Face Time

Everybody says Jett has the cutest faces.  He smiles, he laughs, he sneers, he scowls, he curls his lip, sticks out his tongue, winks and even already has a WTF face.  Now we know where he's learning all this "cuteness!"

Whiner!

Face Book shouldn't be the place for whining and complaining... We all have our own struggles and we all wish things would get easier at times. Especially when you reach Senior Citizenship.... decisions should be simpler, worries should be fewer, responsibilities should be lighter and days should just be happier. I've decided that expecting less makes for fewer disappointments.I was always a glass half full kinda person and it makes me a little sad that lowering my expectations, lessens my stress.....but it does. I expect people to learn how to spell and speak in a way that shows they listened to their teachers or at least cringed a bit when someone said, "I done that" or "Her and I went to the movies." I expect people to understand that at a 4 way stop the first one there is the first one to leave! I expect a man to hold open a door for a gal knowing full well she can open the door herself. I expect that if someone has taken the time to give a gift, you should thank them!! God forbid you actually write a quick note but there are still phones, email and texts. Eventually that person may write you off their list. And most of all, I expect people to be kind; they aren't...even little people! And then there are the people who say Face Book isn't the place for whining and complaining.... I expect them to know better too!!! ;-)

School's - Out - For - Summer!

4th grade is in the books (literally!)  The stress of common core has lessened and some new skills have been acquired. A few bouts of bullying were handled and socialization took on some new forms.  Bailee's love of reading is still fully entrenched.  I love the way she reads with passion and inflection. Within minutes of listening to her read, I know the characters by her oral interpretations. Her artistic skills improved ......her singing skills did not..... but thankfully that hasn't stopped her from belting out tunes and dancing like nobody's watching. .......not that she'd care if they were.  A new experience is on the horizon next week when she'll head off to sleep away, church camp....both of which are brand new chapters in her book of life.  She'll be packing her blankie AND a bible.  This should be interesting.  I attended the same camp more than 50 years ago and I loved it.  I learned the 23rd Psalm and John 3-16 there.... I still remember both even if I did once recite the 23rd Psalm in front of the entire congregation saying, "And I will drool in the house of the Lord forever!"  My first stand up act!

We have a busy summer ahead with camp,  a week at the river, Uncle Jeff and Aunt Lacie's wedding and party, Greek Peak and then preparing for the very last year at MFES (Millard Fillmore Elementary School.) Time flies and we should cherish every single moment!

Congrats Bailee for being a smart (ass) little girl with an amazing sense of humor and for loving me right back! I couldn't imagine my life without you!

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The Happiest Place on Earth

Yesterday, the happiest place on earth wasn't!  There was no joy in the voices of those who, when asked, "Where are you headed next?" replied, "We're going to Disney World!"  Orlando became the saddest place on earth......unless you're part of the most lethal faction in the world, who masquerades as a religion.  I am not an outwardly religious person.  I believe what I believe (or not) for reasons of my own.  I do not preach to others or in any way try to invoke my feelings on them.  On the other hand, I believe those who are passionate and vociferous about their feelings should have the right to believe as they do but with distinct limitations on preaching to the world.  We have heard, and told, our fair share of jokes about Jehova's Witnesses, the Amish and even Muslims... guilty as charged!  We are most likely a hypocritical society in the highest form.  We are also a society that feels strongly about calling a spade a spade.... no racial innuendos intended.  Soft peddling anything for the sake of political correctness is slowly becoming a thing of the past.  We live in a very different word than a generation ago.  The majority of us have no idea what is normal.  Our children and grandchildren's perception of normal is frightening and unacceptable. Some of them have encountered more than a dozen mass shootings, bombings and slaughters in their short lives.  Their geography lessons are creeping closer and closer to home....even to the happiest place on earth.  We can no longer safely tell them that these are things happen across the ocean or in 3rd world countries, that we are safe here at home and they should not worry!  Those would be lies.  If it is our job as parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles and even friends to prepare them for what lies ahead, we'd better get busy and see that changes are made NOW, obviously tomorrow may be too late.  There is no tomorrow for 50 souls that happily ventured out to hear a concert or socialize with their friends.................My heart aches as I find the need to transition from pain, agony, safety, religious and sexual freedoms to politics.  Unfortunately, our safety and well being hinges, on a huge degree, on who makes the rules and how and if they are enforced.  Hillary stated this morning, "It's not what we say, it's what we do!" (This from a woman who says way too much in her emails)  It's way past time to DO!  Fighting fire with fire may be our only option.  The firestorm is now in progress and will wind down on election day, November 8, 2016.  We are in control and we can take charge of not only who rules the roost but who sits in the chicken House (and Senate.)  Our focus is now on Trump and Clinton but we need to remember that Congress is a controlling faction in almost everything in government.  "We the people" needs to be our mantra once again...... before we have no people left!

