Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Birthday

So, birthdays are a good time to reflect on our lives.  Where have we been, where are we now and where are we going.  Do we even know the latter?  Some people are sure they do.  At least, they have a plan.  Others just seem to flow, with no obvious direction and no oars.

I feel a bit like that: no oars, no obvious plan.  I'm 38 today and still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.  I have three amazing children.  I love being their mother, and believe I would be happy doing that full time.  Though I worry that I would get bored, or regret it a few years down the line when I want to get back into the work place.  Plus, we do need the extra income.  The ironic thing is that I chose to work in real estate to have a flexible job so I can be a very present mother.  The only problem with real estate is that there is no steady income.  So while I may be spending hours away from my kids, I may not necessarily be earning any money.  Defeats the purpose, no?  The pull is that the potential is there.  I could see myself making a good career out of it.  But, at this point, is it worth the time away from my family?

Is part of my problem that I do not have the guts to admit that I want to be a stay at home mom?  Do I really want to do that?

At this point in my life, I feel like I am doing everything wrong.  Everything.

So, even though they say "another year older, another year wiser", it seems for me that it should be: 'another year older, another year stupider'.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Dancing With The Stars

Dear Dancing With The Stars producers: I get that sex sells. But really, put some clothes on the women! And tone down the sexual overtones of the dances. I would love to watch this show with my kids and expose them to the music and dance, but most of the time, it's like watching an R-rated movie between the women's costumes and the gyrating, sexual moves. You've taken a beautiful art form and turned it into something dirty and cheap.

Public Schools

I am a big supporter of public schools.  After all, our tax dollars pay for them, so we should support them and make good use of them.  More importantly, they really are fulfilling the most important job out there, namely, educating the next generation.  It truly is in everyone's best interest that our children, and the children of others, receive the best education possible.  Otherwise, we will all suffer.

Now, I do realize that there is a need that the private school system fills.  Some parents want there children educated with the value system of their culture, and that is legitimate.  Others may simply want more control over the crowd their children will be exposed to and the friends they will bring home.  I get that.  It could be a bit elitist, but certainly a parent's prerogative.

But this entry is not about public versus private.  It is about the sorry state of our public schools.  It truly angers me that they are in the state they are in.  There are many factors which have led to this, and I am certainly not an expert in the area, but I do have one solution.  I believe every civil servant, from the smallest peon to the President of the United States, should have to send their children to public schools.  Perhaps then they will care more.  I'm sure if Melia and Sasha were going to public school, the D.C. schools would look and a perform very differently than they do now.  I can use the Obamas as an example now because they have school-aged children.  This can and should be said of all politicians and civil servants whose children attend private school.

It is almost as if they are saying the public school system is good for the common people, but not for us. 
Why should I, as a parent, have faith in a system that my leaders do not have faith in. 

In addition, the public school system can only be as good as the people in it.  If all the people who can afford to send their children to private school do, then where does that leave the public schools: with families who cannot afford the time or funds to help propel the school to greatness, or sometimes even a decent average.