he said, when he became convinced that they would do his children more harm than good.

He is trying to protect his children from the danger of unreal expectations that their mother will one day be able to help them with homework, or even talk with them.

That expectation is embodied by his former mother-in-law, who looks past Abbie's feeding tube, rigid limbs and blank stare and sees her funny, loving middle child — the one she always considered the peacemaker.

This case could use a peacemaker.

The legal question is clear: California's family law provisions support "frequent and continuing contact with both parents" unless that contact is "not in the best interests of the children." It is up to Judge Frederick C. Shaller to decide whether visits with their mother would be detrimental to the triplets.

But the process has been freighted with hostility and hardball tactics, with each side claiming that the other cares less about the children's interests than their own selfish agendas.

"I get a sick feeling about this case," Shaller told both sides during a court hearing I attended last week. "I don't know how it got to the point of being litigated like this when we have three little children to think about."

The lawyers seem to argue over every detail, from the evaluations offered by dueling experts to the conditions for a possible Passover visit.

"Most of what is happening in this case doesn't seem to be focusing on … what would be in the best interest of these children," Judge Shaller told them.

The judge is right, from what I see. This is less a legal battle than a war between two bulldog parents, a father of young triplets and the mother of a disabled woman, trying to trying to protect children who have no voice.

Susan Cohen has made the case a public crusade, putting the best face on her daughter's shortcomings. Abbie has a Facebook page. She stares blankly at the camera in her profile photo, pretty in a red headband and bow.

Her interests are swimming, walking on the beach and yoga, it says. There's a video of her at a Purim celebration, strapped to a wheelchair-like contraption while clapping children dance a circle around her.

"Dan wants to erase her from the world," Susan said, her voice rising in the courthouse hall. "It's as if she never existed."

The one time Dan allowed the children to visit Abbie's home, he had Susan followed around by a bodyguard so she wouldn't say anything to the children. "He doesn't want them to know anything about their mother; doesn't even want them to pray for her."

She pauses, and her voice is softer when she speaks again. "He's a good father. He spends time with them, takes good care of them.... But he's afraid for me to give them hope."

--

It's easy to see why Dan Dorn may be seen as the villain. In letters, blog posts and message boards, strangers have lashed out at his choice to keep a mother from her children.

Dan has refused to talk with reporters, but I approach him in the courthouse hallway. I see a flicker of recognition in his eyes when I tell him that I was also a single parent and raised three children on my own when their father died.

His lawyer raises a hand to stop him, but he seems eager for a sounding board.

"I'm the bad guy in this, I know," he said. "I loved Abbie." But his Abbie is gone. His responsibility now is to his children, and he doesn't want them to court disappointment with dreams of boardwalk excursions and shopping malls.

I think he's hard-headed but not hard-hearted. Still, I'll join the chorus and say he's wrong. I understand a father's urge to protect his children. But I think Dorn underestimates the grip a mother has on her children's souls.

Yossi, Esti and Reuvi won't always be naive children, mollified by the script their suffering father offers: Mommy got sick because the doctor made a mistake. Nothing can be done except to move on.

The triplets will become teenagers, young adults, maybe parents. Getting to know their mother, whatever her limitations, offers lessons in patience, sacrifice and compassion that can shape the grownups they become.

There are gifts for both mother and children that only reconciliation between these two families can provide: the joy — however ephemeral and unmeasured — that Abbie may draw from watching her children grow. And the security her children will draw from the knowledge that Mommy loved them with all she had.


sandy.banks@latimes.com

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times


Monday, January 31, 2011

If I Could Save Time in a Bottle

01.31.2011

One month of this new year…gone. Amazing, isn’t it? I sometimes wish that I could experience the world without time. I remember reading that Einstein said that time is relative. Have you ever found yourself feeling like time was dragging and other times, you look at the clock, it’s a certain time and in what seems like a blink of an eye, 5 hours have gone by? Einstein would use that as an example to explain how there really is no such thing as “time.” And I agree. Humans made it up. Once upon a time, the US was all over the place with the clock. Each state tracked time differently but it wasn’t until the transcontinental railroad was built that government unified time.

