The subject of contraception among Christians can be a very heated debate. It has as many facets as just about anything else that is not specifically outlined in the Bible. Yes, I know that there are verses to support the "no birth control is allowed" view just as there are verses to support a variety of other views. When I say specifically outlined I mean there is no verse that says "Thou shalt not hinder conception by any means other than abstinence." That specific.
That said, I think most Christians would agree that whatever your stance on the issue of contraception, abortion is wrong. (I said most, so please those of you who don't support that view, don't start sending me hate mail. You are entitled to your opinion and I would fight to the death to protect your right to have your opinion so please don't tell me I can't have mine.) The thing that concerns me is that the medical community at large generally does not inform women seeking contraception that there are approved methods of birth control that are not, in fact, contraception. The term contraception means "against conception." It means that it prevents conception. All contraception is birth control but not all birth control is contraception.
My biggest issue is with IUDs. Intrauterine Devices. These are little devices that are inserted into a woman's uterus for the purpose of birth control. What concerns me, among other things, is that these women are not generally being told HOW it provides birth control. IUDs are in no way contraception. They do absolutely nothing to prevent ovulation (and nothing to prevent the sperm from reaching the egg) therefore they do nothing to prevent conception. The IUD's function is to make the uterus a hostile environment thus preventing the implantation of the embryo. When you have an IUD in place and you have a heavier than normal period, you are most likely having a miscarriage. The IUD has, for all intents and purposes, aborted your baby.
The fact that women are not being told this before they have the device inserted seems to me to be, at the very least, unethical.
The other night I did something that I feel quite badly about now and had I known ahead of time what I was about to do I would have done it much differently. Two women that I love dearly were in my living room. Both of these lovely married ladies have children but are currently delaying more children. This is their choice and as long as their husbands are in agreement with them, my opinion on the subject is irrelevant and therefore kept to myself. I knew one of the ladies had an IUD. I had discussed with her the way it works before she had it inserted. However, she was newly postpartum at the time and she has grown emotionally in huge ways in the years since then. This evening a few days ago she was telling me that the cookie in each of her hands was not indicative of her being pregnant and I said, "IUDs are probably one of the most effective forms of birth control around, you know I just have an issue with how they achieve that birth control." I went on to say I respect a couple's right to choose to delay conception but I believe contraception should be used not abortifactants. The other lady with us that evening asked what I meant. I explained how an IUD works and the bit about the heavier than normal periods usually being miscarriages. Sometimes my big mouth gets me in trouble. This whole exchange took less than two minutes but at the end of those two minutes I seriously thought for a moment that the second lady was going to be physically sick. The first lady wasn't looking too good either. The first lady had completely forgotten our conversation years ago before she got her IUD and the second lady never knew that that was how they worked. I didn't know it until I stuck my foot in it but the second lady had an IUD as well. She was understandably horrified at the news of how her birth control method achieved it's goal.
Now, my first lady, the one I had spoken to about this years ago isn't sure of her belief in God. She is seeking but she hasn't made any decisions. However the second lady, the one I didn't know had an IUD, is a believer. She has a relationship with Jesus Christ. And while we have never had an actual conversation about abortion specifically, I know from the way she leads her life and the choices she makes that she doesn't believe in abortion. It isn't that I would have withheld this information from her but had I known she, as a believer, had an IUD in place, I certainly would have been more gentle in my method of telling.
I know the believing lady is planning to change her birth control method and I know my still seeking lady is seriously reconsidering. I'm glad for this. I just wish I had shared the information differently. But the information needs to be shared. Doctors aren't volunteering the information and most people in the secular world figure as long as you don't skip a period you were never pregnant. This is, of course, not true. You are pregnant from the moment that egg and sperm collide. Preventing that collision is contraception. Once that collision has taken place, the egg is fertilized and you are pregnant. Anything other than the hand of God that ends that pregnancy from that moment on is abortion.
They say knowledge is power. You have to wonder why this knowledge isn't shared. Why this knowledge is denied. Why this knowledge is called a lie. As my mother in law says, "The devil is a busy man."
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Simple Fixes
I'm learning there are two things in life that are simple to achieve but both require you to do something you don't really want to. Both of these things make your life so much better than anything the world has to offer and yet we usually resist both of them until we're so desperate we have no other choice.
