What is Happening to today's youth?

WARNING: The following post is my opinion and mine only. You are welcome to have your own but I just had to address this even though my kids aren't going to be dealing with this for many years, if at all!

Today Taylor was invited to go to the movie (Nims Island) with a friend from school to celebrate the friend's birthday. I go to the mall but don't normally hang around the movie theatre. Upon dropping her off with friend and friend's mom I walked around the mall and did some sight shopping. After that was done I had some time to kill so I sat by the theatre entrance. I was shocked by what I saw! I am not sure what kind of trend is taken place but it is horrible. Everyone was wearing black or some form of black! Kids who couldn't be more then 11, 12, 13 or 14 were walking by with peircings in their eyebrows, noses, lips. What parent allows their child to do this? Looking back I am positive if I had come home expressing intrest in having my face pierced my parents wouldn't have allowed it. Also what is up with guys wearing eyeliner and painting their nails black? I have to say the experience was scaring. Who is watching and allowing these kids to express themselves in this manner? I thought that the big hair and funky clothes (parachute pants, etc) we wore was bad but boy it was tame compared to kids these days.

I can say with great conviction that my kids will not be allowed to pierce their face, Caleb may not paint his nails or wear my eyeliner, and they will not be allowed to hang out with people who do. I understand that children must be preative but I just wonder how much surpivision these kids have who are allowed to make decisions like these at such a young age.

Like I stated in my warning, these are my opinions and you don't have to agree. I just wonder what is happening to the youth of today. I heard a slogan on the Kids Choice Awards that was "we are the future and the future is ours", this was being yelled by kids in the audience. If these kids I saw today are our future, I am a little scared. I am ready for some feedback. I want to hear others opinions. I want to know what you think about this new trend?

Glasses for Taylor

For the past few weeks Taylor has complained about the words on the board at school being blurry. It wasn't an everyday complaint so I didn't give it much thought except to remember to mention it at her 8 yr check-up on the 1st of May. Then yesterday she came home with a note from her teacher stating that "Taylor was still complaining about the words being blurry and she was sitting at the front of the class". I was a little concerned then and called the dr to see if I should make an appointment with our eye dr or just let him do the evaluation and go from there. They had an opening that afternoon and said just bring her in and they would do a quick eye exam and then make a decision. Good thing we went, Taylor did great on seeing things far away 20/20 but on things close she was 20/100. I knew that wasn't good. Her dr said he thought she could just see our eye dr (who is Dorian Lane) if he saw kids. He does see kids and she is going to be seeing him on April 22nd. She isn't nervous at all, really sorta excited about glasses! She was wanting to know about the different types of frames and could she get purple? I told her I thought we might try something a little tamer than purple as glasses aren't something you replace too often and she might not want purple in a year or 2. It looks like she will only need to wear them when reading hopefully. Anyway I am glad I called and didn't wait another month to see her dr.

Fallen Tree

The kids (well the the older 2 at least) love to drive through our old neighborhood and see "their house". We go through at least once a week per their pleading. This past week Matt cut through after taking Caleb to school and saw this:



He didn't have the kids or the camera so we had to go through again later to show them. They were totally enthralled with it. Caleb's first words were "totally cool". I am not sure where he heard this phrase, sounds like something straight out of the 80's or 90's. He thought it would be so cool to climb on it. They really were amazed by the the roots that were still attached to dirt. The owners haven't been very fast in getting it cut up and removed so we drive by it almost everyday. This morning when I drove by it had been cut up and the removal process started. The kids will be very disappointed :( Here are a few more pictures of it. This house was a few streets over from ours so we didn't know these neighbors but I wish we had. I would have liked to have placed the kids be the roots/dirt and taken their picture. (I didn't think it was appropriate to ring the doorbell and ask if I could do that :)

What a rough week!

