Re: "A New Baby BOOM!"

The following is my impromptu response to Rebecca Newell's column titled "A New Baby BOOM!", which can be found here: The Rebecca Review.

At the start I must state that I see a problem with lumping 18- and 19-year olds with the younger teens. I realize there is no magic barrier that kids hit when they turn 18 to turn them into true adults, but where do you draw the line, when obviously a line needs to be drawn?

I would certainly agree that more emphasis needs be placed upon responsible sexual activity and less upon abstinence. Yes, the latter needs to be addressed, but putting the sole emphasis on that really doesn't do any good and can in fact do much harm.

On the other hand, to the comment that they should be learning to manage time, checkbook, etc., instead of the tasks that comprise child-rearing, I think this solely lies with the person in question. Certainly I can agree that it doesn't appear in the best interest of those not yet graduated from high school to be having children, but for those who have and are of legal age to vote, why shouldn't they have children if that's what they so desire? To add one's own values to the life of another is unjust. Because one values education and the social scene more than a (possibly) marital relationship and children--at a given age--means that those with the children must be missing out, perhaps one some vital life lesson? From my perspective having to balance a checkbook (which most must learn when having children) and budget, children's activities schedules, meal-making and feeding, and diaper changes is a pretty good life lesson. Not to mention one that teaches you time management. Either way it's learned in the same manner: trial and error.

As I indicated, I'm shooting from the hip here, so I'm certain I've missed something, or perhaps not delved deeply enough into one point or another. But on the other hand, I'm not a college graduate, have never taken any class outside the high school walls. I should also add that while I wasn't one of those who had three children by the age of 20, I had three before age 24. And that four year interim? Yeah, I didn't do much that would fall under the "learning" department.

(Also let me say that I've enjoyed reading your other posts in addition to the one to which I'm responding.)

So -that's- what that means!

Check out this wonderful explanation of the hands-free hand-dryers.

It explains so, so much.

Silliness.

I'm kind of annoyed at myself right now. I mean, I make this blog to be aesthetically pleasing to myself, and it turns out that it's the more somber of my two blogs. The sad part about it is that this blog is the true "silly" blog, whilst the other one delves into more "serious" subject matter (i.e. my atheism and issues related to that). Yet that other blog uses more of a rainbow of colors. Kind of odd, IMO.

Ah, well. Here's to another pointless-seeming blog by me!

Wow. It's already March!

I think there's something wrong with me. I keep missing time somewhere. Wasn't it just January?

I mean, it's bad enough that just last week my children were babes, does yesterday have to fly by so damn quickly? One might think that the daily monotonous routine might not affect time flow as much as it apparently does. Obviously that one would be a wrong-thinking individual! At least when it comes to my household!

Okay, I'm done ranting about that for now. But I will tell ya, it still weighs heavily on my mind.

The usual not so interesting first blog.

Sometimes I don't know why I attempt to blog. I've done this at least three times now, and never kept on. (I guess that's not that many, but still!) I'm pretty certain I don't have a whole lot to say that would be interesting to people outside my immediate circle of those-I-know, and probably less to many I know through the "internets". (<-- If you're wondering about that little period being outside of the quotation marks, well, that's my personal nose-thumbing at punctuation. I'm one of those "Grammar Nazis", but I really, really, REALLY hate it that you're supposed to put those inside the quotation marks. How does that period, or the comma I missed in the last sentence, have anything to do with what is in the middle of the quotation marks?? Unless I'm ending the sentence with the words of someone, it makes absolutely no sense to me to have it inside. So to all the potential Grammar Nazis out there... don't let it bother you; it's my own little pet peeve, and the only violation I will wholeheartedly persist in committing.) See what I mean about "nonsense" and "sarcasm"? Okay, perhaps the sarcasm isn't there, but it will be, I'm sure. I'm quite the erratic person, I tell ya. I can be anything from quiet and nervous to loud and obnoxious, and though I do try to not be the center of attention, sometimes I find myself doing things that will get me there, even though I really abhor being in that position. Contradictory? Yup. Just one more of those things about me.

Another, for instance, is that I'm a bit OCD, but I'm also pretty lazy. It's like... I can't be anal when it comes to cleaning because I know what will happen, and then I'll wear myself ragged, so I don't do it. OTOH, I think I've found a comfortable (for me) middle ground, and that makes me happy. During the days I'm infinitely more productive than I used to be, but I still have plenty of time to do nothing, so long as I try to upkeep what I've been doing. (Thank you FlyLady for that particular lesson, which I learned a couple of years ago.)

And that's it. I'm done with the first blog. I see that there are labels I can add, but... whatever would I put for that?? This makes me miss my first website, it really does. I see that I have a couple of broken links, and my counter is either not working, or my website is even more pathetic than I thought. (Probably the latter. It's been a long, long time since I've had that for people to view. It needs more work. But then again, I have a site that I actually pay for that's a bit more mellow, so as to allow my scrapbooking friends, as well as my extended family, to view.)