I take my 8 year old son to the playground a lot and even though I might glance away for a second or two, when I look back up and don't see him, my adrenaline kicks in panic mode even if just for a second. With the way children disappear anymore, most parents do, right?
Then the humorous side of me thinks about Dora, The Explorer. Where are her parents when she's on all of these explorations? She just takes off and has all of these adventures, but her parents are never hovering over her and she always ends up learning something and most of all, is safe. She uses maps and asks help for other children watching and she teaches Spanish! She doesn't hold grudges and always makes compromises. Her baseball team was coached by her father, so he was present during that time.
However, going to a local playground where other parents bring their children to play proves to be a battle at times. You have parents who bring them there and I think drop them off while they go on their explorations. They leave it to chance that they will handle any social situations that pop up like a well rounded adult. This belief often leads to disagreements on the playground that require involving a parent that stayed to watch their child and settling it and potentially making the other parent mad upon their return. Then there are the children that actually get hurt on the playground and are left to be scooped up by total strangers and coddled, dusted off and set back up to finish playing. I don't understand this. My son climbs to the top of the monkey bars and stands up and taunts me with chant's, "Look at me mom" while letting go and balancing himself on the small 2 inch metal rod while standing 6+ feet in the air..........I can't leave those moments to chance and not be there should something happen to him. Then there are the kids that take off to the bathrooms alone that are his age or younger. The Lord only knows what lurks in those bathrooms waiting on the children that go in alone.
I am sorry, but the playground and public bathrooms cannot be left to chance with young children. In fact, when you have teenagers disappearing from Target stores or being molested in departments within the stores...its not safe to leave them at all. They are protected and shielded from life events, I am guilty myself from not having these "talks" with them. It is probably a good idea to have these talks about potentially dangerous moments and how they should be handled. I would rather them have some experience with "potential" moments than to be totally unprepared and caught off guard by these situations.
So, Dora's parents......where are you??!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
An Untailored Journey
An Untailored Journey is about a single mom of 3 that is a jack/jane of all trades (depending on who you ask) and a capricious attitude towards life, children, ex's, attorneys, judges, friends, fair weather friends, teenage drama and the adventures of a single mom........trying to have a life as well.
I have blogged before and found it to be exciting. The excitement came from engaging people from all over the country in my life and realizing how very similiar we all are. Many times we feel as though we are alone on our journey of life, we feel as though we have experiences that are exclusive of any one else's experiences. Blogging was a way to not only express myself, but also a way of sharing my life experiences and knowledge in a manner that I hope could provide some insight for someone else with similiar experiences happening to them. Another hope would be that they would realize that they were not alone and we are more connected that even I realized.
I am not an expert or professional by no means, however.....at 42, I have lived a very full life or it seems like I have. I have been told by a professional that my life has had a lot of heartache in it, but I doubt any more than anyone else as an average. A majority of it was a naive life until my divorce, a hopeful life, despite my divorce and a joyful life because of the growth I experienced through happiness and tears. I do love learning so many things even if it hurts at times. Growth hurts sometimes and that's okay!
What do I have to offer anyone? I hope the real life experiences I have had as a now, single mother of 3: a 17 year old girl, a 13 year old boy and an 8 year old boy that I have a lot to offer in the way of being a once married woman, mother, now a single mother. I am a college graduate which provided life experiences. I have worked as a social counselor, real estate agent and sales. Sales is the manner in which I have accumulated the bulk of my employment experience. I was and am very successful in sales and that can be attributed to the fact that I do love people and love socializing, obviously as I am writing blindly to potentially millions that will never see this! HA HA It sort of reminds me of talking to my ex.
If I had to say I was a professional at anything, it would be sales. However, managing a household with children, a full time job, soccer, football, homework, their jobs, normal teenage drama, ensuring I also have my personal needs met has taught me more than just life lessons, but soul lessons.