Counting calories is the oldest method to weight loss and then weight maintenance I can think of. It also happens to be the most successful. At the core of every diet on the market today is a reduction in the amount of food you eat daily. If you're going to be successful long term you will also learn that the calories that you DO consume must be nutrient dense or your health will suffer. This is not a fun method. We, as selfish humans, want a method that will make us look like the cover of SI's swimsuit edition in less than a week while eating anything and everything we want. Yes, I know that's a bit of an exaggeration but not much. Counting calories and making sure you're eating the proper amount of the essential nutrient's isn't fun, it isn't sexy and it isn't instant by a long shot but it is, without exception, extremely effective. I'm learning that when all else fails a desperate woman will download a calorie program on to her Blackberry, start using it faithfully and the weight will start to come off.
The same can be said for faith in Jesus Christ as the one true Messiah. We humans like our flesh. We give into our flesh on a regular basis in varying degrees of decadence. Some of this decadence leads to the aforementioned weight gain. Some of this decadence leads to life threatening illness, marriage destroying behaviour, and law breaking, freedom stealing actions. The one constant in all this decadence is that it all pulls us away from God. We humans messed up a perfect life way back in the Garden of Eden and in one way or another we continue to mess up our lives today with equally disobedient actions that lead us literally straight to hell. Like calorie counting, there is one simple fix for this but we usually don't want to face it until it's almost too late.
God loves us so much that He gave us a foolproof, idiot proof way out of hell. It is so simple in fact that most people don't believe it. There are multiple religions around the globe whose basis is in the simple fix God provided but they have added many human things to it to make it seem more difficult, thus in their minds more effective. The reality is, however, that all you have to do is believe. Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He did come down to earth and take human form and in that human form he suffered all of the horror of our collective sins for us. He paid the price for us. He went into hell for us. He was utterly cut off from God the Father in our place so that we would never know first hand the agony that He endured.
And all you have to do is believe it. That's it. Just believe.
Counting calories is the oldest method to weight loss and then weight maintenance I can think of. It also happens to be the most successful. At the core of every diet on the market today is a reduction in the amount of food you eat daily. If you're going to be successful long term you will also learn that the calories that you DO consume must be nutrient dense or your health will suffer. This is not a fun method. We, as selfish humans, want a method that will make us look like the cover of SI's swimsuit edition in less than a week while eating anything and everything we want. Yes, I know that's a bit of an exaggeration but not much. Counting calories and making sure you're eating the proper amount of the essential nutrient's isn't fun, it isn't sexy and it isn't instant by a long shot but it is, without exception, extremely effective. I'm learning that when all else fails a desperate woman will download a calorie program on to her Blackberry, start using it faithfully and the weight will start to come off.
The same can be said for faith in Jesus Christ as the one true Messiah. We humans like our flesh. We give into our flesh on a regular basis in varying degrees of decadence. Some of this decadence leads to the aforementioned weight gain. Some of this decadence leads to life threatening illness, marriage destroying behaviour, and law breaking, freedom stealing actions. The one constant in all this decadence is that it all pulls us away from God. We humans messed up a perfect life way back in the Garden of Eden and in one way or another we continue to mess up our lives today with equally disobedient actions that lead us literally straight to hell. Like calorie counting, there is one simple fix for this but we usually don't want to face it until it's almost too late.
God loves us so much that He gave us a foolproof, idiot proof way out of hell. It is so simple in fact that most people don't believe it. There are multiple religions around the globe whose basis is in the simple fix God provided but they have added many human things to it to make it seem more difficult, thus in their minds more effective. The reality is, however, that all you have to do is believe. Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He did come down to earth and take human form and in that human form he suffered all of the horror of our collective sins for us. He paid the price for us. He went into hell for us. He was utterly cut off from God the Father in our place so that we would never know first hand the agony that He endured.
And all you have to do is believe it. That's it. Just believe.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Eat. More. Slowly.
I am plump. A bit too plump for my tastes. I am one of those people who used to be thin and now am not. I can't speak for those who have been plump all their lives but for those of us who were one size and now are another, it sucks. I have started one "diet" or exercise program after another. I can say with some authority, they all work. If you stick to them. Well there was one that didn't work for me because I became rather profoundly anemic but, other than that one, they all work. The problem is I don't like change and I find it really difficult to make any change that I don't like thus I never stick to any diet or exercise program for very long.
I know that sounded like I just spoke in a circle but the bottom line is I don't acquire new habits easily. And, let's face it, the way we eat day to day is as much a habit as anything. Whether or not someone exercises on a regular basis is also a habit. I have no difficulty performing all the physical tasks required to keep my home clean and running smoothly but I can't be bothered to take time out of every day to do 30-60 minutes of exercise. At least not on anything approaching a regular basis. So I've made a few really small adjustments to my daily activities that has, thus far, yielded small but consistent losses.