The "Class" of..........

This should be a fun project.  Both Jett and B have their graduation tee shirts already.  Every year in June, we'll take their picture in their size Large tee shirts.  Bailee is starting a few years into this but is already filling out her shirt pretty well.

Here is Jett Hewitt Hatfield..The class of 2034

Here is Bailee Elizabeth Brown..The class of 2024

Rights...................or wrongs?

Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory.^[1]Rights are of essential importance in such disciplines as law and ethics, especially theories of justice and deontology.

Rights are often considered fundamental to civilization, being regarded as established pillars of society and culture,^[2] and the history of social conflicts can be found in the history of each right and its development. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "rights structure the form of governments, the content of laws, and the shape of morality as it is currently perceived."^[1]

We all have rights....In my opinion, we must EARN them. So many people believe that rights are a form of entitlement....NOT! So many folks theses days believe they're entitled to so much.  Today my focus is parenthood.  Anyone can be a parent...Well actually that's not true. For some, it's a struggle that's well worth the effort.  For others though, a roll in the hay gives the "unwanted" result that so many yearn for. What actually gives you the "right" to be a Dad? I'm pretty sure that sperm isn't the answer to that question.  And who actually should be given the task of enforcing that right?  Can a social worker, paid barely minimum wage, know you're a good Dad? Can a lawyer who sees hundreds of cases a year know you're s good Dad? Can a Judge know if you're actually a good Dad?  Just being a father DOES NOT make you a good Dad.  I know so many exceptional Dads that barely have to work at it.  Many of them never learned by example either but they are wonderful.  They work hard. They spend time with their kids. They're coaches and mentors, teachers and providers and some are even single...but they've all earned their right to be someone's Dad!

Bailee hasn't been that lucky.  So much so that today, those very same people that I question knowing what's right for my granddaughter, will decide if she is MUST spend time with her father, where and when that might happen and how often;  wrong in so many ways! Sometimes laws and legalities are too far reaching and too far invasive. Sometimes it's just best to cut ties completely... No one can be told to love someone or respect someone. It just plain must be earned...   and it hasn't.  Rights.. I don't think so....Just plain Wrong!

June.....already!

Well finally it's June.  Actually May went pretty quickly.  We have warm, summer weather...albeit a bit too warm, school is nearing its close, prepping teacher gifts and lots of organizing for our upcoming wedding and "Happily Ever After" party.  By then, it'll be back to school and B's last year at Millard Fillmore Elementary.   Whoa, let's not rush that. Anticipation is however; half the fun of any event.
It's was almost a year ago that we were given our great "Jett boxes" on Father's Day. As Greg (Lacie's Dad) said, "How are they gonna top last year?"  I'd say that's pretty much impossible.  We are very blessed to have two, healthy, brilliant grandchildren, happy kids and Jeff's in-laws whom we so enjoy spending time with... ( I know I ended a sentence with a preposition!)
This week we especially count our blessings.  A very dear friend of ours lost her nephew to addiction. Heroin is a heavy presence in our little community.  It seems to know no barrier such as age, ethnicity, gender or socioeconomic status.  It seems we have so much to worry about for our kids these days. Peer pressure is still rampant, drug use trickles down to theft and bullying is happening earlier and earlier.  I'm sure it has all been happening right along but with the generational use of social media, we see and read about it every day.... Once again, we need to concentrate more on communication, family time, paying attention, lessening our wants so working isn't a 60 hour a week means to acquiring....things! Most of those things mean nothing!  Know your kids friends, have them all over to your house, feed them pizza and let them have a bon fire in your backyard.... You'll know where they are, who they're spending time with and what they enjoy. Check their phones...they can have all the privacy they need when they become adults and have earned it.
Bailee's Dad has NO idea what an excellent student she is, who her teacher is, what her friend's names are, her favorite color, her hopes for next week, next year or even beyond.  Maybe that's exactly why he'll be in court discussing it this week.  Families still have control....use it. Be smart, be attentive, be parents.... Your kids will have all the friends they'll need in their lifetime....Now they need you to be their parents. You have responsibilities, the buck stops with you! Spend it wisely!