On top of all of this, there is something big happening in my life that will have a great impact on my family, a positive impact of which I am not at liberty to discuss just yet! It will be life changing.
I have dealt and deal with children, their friends, their boyfriends, girlfriends, teachers, principals, step mothers, ex husbands, step children, in laws, outlaws, attorneys, judges, court, child custody, child support, my boyfriends, friends, fair weather friends, my parents, etc., etc., etc., and much in between and lots of stories, drama, adventures, journeys and just random things!! I will provide a disclaimer that I am not a licensed attorney/judge or otherwise. I just have plenty of experience in dealing with them all! I am excited about this unfolding that will occur during this blogging and hope that I can reach others by providing some insight that I feel could be valuable to them. Some days will be random thoughts, random rants or maybe me just whining and wanting someone else to provide me with some insight and/or encouragement. I hope to grow and help others grow as we journey through our lives.......hoping to make the best of every day and the day we don't, the time to crawl under the covers and just "be" for a while to gather our thoughts.
So, as I allow you a window into my life, I hope that you can "see" that we're not so different, you and I.....and we can go and grow through this together.
Let this journey begin.................
I have blogged before and found it to be exciting. The excitement came from engaging people from all over the country in my life and realizing how very similiar we all are. Many times we feel as though we are alone on our journey of life, we feel as though we have experiences that are exclusive of any one else's experiences. Blogging was a way to not only express myself, but also a way of sharing my life experiences and knowledge in a manner that I hope could provide some insight for someone else with similiar experiences happening to them. Another hope would be that they would realize that they were not alone and we are more connected that even I realized.
I am not an expert or professional by no means, however.....at 42, I have lived a very full life or it seems like I have. I have been told by a professional that my life has had a lot of heartache in it, but I doubt any more than anyone else as an average. A majority of it was a naive life until my divorce, a hopeful life, despite my divorce and a joyful life because of the growth I experienced through happiness and tears. I do love learning so many things even if it hurts at times. Growth hurts sometimes and that's okay!
What do I have to offer anyone? I hope the real life experiences I have had as a now, single mother of 3: a 17 year old girl, a 13 year old boy and an 8 year old boy that I have a lot to offer in the way of being a once married woman, mother, now a single mother. I am a college graduate which provided life experiences. I have worked as a social counselor, real estate agent and sales. Sales is the manner in which I have accumulated the bulk of my employment experience. I was and am very successful in sales and that can be attributed to the fact that I do love people and love socializing, obviously as I am writing blindly to potentially millions that will never see this! HA HA It sort of reminds me of talking to my ex.
If I had to say I was a professional at anything, it would be sales. However, managing a household with children, a full time job, soccer, football, homework, their jobs, normal teenage drama, ensuring I also have my personal needs met has taught me more than just life lessons, but soul lessons.
On top of all of this, there is something big happening in my life that will have a great impact on my family, a positive impact of which I am not at liberty to discuss just yet! It will be life changing.
I have dealt and deal with children, their friends, their boyfriends, girlfriends, teachers, principals, step mothers, ex husbands, step children, in laws, outlaws, attorneys, judges, court, child custody, child support, my boyfriends, friends, fair weather friends, my parents, etc., etc., etc., and much in between and lots of stories, drama, adventures, journeys and just random things!! I will provide a disclaimer that I am not a licensed attorney/judge or otherwise. I just have plenty of experience in dealing with them all! I am excited about this unfolding that will occur during this blogging and hope that I can reach others by providing some insight that I feel could be valuable to them. Some days will be random thoughts, random rants or maybe me just whining and wanting someone else to provide me with some insight and/or encouragement. I hope to grow and help others grow as we journey through our lives.......hoping to make the best of every day and the day we don't, the time to crawl under the covers and just "be" for a while to gather our thoughts.
So, as I allow you a window into my life, I hope that you can "see" that we're not so different, you and I.....and we can go and grow through this together.
Let this journey begin.................
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