First, I am trying very hard to not keep any food in the house that can be eaten without any effort to prepare it. If you don't have to exert any effort to get the food from it's storage place to your mouth then you are more likely to just shovel it in. Heaven knows I've been guilty of this more than I care to think about. Even when I'm just having left overs, I try to reheat it, plate it and sit down at a table to eat it.
Second, I'm eating more slowly. Or at least I'm trying to. I am currently battling a cold that has decided my head is it's home and is resisting all efforts to evict it. So, tonight after the Grandson had been returned to his parents, I fixed myself a tray with hot tea, toasted homemade bread with fruit spread, a sliced apple and two mandarin oranges. I put everything on little plates and carried it into my bedroom where I got into my comfy bed to watch the first DVD of PBS's Manor House. Because my attention was focused on the television and what I was watching, I was NOT paying attention to how I was consuming my food. About a third of the way into my meal I realized I was again pretty much shoveling it in and forced my self to slow down. I know about the 20 minute rule. I taught it to my children. After you've finished your portion of something, wait 20 minutes for your body to register what you've eaten. If after that time you still feel the need for more food, have some, but more often than not, you will find that your hunger has been satisfied. Had I continued to mow through my meal without thinking I probably would have thought my little repast had been insufficient and gone back to the kitchen for something else. Instead I found that I had judge my hunger just about perfectly and I was well sated.
The third thing is the exercise thing. I hate it. Really, truly hate it. I'd rather do just about anything than any sort of cardio workout. I'll do yoga daily (and usually do) but cardio? Yuck!! I do, however, like to walk. Disneyland, the zoo, the museum, I'll stroll about all day long. So I'm trying to toss the Grandson in the stroller everyday and walk the two mile course I mapped out ages ago. Today that has bitten me on the backside a bit because I'm fairly certain that my walk yesterday is why I feel so much worse, cold-wise, than I did the day before. My poor body had barely enough energy to keep up the fight against the cold germs and I stole a lot of that away walking around the neighbourhood. Of course, God knows our needs and meets them perfectly and between Bree taking tomorrow off work and Monday being a holiday for the Enigma, I don't have the Grandson for four days. I will be behaving myself and laying low to allow my immune system to finally win this battle once and for all.
Last but not least, I have one more hurdle that I absolutely must master. I have to do strength training. I'm closing in on 50 years old far faster than I care to think about and I'm going to lose bone density and muscle mass at an alarming rate if I don't do something. I'll let you know when I've got that worked out.
The weight loss thus far has been slow but it has been consistent. Every week the scale tells me I've lost between a half and a full pound. It's slow and certainly not stunning but if I keep this up a year from now I'll be down to what I weighed prior to conceiving Sweetpea. In the past I've always said to myself "A year??? I can't wait a year!!" But the reality is, that year passed anyway. And at the end of it I was the same size as I was at the beginning. So the weight loss might not be stunning or dramatic but if it keeps up, and I have every reason to believe that it will since there is no new habit required, at the end of this year I will not be the same size as I was at the beginning. I will be smaller!
I know that sounded like I just spoke in a circle but the bottom line is I don't acquire new habits easily. And, let's face it, the way we eat day to day is as much a habit as anything. Whether or not someone exercises on a regular basis is also a habit. I have no difficulty performing all the physical tasks required to keep my home clean and running smoothly but I can't be bothered to take time out of every day to do 30-60 minutes of exercise. At least not on anything approaching a regular basis. So I've made a few really small adjustments to my daily activities that has, thus far, yielded small but consistent losses.
First, I am trying very hard to not keep any food in the house that can be eaten without any effort to prepare it. If you don't have to exert any effort to get the food from it's storage place to your mouth then you are more likely to just shovel it in. Heaven knows I've been guilty of this more than I care to think about. Even when I'm just having left overs, I try to reheat it, plate it and sit down at a table to eat it.
