An Overdue Return

So - I'm back.  I got a little busy, had a lot of shtuff going on and got away from blogging.  I've decided to return - for many reasons.  Mostly though - I wanted a venue to share funny stories and goings on with my kids, but also there are sometimes things that I feel just need to be shared.  So, here I am and I'm not sure how often I'll get on here, but if you're reading it...enjoy it!

My first thing I want to put out here is a problem I see in the world today.  Lack of consideration for others and not thinking beyond yourself.  I've encountered so much of this lately, it is truly an epidemic.  I happened to watch Dr. Phil for a bit this afternoon (something I don't normally do).  It was all about Banning Brats (and I mean kids not food).  An example they were discussing is when a child is misbehaving in a restaurant.  Some places have a no kid policy (which I think is great).  There were people all up in arms about not being allowed to eat in a particular place.  Well how many of us have been out and there are kids running around and not staying at their table?  I'm sorry - I've taught my child how to behave.  It wasn't easy, we're still working on it, but I can say that we have no worries when it comes time to head out for dinner somewhere.  When they were younger and there was the potential for a fit; we were prepared to get it to go and LEAVE so we wouldn't disturb the other patrons.  THAT is the problem!  People aren't willing to remove their child because that would mean removing themselves and they will now miss out on the experience of eating out.  It doesn't matter that it is ruining it for everyone else.  If those people would think beyond themselves, perhaps we would have better behaved children.  Part of the reason I discipline and correct my kids is so they know how to behave at someone else's house.  I want my kids to be the kids that all the other parents enjoy having over because they know how to behave.  This requires a lot of work on my part, but the payoff is enormous.  I'm thinking beyond myself!!  Instead of letting them do whatever they want because it is just easier and I don't have the time to deal with it and I don't want the battle, I correct them when necessary so they learn how to act.  This is missing today and it makes it so difficult for those of us that are trying to raise well-mannered children.  I could go on, but I'll leave it at how much nicer the world would be if people put themselves in others' shoes.

Who knows when you'll hear from me again!