To those without kids… (rant)
Warning: Rant ahead. This rant has been boiling for awhile but I’m annoyed enough to actually publish it. 
You have been warned.
As a parent, I am finding myself bristling a lot these days when reading my social networking feeds. I have quite a few friends who do not have children, some of whom are childfree. Which, honestly, is fine with me. I am not one of those parents who will espouse a misguided belief that one is incomplete without children. In fact, I respect folks who know, for whatever reason, that they don’t want children.
But if I read another status update about how annoying children are, I will have to smack someone. Hard. Upside the head with a truck, even.
Yes, children that tantrum can grate on one’s nerves. Trust me, I know. I have a champion tantrumer whose tantrums can and have lasted near two hours. But let me tell you something: that child is not out to annoy you. Trust me, you’re just not that damn special. So for the love of god, don’t act personally insulted that just because you can overhear a child tantrum, or that they’ve ruined your day and/or your entire outlook on children. Small children tantrum. It is normal. You, oh-insulted-one, most likely tantrumed as a child and embarrassed the everloving snot out of your poor parents at some point during your esteemed life. So quit with the holier than thou attitude. The End.
For the record, I can’t stand it when people assume that just because a child is tantruming that they are either a) being ignored or b) being bratty. Some kids, for whatever reason, due to sensory issues, special needs, etc. tantrum like they’re on fire and there’s nothing that can be done until it passes. And just because a tantrum lasts for god knows how long doesn’t mean that the parent is somehow absent or not taking care of their child. I can assure you that while I’m sure there are some douchenugget parents out there that don’t take care of their kids, this is probably not the case for most parents. In fact, I can attest to more than a few occasions when I’ve simply sat down and sobbed right along side my tantrum-prone child because I dared to change her diaper at the wrong minute. And absolutely nothing prepares you for the stares and the not-so-silent blame that you get when you seek help for a tantruming child.
And while I’m in a ranting mode…
To those that complain that folks bring their kids to conventions or geek parties or another function with adults… stop whining. Seriously. Geek parents do not bring their children to geek functions to piss off their childfree geek peers. We could really give a sh*t what you think. God forbid that a geek family want to do something together and include their children in their geekery. Granted, parents shouldn’t run over people with their strollers (that’s just plain rude) but blaming it on the kids? How’s that work? Blame the parents for being douches, not the kids for having been brought to the convention. Jeezus.
Obligatory Epic Poop Post
What evil lurks beyond this grin?
- Michelle: OOOOOOOOOOMFG.
- Michelle: DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR DAUGHTER JUST DID
- Michelle: She came up to me and was like, “Baby euw. Baby euw.”
- Michelle: She had a full diaper. So I was like, “Okay, I’ll change it in a second.”
- Michelle: She keeps tapping my shoulder. “Baby euw. Baby euw.”
- Michelle: Then she PUTS HER FULL DIAPER ON MY ARM.
- Michelle: SHE DONE TOOK IT OFF. POOP AND ALL.
- The Hubs ™: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA*SOB*AHAHAHAHA
- Michelle: I realized that she was telling me — “BIG BIG EUW! BIG BIG EUW!”
- The Hubs ™: If I could praise her from here, I would.
- Michelle: YOU SUCK.
- The Hubs ™: <3
ADDENDA: Poop was (thankGOD) contained within said diaper. But still. OMFG EUW.
Superman to the rescue!!
First Superman Comic Saves Family’s Home – ABC News.
Stories like this warm my heart but it saddens me how many families are facing foreclosure everyday. If only everyone had a happy ending like this family…
Did you ask what I think you asked for?
Since The Hubs ™ work hours are sort of crazy, TLN and I eat dinner together on weekdays without The Hubs ™. Last night, The Little Ninja and I sat at the dinner table, eating our dinners while The Hubs ™ played his latest game in the family room. (He’s currently playing Red Dead Redemeption on the XBox 360, if you’re curious. Not family friendly but a lot of fun if you like Westerns and lots of shooting.)
The Little Ninja was happily slurping up her macaroni and cheese, in between sips of milk, looking thoughtful. Conversations with TLN can be hard to understand since her words really aren’t there yet but the fact that she does her best to converse is always a thrill.
“Mama?” she asked between mouthfuls, pointing to me.
“Yes, I’m Mama,” I answered.
“Dadee?” Now she pointed to The Hubs ™ who was likely in the middle of killing some poor schmuck on RDR.
“Yes, that’s Daddy,” I replied.
She looked thoughtful for another second and pointed to herself.
“The Little Ninja!” I said triumphantly, hoping she’d mimic what I said. (Well, okay, I used her name not The Little Ninja but you get my drift.)
She shook her head, her brow furrowed. She pointed to me and her Daddy and herself again. And then she added another sign.
“More?” I asked. She indicated yes. (She doesn’t actually say the word “yes” but she does laugh or clap or something else that indicates yes.) Now I was confused. “You want more… Mama?”
“Nooooo….” she laughed.
“You want more… Daddy?”
“Noooo…..” she shook her head and laughed again. Then she pointed to herself and signed “more” again.
“More TLN?” I asked. She indicated yes and laughed before returning to her meal.
Meanwhile, I sat there a bit shellshocked. Did she just ask for a sibling?!