Second, I'm eating more slowly. Or at least I'm trying to. I am currently battling a cold that has decided my head is it's home and is resisting all efforts to evict it. So, tonight after the Grandson had been returned to his parents, I fixed myself a tray with hot tea, toasted homemade bread with fruit spread, a sliced apple and two mandarin oranges. I put everything on little plates and carried it into my bedroom where I got into my comfy bed to watch the first DVD of PBS's Manor House. Because my attention was focused on the television and what I was watching, I was NOT paying attention to how I was consuming my food. About a third of the way into my meal I realized I was again pretty much shoveling it in and forced my self to slow down. I know about the 20 minute rule. I taught it to my children. After you've finished your portion of something, wait 20 minutes for your body to register what you've eaten. If after that time you still feel the need for more food, have some, but more often than not, you will find that your hunger has been satisfied. Had I continued to mow through my meal without thinking I probably would have thought my little repast had been insufficient and gone back to the kitchen for something else. Instead I found that I had judge my hunger just about perfectly and I was well sated.
The third thing is the exercise thing. I hate it. Really, truly hate it. I'd rather do just about anything than any sort of cardio workout. I'll do yoga daily (and usually do) but cardio? Yuck!! I do, however, like to walk. Disneyland, the zoo, the museum, I'll stroll about all day long. So I'm trying to toss the Grandson in the stroller everyday and walk the two mile course I mapped out ages ago. Today that has bitten me on the backside a bit because I'm fairly certain that my walk yesterday is why I feel so much worse, cold-wise, than I did the day before. My poor body had barely enough energy to keep up the fight against the cold germs and I stole a lot of that away walking around the neighbourhood. Of course, God knows our needs and meets them perfectly and between Bree taking tomorrow off work and Monday being a holiday for the Enigma, I don't have the Grandson for four days. I will be behaving myself and laying low to allow my immune system to finally win this battle once and for all.
Last but not least, I have one more hurdle that I absolutely must master. I have to do strength training. I'm closing in on 50 years old far faster than I care to think about and I'm going to lose bone density and muscle mass at an alarming rate if I don't do something. I'll let you know when I've got that worked out.
The weight loss thus far has been slow but it has been consistent. Every week the scale tells me I've lost between a half and a full pound. It's slow and certainly not stunning but if I keep this up a year from now I'll be down to what I weighed prior to conceiving Sweetpea. In the past I've always said to myself "A year??? I can't wait a year!!" But the reality is, that year passed anyway. And at the end of it I was the same size as I was at the beginning. So the weight loss might not be stunning or dramatic but if it keeps up, and I have every reason to believe that it will since there is no new habit required, at the end of this year I will not be the same size as I was at the beginning. I will be smaller!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Raised at home is not just for children
I am one of those people who hears from God. And by that I mean I literally hear God. It isn't a voice in my head the way schizophrenic's hear them, more a voice in my heart but audible nonetheless. It's a unique experience and since I'm aware it's unusual, I vacillate between feeling very honoured and feeling like God just knows I'm too stinking dense to hear Him otherwise! I bring this up because lately He has been nudging me, none to gently I might add, to grow more of our food. We don't have a huge amount of space and all this growing will need to take place in the front yard or in containers in the back due to the fact that out entire backyard is either pool or cement. However, I've had the space not only picked out but actually partitioned off thanks to the lovely invention of the mail order raised garden bed. It's been sitting there for over a year. It mocks me every time I step onto the front porch and look to my right and see it sitting there all empty and barren.
So, for a woman who categorically refuses to make New Year's Resolutions (because, seriously, who keeps them?) I'm am, for all intents and purposes, making a resolution. I will heed God and start growing more of our food. I have a '2 in 1' apple tree coming via UPS that will be shipped on Valentine's Day (thus giving my husband a built in present to me because he will have to get it in the ground!) I have a Square Food Gardening book being delivered on Friday (New Year's Eve, see how I worked that?) I have space set aside for a lemon tree, tangelo tree and a nectarine tree which I will buy at a local nursery around the time the apple tree gets here and I have a toddler who wants to be outside as much as possible and, let's face it, what child doesn't jump at the chance to dig in the dirt?
I hope to post not only updates to how this endeavour plays out but with any luck, pictures as it progresses. Of course if I fail miserably, I'll do the only honourable thing and post about that as well.
So, for a woman who categorically refuses to make New Year's Resolutions (because, seriously, who keeps them?) I'm am, for all intents and purposes, making a resolution. I will heed God and start growing more of our food. I have a '2 in 1' apple tree coming via UPS that will be shipped on Valentine's Day (thus giving my husband a built in present to me because he will have to get it in the ground!) I have a Square Food Gardening book being delivered on Friday (New Year's Eve, see how I worked that?) I have space set aside for a lemon tree, tangelo tree and a nectarine tree which I will buy at a local nursery around the time the apple tree gets here and I have a toddler who wants to be outside as much as possible and, let's face it, what child doesn't jump at the chance to dig in the dirt?