I think it’d be quite freeing to live in a world without time. Then it wouldn’t be so scary to see its passage on children. I remember adults telling me how fast I was growing up and I couldn’t stand it. I figured they had nothing else to say to me other than lamenting their own lost youth. Now I’m on the flip side of that coin and, dammit, if that’s not how I feel. It’s not like I necessarily wish to be young again. I just wish I had that time. Imagine if we didn’t live in such a linear society... There’d be no “Wow, where did the last 30 years go by?” It would just be. I think we’d be more inclined to live each day in the moment. Perhaps that is a reason people have kids. Small children have no concept of time and each day is filled with wonder. We adults lose those qualities somewhere along the way and our children remind us of the beauty of the moment. And of course, it is those moments that we capture in our minds that instantly become beloved memories, just like yesterday, just like today and just like tomorrow will be...

Sunday, January 30, 2011

What Would It Be Like?

01.30.2011

I was thinking about a conversation I had with my 7th grade teacher recently about how afraid I was to have a daughter because of the often contentious relationships that mother-daughters have. My mom and I weren’t constantly at each other’s throats while I was growing up but it certainly wasn’t harmonious. And when it wasn’t harmonious it was definitely thunderous.

Combining my conversation with my teacher and my memories, it became crystal clear that my personal experiences were shaping my predictions. I had a certain relationship with my mom and I’m assuming I’d have the same one with my own daughter. My teacher said that she had a pretty good relationship with her daughter and if I were to take a moment to think about it, I’d be able to name a couple of other girl friends I know that had a pretty solid relationship with their mother.

What this mentality of mine underscores is how narrow-minded I’m being. What I’ve done is automatically assume that I’m the same person as my mom and that my daughter would be the same person as I. Yes, I will (and already have) find myself mimicking my mother’s ways but I already react to situations as a whole quite differently than my mom. In fact, it’s always been like that; a source of contention between us. I’m sure my daughter would have aspects of my personality but she’ll also have aspects of Rob's. She’d be her own person and I need to trust that I will be my own person and make my own mistakes and have my own triumphs as a parent. Comparing myself to anyone, especially my own mom, doesn’t do me any good. I’d like to take the parts of my mom’s parenting I love and repeat those because, after all, she did raise me so she did something right. (happy, winky face.)

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Free The Hikers: Part II

01.29.2011

Briefly on the event the other night… It included a short documentary on the hikers and their plight with interviews with family members and Sarah Shourd herself. It was heartbreaking to listen to what the mothers went through when they found out that their children were caught and detained (and what they’re still going through). The Iranian government has lead them on several times about their release by giving an official release date, but the date came and went without incident. Since the hikers were caught, the mothers have spoken to their sons two or three times and were granted a visit once. The entire situation is horrendous and the overall treatment of the hikers underscores how dark humanity can get.

I imagine that when a child is born, parents want to do everything in their power to protect him/her. As a result, I can understand how this alone makes it difficult for a parent to let go of a child at any stage. The world is a scary place. It’s hard to fathom what it feels like to suddenly lose a family member in whatever capacity like murder or political prisoner.

This is going to seem like a silly comparison but some years back my sister and I had a deep schism in our relationship that culminated in our not speaking to each other except for an occasional moment at a family function two or three times a year. This was an excruciatingly painful time for me because I had to learn to let go. With 7 years difference between us, I’ve often expressed maternal instincts toward her and I wanted to protect her from the situation she was in but I couldn’t. I also didn’t know for how long she’d allow herself to be in that situation and I didn’t know if our relationship was irreparable. Luckily, it was. But I understand the deep desire for something to be a certain way and yet you can’t change it no matter how desperate you are. You have to let the child (or sibling) go through the storm and find ways to let him/her know that when he/she finds his/her way back to land, you’ll be their lighthouse. My wish is for those hikers’ storm to end quickly and for them to come home to the lighthouses that wait shining and patient.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Phoning It In Today