While recounting this to The Hubs ™…
(09:38:48 AM) Me: I think The Little Ninja asked for a sibling last night. (09:38:55 AM) The Hubs ™: ? (09:39:10 AM) Me: She pointed to me. She pointed to you. And then she pointed to herself. (09:39:43 AM) Me: When I didn’t get it at first, she did it again, pointing to herself and kept on signing “more” (09:39:51 AM) The Hubs ™: That just gave me a flash of an army of TLNs…. (09:40:00 AM) Me: YEAH SERIOUSLY
I’m not sure what scares me more. The notion of a sibling for The Little Ninja…. or an army of The Little Ninjas… which is likely what I’d end up with if I ever gave in to baby fever and/or TLN’s want of a sibling. shudder
2 Year Old Smoker?!
Parents Let Two-Year-Old Smoke 40 Cigarettes a Day! | momlogic.com.
Wow. I mean, effing wow. Not only is this 2 year old a 4 pack a day smoker, he’s over fifty pounds!
From the original article at The Sun (UK)
“He looks pretty healthy to me. I don’t see the problem.”
Progress Report: 1+ month
When I picked up The Little Empress from school on last Friday, her teacher was thrilled to report that she was a very good talker that day. She’s signing a lot more at school and verbalized “peas?” (please) and “hep” (help) when she needed help doing something. She’s doing a lot of mimicking, repeating sounds that other people are saying as well as mimicking animal sounds like a horse’s neigh.
This is so big. For the past few weeks, there hasn’t been too much that has changed aside from more babble sounds but now that she’s starting to add words to her vocabulary, I am getting so excited! She’s responding so well to her school and she loves her classmates and teachers. I’ve noticed now that she’s trying to speak more at home too which is great. She may come to us babbling but if we remind her, “Use your words, say ‘please’” rather than letting us tug on her, she’ll usually oblige with the cutest “pease?” you could ever imagine. She now regularly says “up” in addition to her sign for it (standing with her arms above her head) which we have been trying to encourage for close to a year now.
While she’s still pretty hyperactive, she’s not so quick with the tantrums. She will try to use her words more often than not though she may not always be able to get her point across. I’ve noticed that she’s starting to sing as well as dance. She doesn’t really have actual words to her singing, of course, but she does babble in melody and has an amazing sense of rhythm. I’m so excited to see all these developmental improvements! All right!!
This is what life is all about
Admittedly, being a stay-at-home mom has had its ups and downs, especially since The Little Empress can be so demanding.
But even so, I don’t think I could ever willingly give up being able to take TLE out to the park on a sunny day after school…
Having fun at the park
Or sharing $1 ice cream after a fun day at the park.
Enjoying some ice cream
This is what life is all about.
On that bill that got signed into law today….
The health care debate has been a heated one, each side raging at one another. It makes my head ache.
It also makes my heart hurt that in America, there are thousands, if not millions of Americans, who have had to decide between being able to keep food on their tables or buy the medicine that will allow them to live.
We went for years without health insurance. Why? Because our jobs neither offered it nor could we afford what it would take from our checks if it could. Fresh out of college, struggling to make ends meet, every penny meant the difference between a roof over our head or none. At that point in our lives, health insurance was a luxury that we simply couldn’t afford. Heaven forbid that we go to the doctor when sick. A doctor’s office visit without insurance? Close to $100. That doesn’t include non-insurance covered prescriptions, even a generic could cost more than $20. Follow up visit? Another $100. And no insurance meant that everything was due at time of service. And that doesn’t include any lost wages from missing a day of work.
And surgery without insurance? Oh dear god. Before we were married, The Hubs had to have surgery. This simple outpatient surgery would have cost us everything we had and then some. Only due to an extremely generous family contribution were we able to pay for the surgery and even then, I had to nearly empty my 401k to pay the remainder.
There are so many Americans out there who have been denied health care because of pre-existing conditions. Maybe I’m thinking too logically here but folks with pre-existing conditions may need that insurance most of all to help them with their health care costs.
And how can we call ourselves a civilized country when you can survive cancer but lose your home because your medical bills have bankrupt you?
So yeah, for the record — I am glad health care reform passed. It may not be a perfect bill but it is a step in the right direction. I fail to see how universal health care is anything but a boon to our society.
Random Observation
The spiritual road I have traveled has been straight, crooked, wide and narrow. I’ve gone from being a cradle Catholic to agnostic and back to the Church. Through it all, I’ve always believed that God exists. I have seen the Holy Spirit, I know that God exists and I know that no matter what, He hears my prayers.
That being said, I was reminded today that God may not always give me exactly what I ask for but He has always given me exactly what I need.
Two years ago…
I met the this tiny little person…
The Newborn Empress
She has since grown into The no-longer-tiny Little Empress, shown here modeling her bright birthday lei. (It was either a lei or a tiara. We figured the lei suited her better, despite the royal title.)
TLE - The Birthday Girl
I can’t say it enough: The days are long but the years are short. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating her first birthday. She’s grown and changed so much since then. Every day, she grows and changes at a phenomenal rate that I feel like I may miss something by blinking. While she may frustrate me and test my limits, she has also taught me how to feel true joy. Nothing can make me happier than to hear her laugh in delight and nothing cause me more pain to hear her cry and not be able to soothe her pain.
I am so very blessed to be her mother. Happy Birthday, my Little Empress! Mommy loves you more than life itself.
About
My name is Michelle. I write, I shoot and I mom, not necessarily in that order. I'm aware that 'mom' isn't widely accepted as a verb but I think it should be.I'm a self-professed geek and caffeine addict. (Some may argue that the latter is a requirement of the former.) I live with my husband and our daughter in the California Delta.
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