Sesame Street, Move 360, and The First Lady...

Over the past few years I've been amazed at what I'm seeing on TV, hearing on the radio, and experiencing in every day life. I guess it's been more than a few years. First, about six years ago, I was a housekeeper and tended to work in some higher end neighborhoods, as well as middle income areas. During the summer I would drive through these neighborhoods and see these expensive basketball hoops in the driveways yet there wasn't a single child outside. My kids played outside every single day, whether it was riding their bikes, climbing trees, playing ball in the yard, or swimming in the creek. Where were all the kids?




Something called Move360 started coming on the commercials. There were athletes telling kids to go outside and play for 60 minutes a day. Since when do we have to tell kids to go play? Perhaps, we, as parents, need to remove or at least limit television and video game use. The First Lady, Michelle Obama, came out trying to get kids to move, eat better, and drink water. I'm still confused over why it is taking professional athletes and the President's wife to get kids playing. Stay with me, I have a point.




This morning on the news they announced that Sesame Street has had a small makeover. The puppets now talk about eating healthier foods like vegetables and fruits. They're trying to get kids to move. What happened to the Cookie Monster? I heard he was now the veggie monster. WHAT?




Okay, I'm coming to the point of this post. When did it become the responsibility of everyone BUT the parents to get kids to get off the couch and eat better? I buy snacks, I buy treats, but they're limited. I'll buy a huge bag of apples or oranges, but only one small bag of potato chips. If we're the ones doing the grocery shopping, why do we need to convince the kids to eat less junk food? Just buy less, or stop all together. Why do we need celebrities to get our kids to get up and move or go outside and play? We're the parents! Turn off the video game, computer, TVs, and take away the phones. Hell, if you have to go out with them. We adults could use some more exercise, too.




I have a problem with the way society is raising our kids. It's become everyone else's job but our own, and some are complacent to allow teachers, daycare workers, actors, singers, etc teach our kids values, morals, and life lessons. You're upset because Miley Cyrus is supposed to be a role model and twerked on TV? SHE IS NOT YOUR CHILD'S ROLE MODEL!!! YOU are! You are responsible for how your child is raised, for what they eat, how much exercise they get. Don't tell me you can't because you work. We all work in way or another. Once the kids are done with their homework take them outside and play tag, throw a ball, ride your bike with them. Believe it or not, they follow your lead mom and dad. They need YOU to direct them, NOT Grover, Miley Cyrus, or Michelle Obama!

If I Could Do It All Again - An original essay by Christy Parks

If I Could Do It Again

By Christy Parks

Like every new mother I stressed, yelled, and complained. I couldn’t wait for the day when my kids could do more for themselves and give me a break. I couldn’t wait for the day when I no longer had to stay up until three in the morning to ensure the visit by Santa would remain secret. I couldn’t wait for the day when I no longer had to sneak into my kids’ rooms, tripping over toys, and slip money under their pillowcase in exchange for a blood stained tooth.

Now that my kids are in high school, edging toward adulthood, I can’t help but wonder where the time went. Sure, I wanted the time to fly a little faster, to get some time for myself, to allow at least one day when I could sleep past six am. I was a fool.

As I set about decorating for the holidays, shopping for the perfect gift, my heart is a little broken. No longer do I get to hunt up and down the toy aisles, searching for the coolest and noisiest toys possible. No longer do I get a child bundled up in foot pajamas climbing up onto my lap to watch Rudolph, Frosty, and Charlie Brown. Sure, my kids still enjoy hanging around me at times, but there are no more little hands slipped into mine when we cross the street, no more tear streaked faces over tiny scrapes and boo boos.

Where did the time go?

I didn’t get the same amount of time as others, as my children didn’t come into my life until they were four, five, and six years old. There are no baby pictures hanging on my walls, but there are memories everywhere. There are no memories of the first step or the first word, but there are memories of the first time my kids called me mom, the first time they said they loved me, and the first time I realized my heart was swollen with love for these three.

If I could do it all again I would slow down, listen to every tiny detail of their day, let them paint, color, and build as many mud pies as they could fit into a day. I would pull them onto my lap and watch lightening bugs flash in the summer night sky. If I could do it all again, I would sing more, read more books to them, and take more field trips to the zoo, Grant’s Farm, Purina Farms, and any and every museum I could find. If I could do it all again I would let them cook alongside me no matter how big of a mess they made, I would let them roll the dough, and I would let them decorate the cookies by themselves, even if the gingerbread man’s eyes didn’t match.

If I could do it all again I would enjoy every single second and would never wish for them to grow up a little faster.