The Responsibility

When I started this blog my intention wasn't to keep people informed about things going on with our family. My wife does this on her blog and does a fantastic job. I also didn't plan on using it as a soap box to shove my beliefs and convictions down the throats of those reading it. What I wanted was an outlet for expressing the things that motive me, excite me, anger me, move me, please me, or frustrate me.

As a parent I am constantly second guessing myself. Was I too harsh? An I spending enough time with them? Should I have let them go with so-and-so? Am I pushing them too hard? Do I do enough? How much is too much? Will I ever feel good about the decisions I make regarding my children? I mean, they are my children after all. I want everything I do for them to be the right thing. I want every decision to be the right decision. I will not make any parenting mistakes...yeah, right!

I know that I will make mistakes, but I will relentlessly work to keep those mistakes to an absolute minimum. It's much too important for my children and myself. It amazes me how lightly some people take their role as a parent. What are some people thinking when they have kids?

I know some people don't plan their parenthood. However, this doesn't excuse them from the responsibility of it. Others plan to become a parent for all the wrong reasons. It amazes me how many unmarried teenage girls will have intentional pregnancies. Whether the purpose is to hold on to a boyfriend or maybe just a way to get some attention. Don't they realize the disadvantages that this child is going to experience. Sometimes they seem so proud of themselves and they fail to understand that the pride should come in how they raise the child, not the simple fact that they got pregnant and gave birth. They will tote the baby around flaunting their "accomplishment" then the new wears off and they are left with a child that they don't really want and won't properly nurture.

Maybe in my occupation I have too much of an insider's view of this and so many other issues in our society. Maybe I have become too cynical about the circumstances that today's youth must face. I just know that there are too many kids out there raising themselves, fending for themselves, and dependening on themselves with no one to encourage them, no one to comfort them, no one to admonish them, and no one to love them. And it breaks my heart everyday.

Let me know your thoughts on this subject.

The Survey

I don't usually make this kind of non-narrative post, but this one sounded kind of fun when I saw it so here goes.

1. Did you date someone from your school? I WANTED to date someone from my school.

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? Yes, although she was there WAAAAY before I was. Just kidding, honey.

3. Did you car pool to school? Does my mom taking me to school count as carpooling?

4. What kind of car did you have? What car? My mom's Ford Limited or "the boat" as it was known to my sister and I.

5. What kind of car do you have now? Porshe Carrera. Yeah, right! It's a Chevy Suburban.

6. (THEN) Its Friday night...where are you? Bagging groceries at IGA, serving food through a drive-thru window, or selling drugs at Revco. Whatever my job-of-the-moment happened to be.

7. (NOW) It is Friday night...where are you? Now, I actually get to go see the Bobcats play.

8. What kind of job did you have in high school? What kind of job did I NOT have in high school. Bagging groceries, stocking shelves, fast food, retail drugs. You name it, I did it!

9. What kind of job do you do now? Teaching high school mathematics

10. Were you a party animal? This may come as a shock (not), but not one, single party until I was in college.

11. Were you considered a flirt? Are you kidding? That would require a personality.

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Believe it or not, NO, none of the above!

13. Were you a nerd? All the way! 100%

14. Did you get suspended or expelled? Are you kidding? If I had even been called to the principal's office I probably would have needed to change my Levi 501s.

15. Can you sing the fight song? I'm embarrassed to say, but yes, I can sing it word for word.

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? Mrs. Davidson, Mrs. Evans, and Coach Anglin

17. Where did you sit during lunch? At my mom's kitchen table

18. What was your school's mascot? The fighting Childress Bobcats!

19. When did you graduate? We are BAD! We are GREAT! We're the class of '88!

20. What was your school colors? Blue and white

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Not in a million years!

22. Did you have fun at Prom? For the most part. Dance until 12:00, in bed by 12:30!

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? When I see her, which isn't often.

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Yeah, I'll go.

25. Do you still talk to people from school? Sure, all the time.