Pet Peeves

Today's Top 3!

1.  I was watching something on TV and they had a preview for some tell-all interview with Jon Gosslin.  I will say that I enjoyed watching Jon & Kate Plus 8, up until they split up.  Now I don't want to see anything about them.  I was really annoyed when this preview showed Jon saying how he had twins at age 25 (I think) and sextuplets at age 27 and "there went his twenties".  Like having children ruined the best years of his life?!  I did not watch the interview, I only saw that snippet, but I was ticked off!  What do you think your life will be like once you have children? You think you can be the same person with no responsibilities?  Children make you into an adult.  Life isn't meant to be one big frat party for you to enjoy.  I hate that the media and everyone gives the message that life is suppose to be easy, that work isn't suppose to be hard and that having children just means you have more friends to play with.  Ug. It really bugs me.

2. Terrible Twos.  I hate that people call it that.  One of my recent parenting magazines had an article about "surviving the Terrible Twos" and I was really irked by it.  This automatic thought that your kid is suddenly having a tantrum because they are 2, is so silly.  I feel like it gives parent's an excuse.  Oh, I can't help it, my child is 2.  News flash!  2 is this amazing age where your child is learning all kinds of new things and they are exploring and pushing boundaries. Its the time when mom and dad really have to step it up and be parents.  Fun time is over, now its time to work and be a real parent.  Do kids to terrible things at this age?  Yes they do!  Are they intentionally trying to drive you bonkers?  No. They just have these little brains that are going a million miles a minute and they are going to get into mischief.  LOTS of mischief.  And they are going to throw colossal tantrums- they think the world revolves around them and its not fun to learn it doesn't.  

I hate that some parents' philosophy seems to be that they just have to endure this age, and then they are shocked to discover that the terrible two's are also the terrible threes.  Here's what you do:  You expect that your kid is going to be trying new stuff, and getting into trouble. You expect that you are going to deal with tantrums.  You expect that you are going to have to set the boundary here and now, and you plan to be firm and consistent.  You also can look at all the new stuff they are learning and take great joy and delight in watching them grow and develop. It really is exciting to see them developing into their personalities and becoming real people.  And here is the amazing thing- you end up with a pretty great kid at age 3!   And that's my soapbox on that!!

3. Parenting Magazine had an article titled "Raise a Slim Kid in a Supersize World", and they had this sentence in it:"It's frustrating that many of the factors contributing to the obesity epidemic... seem to be out of our control."  WHAT?!!  I'm sorry?  Who feeds your children?  Who lets them (or doesn't let them ) sit in front of the TV or computer or game system all day?  Are you kidding me?  We don't have control over the obesity epidemic?  Who else does?!  Sure, Mc Donalds doesn't have healthy meals.  Sure, Schools don't offer PE like they use to.  Sure, restaurants serve huge portions.  However, that's not what's making anyone obese.  Personal choices are.  When I choose a Big Mac, or when I let my children rot their brains all day in front of SpongeBob, or when I let them buy school lunch every day...  That, my friends is what contributes to obesity.  Nope, you don't have to eat the entire portion you receive at a restaurant.  That's why they have to-g0 boxes.  Heck, you don't even have to go out to eat.  Its much healthier and cheaper to make food yourself.  It is more time consuming, but its worth it.  This statement really had me fuming.  Can you tell?  Let's take responsibility for our choices and own up to the fact that we are a lazy lot and its easier to let kids sit in front of the TV than to fight to get them to play outside, and its easier to nuke some chicken nuggets than it is to fix a healthy meal.

Those are my pet peeves for today and now that I've gotten that out of my system, I feel much better!  To any who may be offended by any of my tirades, I apologize, its not personal to you... well, unless you endorse such thoughts and comments as mentioned above.