children
Children: Our most valuable natural resource.
Remembering what we said to our baby girl when she was one and a half years old
Dear little Dawnxi, when you were one and a half years and ten days old, your mother and father took you for vaccinations and a "routine check-up for children aged one and a half years". (That medical examination date was arranged by the health center.）While waiting for vaccinations to be administered, mommy and daddy told you about the scenario you might experience later, the nurse will give you a shot in each arm, it would hurt a little, but not a lot and mommy and daddy would always stay with you. Mom and Dad thought you would still be like you were six months ago, at most, you would cry once or twice when the nurse pulled the needle out of you. It turned out not to be the case at all. You started crying from the moment the nurse stuck the first needle in. When you came out of the vaccination room, you cried for a long time in the hall. It was so hard to cry that it hurt mom and dad. The last time you had your vaccination and physical examination at about one year old, your height was up to the standard, but your weight was not up to the standard, and you were still a little short of the minimum standard weight.
By Dawnxisoul393art4 years ago in Families
Surbugatory
I grew up in a town where dreams go to die as my friend would say. Our big claim to fame was a burning river and a race track where you bet on horses. Doesn't that sound inviting? To make matters worse it seems to have the same level of addiction that you find among minority disenfranchised populations like American Indians, or any ghetto in the world, for that matter.
By Susan Eileen 4 years ago in Families
Summers to Remember
Everyone has fond memories of certain things that will forever leave a lasting impact on them throughout their life. One such instance for me is something so simple, but life changing in and essence. I was raised up in Oregon state and when I went into foster care, a family I was placed with would always take us on road trips and camping trips. One staple always stood out to me....the Smore. Epically delicious, fun, cozy, sweet and always dependable. Smores are a favorite for almost everyone, unless you don't like chocolate or marshmallows. In the case of chocolate, there are new innovative things that you can incorporate into a smore. We will touch base with that later. Back to where I was. Trips that would run all along the California-Washington coast. I was about ten years old when I was placed in this family. Life hadn't actually been particularly kind to me up to this point, so when I was placed in this family and learned that they ACTUALLY cared about the kids in their care, as well as their own children. I wasn't used to that. Being with this family was amazing. The foster mom was a nurse and the dad a cop. They loved nature and history and learning new things and exploring. We would often go on day trips and camping trips. When we went camping, we would go hiking, swimming and learn about nature. In the evenings we would eat, and then after we would get a special treat. Smores!!! We always ate them the traditional way with the graham crackers, marshmallow, and chocolate. They were always so melty, sticky, gooey and amazing. They tasted like campfire and dreams. Anything was possible when your a kid sitting next to a fire roasting a marshmallow. The fire even became magical, and the forest around us suddenly became so much more intriguing. I loved sitting next to the warm fire, eating smore and just talking, singing, having fun. Literally some of the best memories in my life have came from sitting next to a campfire, roasting marshmallows, eating smores. I learned around that campfire, I bonded, I grew up, I came to respect nature more and life more around that campfire. Such fond memories. Now I'm a mother passing on the tradition to my kids. My 6 year old little boy just loves it when we gather around the fire, just him, my husband and I. I pull out the smores items, and his little face just lights up. Something about them will always be magical. Now, we have never really deviated away from the traditional way of eating them, with one minor exception. I have tried with Reese's peanut butter cups and they are truly EPIC!!! I am now learning that you can make them with Samoa cookies, any candy bar or candy really, fruit, other types of cookies, brownies, ice cream, and even make a smores dip!!! NO way man!!! I'm sure that would be delicious as all get out. My challenge to myself is to try a few new ways of eating this yummy treat. Strawberries, Andes mints, Samoa cookies, and brownies all sound pretty yummy to me. I'm going to be doing some research and finding out some other ways as well. I know my home bakery makes a smores flavor of cookie and fudge. They are delicious. I look forward to passing on these traditions to my children and making lifelong memories with them, getting them to be a little more adventurous in trying new things, and just having a blast. Life is too short and it's only what you make it. Why not choose to make it just as sweet as the treat we've all grown up with? So get out there, grab life by the marshmallow and go make some sweet memories!!! Take care.
By Trisha Brandhorst 4 years ago in Families
The Trouble With...(Pt. 13)
Let us take a moment to talk about the two types of people in the world. I grant you there is a lot (and I am not making that number up) of different views on this subject. There are memes that will keep you laughing for hours. There are educational discussions on the matter that make you think you should not judge others. While this is inherently true, there is something within us that automatically divides. For example, without one the other could not exist. They may be obviously opposite, but they compliment each other. They stand interdependent, and are still interconnected. They relate to one another in a way that brings meaning to chaos. It is the Yin-Yang principle, if you will. It is almost assuredly why we say "opposites attract" when we talk about relationships. And you cannot have night without day, hot without cold, true without false, or right without left. The list could go on. I do not pretend to be an expert. I can only give you my opinion. Why do we subconsciously make this division within ourselves?
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
Whoever Says You Can’t Be Your Child’s Best Friend Is Full Of It
I’ve seen a lot of things on social media in the 16 years I’ve been a part of it. Many things have been wonderful. Some made me laugh, some made me cry. Some are shocking, while others have been infuriating.
By The Mouthy Renegade Writer4 years ago in Families
You're Just Like Your Dad
For some people, being told they are just like their father is the ultimate insult. Not all fathers are good men after all. Take my grandfather for instance. He was a World War II vet, a Canadian rifleman to be exact. Maybe it was the torture he suffered at the hands of the Japanese (to the day he died he could tell you down to the hour and minute how long he was a P.O.W.), or maybe he was just a gypsy soul. Either way, after the war he just couldn't settle down. He dated my dad's mom. He even proposed to her and planned a wedding, but when he found out she was pregnant, he was gone faster than Willie Mays stealing second base. Did that make him a bad man? Maybe, maybe not. My dad never got to find out. He didn't meet his father until he was in his thirties when a long-lost cousin tracked him down and asked him if he was interested in meeting his father. I don't know if they ever reconciled. I was too young to know, and my dad has always been very private about his innermost feelings and conflicts. What I do know for certain is that if anyone had ever told my dad that he was just like his father, it would have been deeply hurtful.
By Altum Veritas4 years ago in Families
The Trouble With...(Pt. 10)
No amusement park has truly been experienced if you haven’t loved your Ferris Wheel. That was my feeling until our summer vacation of 1992. The world was different then. Let me take you back to a time when CDs outsold audiocassettes for the first time in history, Sega Genesis established the first commercial worldwide videogame release known as “Sonic 2sday,” The Prince and Princess of Wales announced their separation, and the World Wide Web had just begun. Let’s not kid ourselves, mobile phones were not readily available. If you were lucky enough to be a private investigator in Hawaii, or employed by a guy named Charlie, you might have one bulky looking console type phone in your fancy car. Otherwise, you have to wait another 10 years like everyone else.
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