We had a rough week with Caleb this past week. We are having lots of issues with listening the first time. Lately it has gotten to where we are giving him numerous chances and telling him over and over to do something. Normally it ends with a spanking. I feel bad b/c I think he got one everyday this week :( That makes me sad. I remember my mom/dad saying "this hurts me worse than it hurts you" before they spanked me. I always thought, "now that is dumb, of course this hurts me worse I'm the one getting the spanking!" I understand now what they meant. We only reserve spanking for direct disobedience or something where they can get hurt, like running into the street. But the direct disobedience is Caleb's main thing right now. Also when he is sent to his room he has gotten to where he slams the door and just has a major attitude. (I sometimes think he isn't turning 5 in May but 16)

Friday night he was to spend the night with Pops and Nana (my parents) and before it was time to go he had gotten an attitude after he was told at least a half dozen times to do something that I lost my control sorta. I just had it with that and he got a spanking. He cried so hard. I sent Taylor back to check on him (I didn't know he was asleep, just thought he had quit crying). She came back and told me I had to go look at him b/c he had fallen asleep. This is what I found:

He had cried himself to sleep and I couldn't help but feel a little bad. I know that we have to discipline him but sometimes I wish we didn't have too. Especially b/c I know how sweet and helpful he can be. For example tonight he helped with dinner. He loves to this and is helpful most of the time. Okay he is helpful all the time just sometimes makes more of a mess than I would. Anyway tonight he cut up the onions and peppers for quesadillas. Yes he used a sharp knife but he was closely supervised. He always wears his chef hat and apron when he cooks. He says he is going to be a chef when he grows up. Oh yeah and a dad :) Sometimes he throws other occupations in but always a chef and a dad :) Anyway here he is being good and helpful and sweet.


And here is what Madison did this week! What she always does. During church Sunday morning she was lining her princess's and little people on the arm of the pew. However she was being quiet, well at least for a few minutes. She has a hard time b/c she tried to have conversations between her "little people". This is common no matter where she is. Her animals and babies have "conversations" with one another where she of course is doing both sides of the conversation. I wish that I knew what she was saying to them. She is such a joy.





I am going to miss her next year when she is in preschool, if she goes. We have her enrolled but am not betting any money on her staying without a fight. She is a little attached to me. She won't even spend the night with Grandparents anymore. She used to would but about 9 months ago started crying whenever I would leave. Even with Matt. It got to wear I would sneak out the back door and leave that way so she wouldn't see me. Oh she still cried but it was delayed for a little while at least. So we have enrolled her and I pray that she will go and have a great time. She is going to need it next year with Caleb going to kindergarten. She will be lost I am afraid. Her and Caleb are really close and play so well together. So we will see what happens in August. There will be many tears I am certain, probably on both our parts. It is going to be hard to be away from her.

Egg Hunt at Grandmothers

I took so many pictures at my Grandmother's house during Spring Break that I am just getting around to converting them (I took them in the RAW image so the have to be converted after they are downloaded. Since that is done one by one it takes some time, and yeah for Matt b/c he actually did it as I still hadn't had the time to sit and do it) These are some of my favorites!

Mommy..................

my hands are cold!

Caleb's girls!

My mother-in-law took Caleb to school yesterday since she had to go in for her radiation treatment. She takes him alot of mornings which I absolutely love since it means not having to get Madison up and dressed. He had a really hard time after being off a week. He didn't really want to go but we got him ready and off they went. When she got home later that morning she was telling me the funniest thing. She was carrying Caleb from the car to the door when all of the sudden he said "Nana put me down I want to walk." She was a little surprised as he always wants her to carry him. He legs mysteriously stop working sometimes :) Anyway she put him down and then was looking around and noticed these twin girls in his class were coming in with their mom. She kinda put 2 and 2 together and figured he didn't want them to see him. When he got home from school I asked him about it and he informed me that he didn't want them to see him being carried b/c he didn't want them to think he was a baby. My little man is already trying to impress the ladies. I thought girls had "cootie" at this age but Caleb either doesn't realize this or he doesn't think that.

After I picked him up from school we ran over to Joann's to return something and ran into his teacher there. She was telling me about another little girl in his class who he likes. She was telling that the week before Spring Break he had come up to her and asked her if she would sit this little girl next to him at lunch. His teacher did then and again yesterday. She said it was so sweet when he asked if he could sit next to this little girl. Obviously my little man can't make up his mind as to which girl he likes so he is just going to like them all! I do approve of all of his choices so far. Luckily I don't think we have to worry to much about this phase of his life for many years which is good b/c I am not ready for that.