I hope to post not only updates to how this endeavour plays out but with any luck, pictures as it progresses. Of course if I fail miserably, I'll do the only honourable thing and post about that as well.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Words of a Homemaker -Author Unknown
God, I want to do great things for you,
And speak to all the nations!
God replies:
That's well and good,
But for now
Fix your children's complications.
Lord, I want to straighten up the world,
Feed the hungry and fulfill someone's wishes!
God says:
Fine, but for the present,
You need to wash the dishes.
Lord, I want to preach, proclaim your name
And bring salvation to the earth!
God says:
Good! Then teach your children
And preach my name to those you've given birth.
At the end of the day,
I think of all I've done.
But as I look it seems,
I've accomplished nothing for the Son!
God I had no time to witness one on one,
I couldn't join my church group,
They said I missed out on lots of fun.
My household is the only thing
That managed to be cleaned,
My neighbor is the only one,
Besides my family I could feed.
The only ones I've read Your Word
Are those within my home.
God I've done so very little
And I feel so all alone!
God says:
I've seen the way you cleaned and cooked
And taught your kids My name.
Tomorrow morning at eight o' clock,
I'll watch you do the same.
The work you do at home,
Though no one really sees,
Is helping to raise little ones
To grow and worship me.
My ways are not your ways,
I don't expect you yet to see,
But the precepts that you've taught your children,
Will help others bow the knee.
Your children will reach out to others,
Your example in their mind.
They'll do great work for Me
And their children will respond in kind.
The hand that rules the world,
Also rocks the cradle.
Because of you, your children love Me,
All their hearts are stable.
Though your house is your domain,
Your tasks seem rather plain,
Your efforts will reach the multitudes,
Though from humble work they came.
I copied this from http://loveaboundsathome.blogspot.com/2010/11/words-of-homemaker.html. I actually cried when I read it because despite the fact that I know God has called me to be the Keeper of our Home, I still have this conversation with Him! It was so comforting to see what is undoubtedly His response, in writing.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Politically Correct is not the same as Actually Correct
I have raised a son and a daughter from conception to adulthood. I am currently, for all intents and purposes, raising my not-quite-two year old grandson. I have several nieces and nephews, I have friends with children ranging in age from 2 months to 45 years. I believe I have seen enough children in various stages of life to say with some authority that sexual stereotypes exist for a reason. They are generally true.
Each Monday the grandson and I stand either on the front walkway or, in inclement weather, on the front porch and watch as one by one the trash, recycling and garden waste trucks come down the street and empty each individual bin into the truck. He is absolutely fascinated with these trucks. Any truck for that matter. He is captivated by basketball or football games, has multiple balls of varying sizes that he plays with every day, and his own ride on truck is frequently being "worked on" by this little bundle of masculinity.
Now, don't get me wrong, he likes to do other things to. He loves to play with his stuffed animals and have stories read to him. He even likes to clean right along side me with his own dust mop for the floors and swiffer duster for dusting! Being able to vacuum is the treat promised if he cleans up at the end of each day. He loves to pretend to cook with the pots and pans in the cupboard that he is allowed in (because I’ve made sure there is nothing breakable in there.) Cooking and cleaning are stereotypically considered “women’s work” and, in our home at least, the woman is the keeper of the home and thus in charge of these tasks. But largely, he does things we think of as "boy things."
Girls tend to do things we think of as "girl things." Girls do things that are typically associated with boys, too. However, there is a reason we think of them as either boy or girl things. It isn't because society has thrust these roles on them. It is because they naturally gravitate to these things. God created man and woman. He made them equally important but he did not make them interchangeable. There are roles for each gender outlined in the Bible and unfortunately, over the millennia, societies have twisted those roles and made them far more rigid than I personally believe God ever intended. That, like all other forms of legalism, is a failing of humanity, not of God. This twist is the cause of so many saying that gender roles are wrong and merely a creation of those who would keep women repressed. This erroneous thought is, of course, the beginning of the evil that is feminism but that is another post.
To say that gender roles are just restrictions we force upon our children to fit some agenda of our own is ridiculous. All you need to do is watch small children at play. I think we, as a society, might do well to consider that trying to force children out of gender roles is far more harmful than just letting them do what comes naturally to them because of God's great plan. Politically correct is not the same as actually correct. Politically correct is whatever we humans decide is correct and is frequently a way to pretend God doesn’t exist and didn’t create us. Actually correct is what God has told us is correct. It isn’t difficult to figure out which is which. Actually correct is all written down in the best selling book of all time, the Bible.
