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No, not that first time. I'm talking about the first time you were "ma'amed."
I remember the first time I was ma'amed. I had turned 31 years old just a couple of months before. A friend and I were at a concert, the Brian Setzer Orchestra, at an outdoor festival called Summerfest. It was a beautiful night, our beers were cold, life was good.
Time to pack up the goodies and ship 'em with the kids to school for partes. Halloween parties, birthday parties ~ the list goes on and on.
My dear friend (and former Mommage Mom) Nichole has a little bit of a problem with these parties, namely that two sons are allergic to chocolate. She filled out this information on her sons' registration papers and took the extra step of speaking to her sons' teachers ~ informing them of the allergy. The children in the class use chocolate chips as "counters" and Nichole informed the teacher of the allergy the first day of school.
Sounds like she covered all her bases right? Then why did her 4 year old, Zack, have such trouble when he refused to eat the chocolate cupccake served at a birthday party yesterday? Why did the teacher tell him to "be quiet and eat his snack" when the child protested?
I'm not proud to say that my son occasionally uses the word "retarded" despite the fact that I have explained to him how hurtful it can be. I know he doesn't say it maliciously because he has friends with all kinds of disabilities. I think he uses it without realizing what it means.
I recently read a letter on PlanetFeedback, written by Carol, about her experience with a Blockbuster employee. She was in the store with her two children, one with Down Syndrome, when the clerk casually used the word "retarded" without giving any thought to the actual meaning or how it can make people feel. Carol was devastated but managed to compose herself and calmly explain why the word was inappropriate. Much to her surprise and utter relief, the employee immediately offered a sincere, heartfelt apology and admitted that he should be more careful with his choice of words.
Carol's effort to educate people for the sake of her child, even at the risk of receiving a defensive reaction, made an impression on me, and may also help me in another way.
If you think that's the worst thing that can happen, keep reading. It might be easy to explain why Mommy is kissing Santa Claus, but what if your child accidentally sees more than a simple kiss. Even the most careful parents will at some point
be distracted and forget to lock their bedroom door. Has it ever happened to you? Come on, you can tell us. You're amongst friends. How did you handle it? Was your explanation believable, or did it make matters worse? Did you panic, or were you a quick thinker?
If and when it does happen to you, everyone will be in a momentary state of shock, making it a good idea to have an explanation prepared ahead of time, so you won't panic and say all the wrong things. Here is some advice on what to tell your child, depending upon age and previous conversations you've had with them on the subject of sexuality.
What children may be thinking when they make that unexpected discovery could surprise you.
Picture it:
Cruising through the twinkling blue waters of the Caribbean, basking in the sun, sipping daquiris from the pool bar, cat-napping. All of a sudden, a piercing infant scream rings out, dragging you from your glorious nap. Startled, and wondering if you've had one-too-many drinks, you look around, wondering if your luxurious cruise has merely been a dream. Interesting, you're still on your cruise. Thank goodness, it's not a dream. The scream rings out again. This time, you're awake. You gaze in the direction of the scream and, lo-and-behold, there is a couple tending to a fussy, wailing infant.
Now lets face it. You're not a child-hater. You have kids of your own, in fact....at home. Cruises have become increasingly more family friendly over the years, but an infant? On a cruise? Why in the world would someone torture themselves that way, and spend money in the process?
Christina recently went to her local Humane Society to adopt a Chihuahua and is hopping mad they refused the adoption because her child was behaving aggressively towards another animal. She's so mad that she's screaming racism and threatening a lawsuit.
One million foam baby seats manufactured by Bumbo International and sold by Target, Wal-Mart and other large retailers, are under voluntary recall from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Twenty-eight children have fallen out of these baby seats when they were set up on elevated surfaces; three of these children sustained serious head injuries.
These products were sold from August 2003 to October 2007 for approximately $40.00 each.
If you own one of these items, contact Bumbo International to obtain new warning stickers and instructions NOT to place this item on any elevated surface.
Bumbo International has temporarily suspended sales of this item until the warning labels can be updated.
--Contributed by Deb
It was bound to happen, sooner or later. I think it happens to everyone.
I knew it was coming... creeping up on me ever so steadily. I tried to ignore it, really I did. But there are just some things, like death and taxes, that are inevitable
Maybe it just affects women more than men. Truth be told, it doesn't really bother me much. But I won't lie to you and tell you that it didn't cross my mind. At least once. Maybe twice.
*sigh*
I used to be smart.
I used to be funny, sassy, and energetic. I used to be the life of the party. I would go to friends' gathering and spend the night talking to various people, spewing anecdotes. I was the queen of small talk. I was "fun to be around."
