random ramblings: debatable buzz edition

 just kids bein' kids...before the days of facebook.

amy and juls 2001 & 2002

one of my oldest friends, amy, posted on facebook today about a hot topic on "the view" -- snooping on your kids. the discussion was about monitoring their comuputer usage, reading their texts, etc.  here is my rant that i posted in regards to the post.

I don't think it is necessary for any child who isn't of driving age to have a cell phone. If we (the parents) decide that they need a cell phone before that age then it will be one of those that can only dial like 4 numbers...no texting.

As far as computer usage and accounts...I'm going to have to go with full parental access until 17 (yes, I randomly pulled that number out of my bum). The internet is just not a safe place and that is really all there is to it. Kids are kids and they don't always think things through. They are always going to be a little naive and impulsive. They believe they are invincible so going to meet up with that cute guy/gal they met on the internet sounds like a good idea. Also, with all the cyber-bullying nowadays it's nice to have that access as a parent.
I would never read my child's personal journal. You want to go old school with your pen and paper? I will respect that. Not much trouble can come from the people you meet in your own head.
I don't believe in snooping on your children unless it becomes an urgent/emergency/life or death situation. They would know full well where we stand on the issues of all of these things. I grew up in a house with very open communication and I really feel that is the only way to go. Now if I can just figure out the keys to making sure my child feels the same way...

While I'm on my rant...kids are kids and they need to maintain that. Our society moves so fast and our children are pressured to grow up before they can really enjoy being a kid. I'm sure they will not like that I don't allow all-you-can-play-video-gaming, unlimited texting, or no make-up until you are (enter random age here) but as a parent I want them to enjoy and cherish every moment of not feeling stressed and pressured.

As I'm typing this I'm really starting to stress about what I'm in for here.....only 7 more weeks until I embark on the wonderful journey of parenthood.

what about you? what are your thoughts on this topic? are you a parent of a tween or teen? how do you handle it? are you kids all grown now? what are some of your suggestions for maintaining an open line of communication with your children and making sure they are comfortable coming to you with anything?

random ramblings

 

dress: old navy; boots: nine west; socks: kohl's 

--it's the first day of february and the high is supposed to be around 63 today. (that's right, i'm doing weather shtick today) i have decided that if i'm not going to get my precious snow days then i'm ready for winter to be over and the temps to be like this everyday.

--i read a little article on katherine heigl's rant about the show dance moms. i hadn't seen the show before so i immediately had to check it out since it was apparently the worst ever. wow! she wasn't kidding! that show and the people in it are so far off their rockers and out of touch with reality that it isn't even funny. and the poor kids! isn't anybody thinking about these poor children? no, b/c as long as the moms get their drama and part of the spotlight then all is right in their world. it's messed up people.

--what is up with pregnancy dreams? can i just tell you a little about one i had? you might want to get a good cuppa and curl up for this one. ok, so i dreamed that i went to the doctor and he informed me i wasn't pregnant, but rather i had a giant tumor. he then cut me open, while i was awake, and inside the tumor was a litter of kittens. the doctor looked at me and said, "oh, ok. i know what is going on now. have you eaten chinese food lately? sometimes they cook with cat food and your body then produces a litter of kittens to eat it." -- ok, seriously? how weird is that?

random ramblings

- if you forget your wedding ring when you are six months pregnant you will get dirty looks. i know it is 2012, but apparently the rest of the south does not. it's like when a girl sees a hot guy - our eyes go immediately to that fourth finger on that left hand. when someone sees a bump - their eyes go immediately to that fourth finger on that left hand.

- husband's car makes a lovely little ding sound, about 5 minutes into driving, when it is around freezing temperatures outside. no matter how many times i hear it, it still scares the crap out of me.

- i hate syrup. despise it really. yet last night all i wanted for snack were some waffles with lots of butter and syrup. husband would not indulge this craving with a trip to the store though.

- a stranger in the store chatted me up about my baby bump the other day. and by chatted me up i mean argued with me over whether it was a boy or girl. i mean what do you really say? the conversation ended with her saying, "well i guess there could be two in there." no, i'm pretty sure that would've been caught by now, but thanks for informing me of how large i am.

-i loved watching the face of the man sitting next to me at a conference on monday as baby petree was kicking and squirming around. his eyes got so wide and his mouth was agape! I laughed and said it's completely normal, but he continued to look at it in that i'm-totally-freaked-out-but was-also-just-caught-staring-at-this-stranger's-belly face. yeah, surely you know that face.

-doing a press conference when you sound like kermit the frog (head cold) is miserable for you - highly entertaining for your coworkers.

- i love feeling baby petree move more than anything else in the world right now. it never fails to bring a smile to my face or a little giggle out loud.

-no what i don't love? almost peeing my pants every time i sneeze. yep, that's right, i said it. oh the little bonuses of pregnancy that nobody talks about. well, i'm breaking girl code. you can expect a lot more of those lovely tidbits from me.

-last but not least, it's wednesday! we are halfway through another week. smile!