party like a what, what?

Hi. I'd like to establish (or solidify) my nerdy-ness once and for all. I don't like the current "Rockstar" craze. Unfortunately, its hard to find even binkies (I'm not kidding on this one people) that aren't trying to be cool these days! As President Faust said, "There is a certain irony in the fact that some parents are so anxious for their children to be accepted by and be popular with their peers; yet these same parents fear that their children may be doing the things their peers are doing."  Why, tell me why, would I want my 2 year old to EVER "Party like a RockStar"? No, its not just because he's two. I don't want him to when he's twenty two or forty two (please note the use of the word EVER). Not only do I not want him to ever party like a rockstar, I also don't ever want him to BE a rock star. Think about the kids you knew in high school who were the closest to becoming real rockers in adulthood...go ahead...I really want you to actually picture them in your mind...now think of the ones who never actually grew out of it...Is that what you want your kids to live like when they're forty. And then there are the actual World famous Rock icons and legends of Guitar Hero. While I will say some rockstars are incredibly talented people (I'd say about 50 percent), most if not all are also incredibly disturbed people. I can't think of any that aren't. Let me know if you do. I mean "Future Rockstar" toddler shirts? Yes, my greatest hope is that one day my child will discover great musical talent, stop showering, sleep around, do drugs, drink heavily, get tatoo-ed and pierced, play in front of sold out crowds screaming his name and then eventually die from a drug overdose or sexually transmitted disease.

Now don't get me wrong, I like to play Rockband and Guitar Hero with my brother and sister in law. I'm actually pretty good. But may I be so absurd as to suggest that maybe this is an adult game? Maybe kids shouldn't be singing along word for word lyrics about being high and having sex. For older kids it might be a good time to point out how sad the lyrics are and how deeply troubled the minds and/or hearts are of the people they represent. Producing a beautiful piece of art does not change who they are and it does not make their lifestyle into one that they can enjoy. Many things combine to make their lives look much better than they really are while moms scrub toilets and wipe noses, but in reality many of the rich and famous are very sad and lonely people just looking for joy in all the wrong places. So I'd like to say to my kid and children everywhere, loudly even--"NO! DO NOT 'Party like a RockStar!' They are partying to forget. I want you to live a life whose memories bring you comfort and joy and peace not one whose falsehoods you need to drink or inject away." That's it I am going out to start a line of clothes and binkies and gear all emblazoned with the creed, "Party like a Mormon!"

My letter to an editor

Dear Little Rock Family,

I really enjoy your magazine and its dedication to all things family. I am a Little Rock native who has been away for years and recently returned to the beautiful natural state (right during the hottest summer ever!) I love it here and truly feel our city has so much to offer. I do have one item that I would like to bring to your attention not as a complaint but as a suggestion for future issues. I feel that the “average stay at home mom” is under represented in the world and in the cover stories of your magazine. In a world where the SuperMom complex has reached epidemic proportions I feel it unfair to those of us who “just stay home” to represent Mommyhood as running marathons, organizing campaigns, work in public media, etc. I have truly enjoyed these articles and learning about these Moms and their busy, successful lives, but I consider their lives successful because they are moms not because they are busy ( : Being a good parent takes time and I really admire and enjoy hearing about people who take hits to their social status, personal agenda, and even job standing to parent effectively. Sometimes you can “have your cake and eat it too” but this is very often not the case. There are many of us who don’t “do what we love” because we love our kids. Many assume that we do not have as much passion for work as other (“Well I understand you stay at home, but not her she just loves being a nurse SO much she couldn’t possibly!”) more dedicated individuals or that we have more patience or that we are just “good at mothering.” Raise your hand if you enjoy poopy diapers and housework! Uh, not me. I am not at all patient and there are plenty of things I would rather be doing. I feel that I am teaching my kids an important lesson by staying home with them. Among other things I am teaching them we do not always do what is the most fun or the easiest. We do what is right. Period. I want my kids to be the ones that stop inappropriate bullying, I want my kids to be the ones that sacrifice winning to play the game honestly, I want my kids to be the ones that put people before profits. To do this they will have to be willing to take a hit to their social status here or there, sacrifice their personal agendas, and put others first.

One of my professors wrote an article in which he discussed the idea of finding balance in home and work life. He contended that what we need to find is not balance at all but harmony. He used the example of a symphony orchestra. If all the instruments played together at the same time at the same speed and volume it would not be beautiful music. We need crescendo and decrescendo. We need emphasis on a particular instrument or group of instruments, one instrument growing louder while the others dim or vice versa. That is how beautiful music is created and that is how a beautiful life is created. A wise man once said, “Create a masterpiece of your life.” With each moment I spend with my children I am creating their life experience, something that no one else can do. I have been educated at the university level and have worked in early childhood classrooms (including daycare, preschool, and kindergarten). I have taught parenting classes in Spanish for

United Way

and the DHS. I have been a missionary for my church. I have captained a state championship gymnastics team. And I have been replaced. In all of these capacities, when a child says, “Teacher,” when a parent says, “Maestra,” when a teammate says, “Captain,” they are no longer addressing me. But when my now two year old is eighty years old when he says, “Mama” he will always mean me. I do not think only stay at home moms deserve respect, but I do believe that they have a story just like everyone else that deserves to be told. Thank you for a wonderful magazine and your attention to this letter.

Sincerely,

Jessi

www.iamnotmyskin.blogspot.com

Believe!

So I am going to start blogging with this disclaimer...as India Arie sings, I am not my hair. I am not this skin. I am not your expectations. No.  I am a soul that lives within. So before I start I'd like to say that I am not my blog. I am a soul. I spend all day and all night sustaining life, creating joy, and defining existence. I am a stay at home mom (SAHM). God created the world for me and I create it each day for them. I may not wash my my hair everyday, but that is because I am too busy making the sun come up for my 2 1/2 year old. I may not cook a seven course (or even a one course : ) meal every afternoon, but that is because I can't stop feeding my seven month old's curiousity. Too many children are hurt, too many adults are broken. I am blogging because the only difference between them and me is that I know who and what I am. I am a soul that lives within.