Abandoned children

Today several stories are buzzing around about children being abandoned in Nebraska.

Nebraska became the last state in the country to have a safe haven law for parents to abandon children without legal repercussions if they follow the law. This law is designed to protect unwanted infants. In Nebraska's case, the law permits abandonment of children up to age 19.

So, yes, parents are abandoning children of all ages. One man dropped off his nine children. My soul is in pain for these children. According to State Senator, Arnie Stuthman, "People are leaving them off just because they can't control them. They're probably in no real danger, so it's an easy way out for the caregiver."

What can be said about that?? Am I at a loss for words--not even a little bit. I just have to temper my comments a little.

What kind of parent is looking for an easy way out? Well, we all have had our moments, but seriously, looking for a way out?

Obviously, these parents should be afforded a required sterilizaiton so they cannot do this to any more children.

Is this the new birth control? Have a kid, drop it off. Or try it on for a few years and if it is inconvenient, then drop it off?

If the child is out of control, then the parents caused that situation in most cases. As I mention before every show on Parents Rule!, it is called parents rule because as parents we set the tone in the home. Parents have got to stop this incessant giving in to every whim of the child. They have got to stand up and say NO and say it a lot. And they have to mean it and stick to it.

Children who are taught respect at a young age--aka: toddler--will not be the uncontrollable teenager. Yes, kids will get into trouble. Mine did; they all do. But never did my kids get into any trouble in which I wished they could just go away and I would never see them again, much less me drive them there!!

Any one can have a baby. That in and of itself does not a parent make! In this day and age, birth control is too available and inexpensive for any one to have a child they do not want.

Just stop what you are doing and ask yourself if you are prepared to accept the consequences of having unprotected sex for the next 18 years. If the answer is no, then stop what you are doing, put your clothes back on, and go home! It is that simple.

Take a teen who is troubled already and put that child in a situation in which the parent just drops him off at a local hospital and says "See ya"--what does that do to that child? Or take a ten year old and the parent just deserts her.

It is something these kids may never recover from. Desertion by a parent is despicable. Children give parents unconditional love. They may be mad and say they don't love us, but they do. They may act out and give us untold frustrations. However, they give and crave that unconditional love with parents for their whole lives.

And how do you have nine kids before you decide you just don't want to be a parent anymore? Someone explain to me just how that happens!!! I don't get it!

It is lost--have you seen it?

My daugher in law is 8 months pregnant...yes, we are about to have grandchild number eleven. How is that even possible when I am so young???

But, I digress. My point is that she is so beautiful and even still has a figure. If you watch her from behind, you would not know she was pregnant.

I had a figure when I got pregnant the first time. I was 23 and not too bad to look at. My figure disappeared somewhere around month 3 and I haven't seen it since. Where did it go? I have pondered that question for many years now. Why didn't it come back? Did I scare it away with my Fritos and Twinkies?

Somehow I thought if I got pregnant again maybe it would come back, but that did not work. Nor did it work the next time. Being of sound mind and body, I gave up after that. If the damn thing was going to come back; it was going to have do it on its own.

Still....why does she still have one at 8 months? This in one of those very unfair things in life. Here is someone I could not love more if I had given birth to her, and yet...! A part of me that lurks in the deep recesses hates her and her exercising figure. (just kidding, Jaime)

The good part is that she is putting all those good genes into my grandson. Hopefully when his wife is pregnant one day, he will be able to keep his figure...!

Grandma Temptation

Yesterday, I was with my grandson (2 1/2), which is always fun for me. We were outside waiting for momma to get through shopping and he was running all over the place. Suddenly, there it was in front of him. It beckoned to him and he slid me a sly glance of warning before he succombed to its tempation.

Suddenly he laughed and yelled, "I jump puddle!" and he did. Then he looked at me and said "Ok, Mema?" I was laughing at his antics while I nodded my head. It occurred to me that when my kids were little, I would most likely have limited the puddle exposure and quickly distracted them. Now, as a grandmother, all I could do was laugh at him and enjoy his pleasure.

Suddenly that wasn't enough for me. This was not an experience to be lived vicariously...so I joined him. We took turns splashing the water and soaking our feet. (Well, after all, it was in the mid-80's--no one was going to die of hypothermia here.)

I saw my daughter coming and quickly got him and me out of the puddles. But he ratted me out. "Mema and Benton jump puddles---watch!" With that he ran over and jumped back in. My daughter raised her eyebrows at me and asked if this was true. Sadly, I had taught her not to lie, so I had to admit it. But I quickly went on to explain that he started it...!