01.28.2011

I’m phoning it in today. I have had pink eye for the past 2 weeks (I keep getting relapses) and my eyes are strained beyond belief right now because I’ve been staring at a computer screen getting ready my Lithuanian school lessons for the next 3 weeks. So I’m sure there’s much heartbreak for me not writing anything.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Free The Hikers: Part I

01.27.2011

I’ve had an incredibly intense emotional day today so the most that I can do is post a link to a website that gives information about the hikers that were detained in Iran. I heard Sarah Shourd, who was released in September, speak tonight and was greatly inspired. I promise to write more about this tomorrow when I have the head space to do so but Sarah’s mother was present tonight and the two gentlemen that are still detained have mothers back home here in the US that wait to hold their sons once again. If you have a child, I’m sure you can imagine the pain that these mothers endure knowing their sons are in confinement for no reason and for an indefinite period of time.

http://freethehikers.org/

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Octomom's Babies Turn Two

01.26.2011

This video was in the sideline of Yahoo! and I couldn’t help but click on the video because I find Octomom so repulsive. Underneath the video is written the following:

“Sixteen candles? The first surviving octuplets are turning two Wednesday. But they probably won't be the last: thanks to fertility drugs, multiple births like Nadya Suleman's are becoming more common.”

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

(As the day before yesterday’s video, there’s no way to post it up on blogspot, so here’s the link):

http://whoknew.news.yahoo.com/?nc&vid=23961800

Monday, January 24, 2011

Sexualizing

01.24.2011

Rob passed along the following video that’s from a new segment on the Today Show about parenting. Today’s topic was about daughters and the push for pink and princesses. Author and mother, Peggy Orenstein whose book Cinderella Ate My Daughter, was a guest talking about the sexualizing of girls and how the push for girls to be beautiful and sexy is getting younger and younger.

A psychologist on the show wasn’t able to present evidence to show prove or disprove Peggy’s argument and said that there weren’t enough studies done to look at the consequences but that it ultimately is up to the parents to be role models. Your children will learn to behave from you and they will learn what to value from you. The most important piece of advice the psychologist had to offer, though, is that if you let your children watch TV, to open up communication about what it is their watching.

Unfortunately, there’s no link to post it up on blogspot (only twitter and FB), so here’s the link to the video (It’s about 6 minutes long.):

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3041445/vp/41231263/#41231263

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Double Standard

01.23.2011

I’ve always thought there was a double standard in the treatment of sons and daughters. Sons are allowed to go out with friends at an earlier age, dads don’t have a problem with their sons dating (at any age) but don’t want to let their daughters out of the house until they’re over 30, or sons get away with bad behavior because, well, shrug-of-the-shoulders, “they’re just being boys.”

I don’t think only dads get caught in this mentality either. I think moms might be bigger culprits because their sons are their “little boys” who can do no wrong (even at age 55). Relationships with daughters tend to be a different story. I think mothers hold more over their daughters and hold them more accountable. I’m, obviously, speaking in generalities. I once knew a mother who not only was harder on her son who happened to be the 2nd born, a position in the family that lends itself to being able to get away with more, but this mom would often take the side of her daughter if a fight broke out – even if she saw the daughter instigate it. But the reason I remember this is because in all my years of working with kids and parents and studying a little bit of psychology, I found this to be unusual.

Recently, Parenthood (a favorite show of mine, in case you didn’t pick up on that) created a storyline that a 16-year old daughter started dating a 19-year old recovering alcoholic, and the parents prohibited her from seeing him. This, of course, created tension and the daughter rebelled. The parents argued that their daughter was too young to deal with such adult problems that the guy brought to the table.

As much as I agree with the parents, I have to wonder if the genders were reversed, would there be such opposition. For example, when talking about teachers with a group of guy friends, they all agree that it’s “awesome” when a teenager “hooks up” with a female teacher especially if they consider her to be hot. But it’s definitely “pedophilia” if an older, male teacher “has sex” with a student. To me, both are wrong, but that’s the double standard I’m talking about.

Why do we coddle girls? Why do we feel we have to protect them more than we do boys?

For anyone with a daughter, would you let her date an older person? And would you apply the same rule(s) to a son?

