Oddball...

I just got back from a wonderful visit with my new friend (well, I can just call her friend now since we've known each other for four months now!!!) and it was so fun.  I needed a break from the "norm" of my relatively boring (at least when 3 are in school) day.  I chatted (probably too much, sorry Sarah!) and we watched her son and my two nuts try to destroy their absolutely gorgeous back yard.  I love their house.  It was awesome... thanks again, Sarah.

Now on to my blog title.  I have been thinking about this for a while now and debating whether or not I should post it.  I don't like to blog about myself often, as far as how I feel about me compared to the rest of world... but here goes.  You know the drill, if you hate it, you leave it, if you love it, you read it.

I am an oddball.  I tell Ricky this last night in the bathroom.  I won't tell you which one of us was actually USING the restroom, but sometimes we do some of our best thinking in and around the toilet.  (roll your eyes, but deep down inside, you do the same thing.) 
He stops, looks up at me and I can tell is debating how he should respond to this.  Almost 14 years of marriage and another 4 years prior add up to almost 18 years of knowing me.  That's a lot of oddballness.  He relies on the 18 years of knowing me and asks what I mean. 

I tell him that I am counter cultural.  He shakes his head and says, " your what?"   I begin to tell him my saga, but when I see the openness in his eyes begin to fog up, I realize I'm losing him and tell him never mind...
But what I mean is, I'm one of those moms who probably should home school, meaning, I have serious problems with what my kids are exposed to these days! 

I have serious problems with what parents let their young children watch on TV.  What parents buy (and allow their children to buy) for them to wear!!  The electronic gadgets and games that are bought, and I have serious problems with parents who basically want to be their children's friend!!! 

Go ahead, fast forward to the next blog because I'm going to be here a while. 

I just don't understand why we want to force our children to grow up so fast.  It's like we're so afraid of disappointing our children, that we'll put all our own sense in the closet just to please this small being.  I feel we're doing a real disservice to our next generation of children. 

Before I get ahead of myself, on the chance that a friend or family member actually reads my blog, I'm not talking about you.  I'm talking about the children my children go to school with, and play with in the neighborhood and the ones we have limited access to either at church or out in public.

My children are not allowed to watch certain television shows.  We have practically every cable channel available (for the first time I might add in 13 years) and I limit what they watch to very basic, sometimes very old cartoons.  They don't watch TV everyday and they rarely watch it during the week.  But here is my problem.  My kids go to other people's houses and watch these shows and the way they act after being exposed to them, confirms my fears about some of these shows.

Now tell me, if you can honestly justify why my 7 year old and almost 5 year old need to watch a show about a girl in high school, exposed to things only most high school MOVIE STARS are exposed to, I'll reconsider. But I don't want my poor little 7 year, who according to all my "book learning" in college, is more impressionable and easily influenced at this age than most other ages, watching this and "learning" what she thinks is "normal" life.  It's not!  It's so far from it, and you know that, and I know that, but we're adults and we can rationalize, 7 year olds can not.  They do not understand rationalization.  It's real to them...

So mine don't watch it.  Will they be warped?  I hope so. I hope they are soooo warped that when they get older and actually do get to spend quality time on TV, they'll then be able to rationalize what is appropriate to waste time on and what is not...
But I digress... as always...
My 10 year old is convinced she is one of the only 4th graders without a phone.  She might just be right.  But what she doesn't realize, is that she'll probably be one of the only NINTH graders without one, too...
The only thing I can fathom is that people are so obsessed with their children and such hoverer's, that they are still attached at the umbilical cord to their child.  My child better never go anywhere where there is not access to a phone.  And the only real place she goes without me right now is SCHOOL....  SCHOOL!!!  I have to believe that the school will allow my child to use the phone if she needs to!  And after school activities?  Please, my coaches always let us in the school to call home.
We have friends who come to spend the night and bring their IPOD Touch phones.  10 YEARS OLD!  I'm 37 and I just got an ipod shuffle two years ago.  It's already archaic in the techno world.   I have a basic cell phone that does just what cell phones were designed to do, call people.  I can even text, although it's very irritating typing the letter A 3 times just to get  to C.  But I don't have one of those fancy phones.  Why does a 10 year old need one?  Do her parents think we don't have electricity?  I have two landlines in my house and between my husband and I we have several cell phones, too.  There are plenty of ways to get in touch with their child...  oh heavens....

The clothing available and even purchased for this generation of children just appals me.  I feel like I'm trying to weed through college age clothing, to things I think I've seen people arrested on COPS for soliciting on the side of the road wearing.
What has happened to teaching our girls modesty?  JT's shorts drag the ground and I can't find shorts that cover my 10 year olds rear end?  What message are we sending to boys about girls?  We're already exploiting their sexuality that should be preserved for when they are adults, mature enough to understand what the word even means, let alone, wear clothing that promotes it...
I could go on, but I think you get the point.
So I am an oddball.  My children do not watch shows that are not age appropriate.  They do not have video games, dsi's, Nintendo, xbox, ipod touches, phones, etc.  We do have a wii.  I'll admit, that is something that I have found takes the electronic "game" to a fun, fit level.  And when you get over 100 inches of snow a year, there are some days that down in the basement playing wii, is the most exercise some of us get.  My girls, especially, wear one piece bathing suits, they wear shorts, (when I find them I buy a dozen) that are long, and not those ridiculous daisy duke things, they are learning about modesty.
And unfortunately for the oldest, mine will not have cell phones until they start driving, and even then, they will be those that you buy minutes for and will not have txting available.

So when I say I am one of those "home school" moms, I am giving those moms the credit they deserve.  I wish I had a the guts, the desire, the passion, the energy, to home school.  I probably could if I tried, but somewhere, deep down, I believe I'm doing exactly what God wants me to be doing.  It's not easy.  It's certainly not going to make me the popular parent, but I hope, it one day, teaches my children, the Godly way to be.  It's ok to be different.  There is nothing wrong with it.  It's ok to refuse my children things that I feel might distract them from our goal.  Attaining Heaven.  That's what we're all here for, right?  Heaven!  God didn't put us here thinking we would love it so much we would never want to leave, did He?  NO!  How silly for us to believe that!  We are here to struggle, learn, pray, grow, and develop into one day inheriting the kingdom!  God's kingdom!  Nothing on this earth compares.  But how sad for those who think Heaven couldn't be better then what we've got now.  How sad for them.

Soooo, call my a prude.  I've been called worse.  God entrusted these beautiful children to Ricky and I and we are going to do everything in our power to make sure they stay as pure and holy as possible until they know to do it themselves...

Sorry for the soapbox,  but like I said earlier, I've been contemplating this blog for a while and felt compelled to share it today.
God bless you.  God bless you in all you do.