Each Monday the grandson and I stand either on the front walkway or, in inclement weather, on the front porch and watch as one by one the trash, recycling and garden waste trucks come down the street and empty each individual bin into the truck. He is absolutely fascinated with these trucks. Any truck for that matter. He is captivated by basketball or football games, has multiple balls of varying sizes that he plays with every day, and his own ride on truck is frequently being "worked on" by this little bundle of masculinity.
Now, don't get me wrong, he likes to do other things to. He loves to play with his stuffed animals and have stories read to him. He even likes to clean right along side me with his own dust mop for the floors and swiffer duster for dusting! Being able to vacuum is the treat promised if he cleans up at the end of each day. He loves to pretend to cook with the pots and pans in the cupboard that he is allowed in (because I’ve made sure there is nothing breakable in there.) Cooking and cleaning are stereotypically considered “women’s work” and, in our home at least, the woman is the keeper of the home and thus in charge of these tasks. But largely, he does things we think of as "boy things."
Girls tend to do things we think of as "girl things." Girls do things that are typically associated with boys, too. However, there is a reason we think of them as either boy or girl things. It isn't because society has thrust these roles on them. It is because they naturally gravitate to these things. God created man and woman. He made them equally important but he did not make them interchangeable. There are roles for each gender outlined in the Bible and unfortunately, over the millennia, societies have twisted those roles and made them far more rigid than I personally believe God ever intended. That, like all other forms of legalism, is a failing of humanity, not of God. This twist is the cause of so many saying that gender roles are wrong and merely a creation of those who would keep women repressed. This erroneous thought is, of course, the beginning of the evil that is feminism but that is another post.
To say that gender roles are just restrictions we force upon our children to fit some agenda of our own is ridiculous. All you need to do is watch small children at play. I think we, as a society, might do well to consider that trying to force children out of gender roles is far more harmful than just letting them do what comes naturally to them because of God's great plan. Politically correct is not the same as actually correct. Politically correct is whatever we humans decide is correct and is frequently a way to pretend God doesn’t exist and didn’t create us. Actually correct is what God has told us is correct. It isn’t difficult to figure out which is which. Actually correct is all written down in the best selling book of all time, the Bible.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
I AM at work!
I've been having this minor issue with my telephone lately. It keeps ringing.
I realize that telephones do that, it's just that lately whomever is calling seems to want to chat. Everyone in my life knows I am the fulltime caregiver of my 20 month old grandson Monday through Friday. However, for reasons I will never understand, there are people who don't think there is anything wrong with calling up for a chat in the middle of what is my work day. These same people, I'm sure, would never call a friend at their office in the middle of the work day and expect to chat unless it was during that person's break. Even then, because it can be difficult to know exactly when someone is on their break, you would generally start the conversation with, "Is this a good time?"
It's a simple thing and I'm probably ranting out of all proportion to the situation, but today the grandson is having a particularly difficult day and requires my full attention.
When faced with a toddler who is literally throwing himself on the floor in a screaming tantrum every other moment, there are only two responses. You can ignore him and so whatever you feel like doing at the time or you can give that child the attention he so clearly needs and try to figure out WHY this normally cheerful, obedient child is behaving like a spoiled brat. I obviously choose the latter which is why these phone calls are my current irksome issue.
That's all. No deep insights. Just my need to rant for a moment. I do, however, feel better now.
I realize that telephones do that, it's just that lately whomever is calling seems to want to chat. Everyone in my life knows I am the fulltime caregiver of my 20 month old grandson Monday through Friday. However, for reasons I will never understand, there are people who don't think there is anything wrong with calling up for a chat in the middle of what is my work day. These same people, I'm sure, would never call a friend at their office in the middle of the work day and expect to chat unless it was during that person's break. Even then, because it can be difficult to know exactly when someone is on their break, you would generally start the conversation with, "Is this a good time?"
It's a simple thing and I'm probably ranting out of all proportion to the situation, but today the grandson is having a particularly difficult day and requires my full attention.
When faced with a toddler who is literally throwing himself on the floor in a screaming tantrum every other moment, there are only two responses. You can ignore him and so whatever you feel like doing at the time or you can give that child the attention he so clearly needs and try to figure out WHY this normally cheerful, obedient child is behaving like a spoiled brat. I obviously choose the latter which is why these phone calls are my current irksome issue.
That's all. No deep insights. Just my need to rant for a moment. I do, however, feel better now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)