Saturday, January 22, 2011

A Birthday Story

01.22.2011

Thirty-six and half years ago, upon finding out she was pregnant with me, my mom went back to school and, while pregnant, took a chemistry class whose final was scheduled for this day (today). The instructor told my mom that he had no problem with her taking his class entering her 9th month of pregnancy as long as she promised to not go into labor during the final. She agreed because my due date wasn’t until a week later.

What she didn’t promise is that I wouldn’t come on that day at all. When she called to tell him that she wouldn’t be showing up to the final because she was in labor and asked if she could postpone taking the exam, he tossed in a joke (which I can’t remember) and let her take it at a later date. True to my nature, I hate being late and always try to arrive early.

I wonder what our child’s delivery story will be…

(It will probably somehow involve me calming Rob down.)

Friday, January 21, 2011

Parent-Child Relationships

01.21.2011

The following is an excerpt from the latest episode of Parenthood. It simultaneously helped me understand my mom a little bit and it also helped me see myself perhaps saying something very similar one day…

(Mother, Sarah, is talking to her daughter, Amber.)

“I’m sorry you’re not doing the open mic night, I feel bad about that. You know, when you have kids, if you have kids, there’s something you should know. Very confusing thing they don’t tell you. You see so much of yourself in them. You see your ironic take on the world, you see your smile, your walk, your sense of humor, whatever, and you think they’re you. But they’re not you and they shouldn’t have all of your baggage, your fear and your insecurity, and your life experience because that’s not fair. They have their own. Your song is beautiful. It’s haunting and moving and it’s so you. And that’s all I should’ve said to you the other night. I’m so proud and I’m so impressed and I’m so in awe of you. And I want you to just go out there and fly. You can fly.”

Thursday, January 20, 2011

An All-Around Oddball

01.20.2011

One of Rob’s cousins is having her baby in two months and I was thinking about what it must be like being in your last trimester. I then momentarily put myself in her shoes (as best I could, of course) and thought, “I’d have about 8 weeks left until the baby is born.”

I freaked out. I mean f-r-e-a-k-e-d out with slightly altered breathing. I had to remind myself that I was only conducting a mental exercise. I think I’m probably the only person on the planet that is this terrified of pregnancy and childbirth. I feel like this makes me such a weak individual and that those women who’ve given birth have some sort of a special power for which I got passed over.

I mean, most women can’t wait to a mom. I, obviously, can.

Most women want to be depended on. Just the idea of that makes me cringe.

Most women have a checklist of things they want to accomplish with a family (like have kids, buy a house, kiddie sleepovers, etc). I never made a checklist like that but I certainly have a checklist of the things I want to accomplish.

There are women who can’t stop having babies. I tip-toe around contemplating if I should just have one.

These and other things I’ve observed over the years make me feel inadequate as a woman, like I’m missing some sort of a screw somewhere in the maternal department. I’ve certainly grown more comfortable with the idea of having kids in the last 10 months or so; there’s no argument there. But I still haven’t felt that spark that women talk about. It’s more like, “Well, I’m about to turn 36, if we’re gonna do it, let’s do it.”

Is that any way to start a family?

I sometimes watch the TLC show Say Yes to the Dress and there have been brides who tried on dresses and despite their family and friends saying they look amazing, the brides say they don’t feel that “wow factor” that they say you have to feel when you find a dress that’s “the one.” That’s how I feel on the topic of having kids. I don’t feel that “must-have-a-kid-wow factor.” And I feel like that’s wrong somehow, even makes me feel slightly cheated. Although, thinking back to my own wedding, I was the oddball bride who did not care AT ALL what my dress looked like, all I cared about was that my mom made it. I had the world’s most simple dress because, to me, it wasn’t about the dress. It was about sealing my love, commitment and friendship with Rob.

So there you have it. Odball all around. Sigh…

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

You'll Make a Great Mother

01.19.2011

A number of people compliment me by saying that they think I’d make a wonderful mother. This comment doesn’t sit well with me because how good of a parent could I possibly be if I’m not someone who’s running out to be one?