Parenthood

Some things are not for the faint of heart. Parenting ranks up there as #1. From the minute you bring a child into the world, you begin to worry. About big things like being kidnapped. About little things like eating healthy. I tend to take it to the extreme and worry about EVERYTHING. I worry about their future as adults, how strong of a Christian they will be as they grow older, the music and TV shows they are exposed to, conversations they overhear, getting enough sleep, fitting in at school/church, their future spouse, not getting enough exercise, being well rounded (so I make sure to fit in enough books and crafts to balance out the sports), being hard workers, what occupation they will choose as adults, even what college they will attend. But my latest worry is something that stems from my childhood. I now worry about people liking E better than P. Adults like P. He has a large vocabulary and loves to talk. He is compassionate and is eager to help because he knows it will please people. However, I have noticed that kids are not overly eager to play with him. He is not the first kid his peer invite to a party or ask to participate in their game. Don't misread this. He gets invited to do things and plays with kids his age. It's just that kids his age tend to gravitate toward E when both of the boys are together. In fact, E has become kind of the school mascot where I teach/he goes to preschool. People at the school LOVES when he walks into the room. The ironic thing is that E could care less if people like him or talk to him. He doesn't try even half as hard as P does to make friends. But he is quick witted and people find him to be hilarious. He is a natural athlete and, because he has an older brother, he tends to learn things faster than his kids age (except the reading and writing stuff). He is strong willed and will stand up to people if he doesn't agree, whereas P will change his mind just to make someone happy.
Basically P is me and E is like my brother when we were growing up. After elementary school, I became known as Josh's sister. As we got older, even though I was 3 grades ahead of him, it got worse. My brother was the one everyone gravitated toward and I was more like P- tried too hard, could be a little dramatic, was bossy and wanted to make the rules when we played. So, as much as I take pride in P being so much like me in so many areas of life, this one thing makes me worry. I know how it feels to be the oldest sibling, being made to take the backseat. I hope all this worrying proves to be pointless. I pray that both boys are liked and respected for their individual talents/personalities with their groups of friends, strangers and adults in their lives. Because once that happens, then I can begin to worry about something else in their lives.
Ah, the never ending life of a parent!

Victims

It's been awhile since I've gotten up on my soapbox and I am hot about an issue today so here it goes....
Recently Taylor Swift was in the news for suing a radio host for inappropriately touching/groping her while she was doing a broadcast for his show. According to the media, she did not acknowledge it right after it happened and chose to keep the incident out of the spotlight. She did, however, bring it to the station's attention after the incident. The radio host then sued Swift for trying to get him fired, which then caused her to countersue because of it. As I read the article, I was glad that she stood up for herself and other women that have been in that type of situation. I thought most everyone would applaud her for her actions...until I came across someone who didn't.
This person basically said she was doing it for media hype and she should have dealt with it when it first happened. Unless you are in that type of situation, you never know how you will react. I had a similar situation happen to me in high school with a teacher. When it happened, I didn't speak up. At first I was embarrassed, thinking I had done something to bring it on. When it was done a second time I got angry because I felt like the teacher thought I'd become the "silent victim". Thankfully I had/have parents who are very supportive of me. I told them what happened and they immediately brought it to the school principal. Soon other female students were telling stories about similar situations with that same teacher. My parents never told me all the details of what happened (Of if they did I blocked it out because that's not a fond memory) but I know the teacher did not finish the year at that school. And because of that, I felt safe again.
I am tired of female victims being told how they should deal with sexual harassment or being told that the only reason they are talking about it is because they want attention. Who wants that kind of attention? The fact that Taylor Swift only asked for $1 in that lawsuit proved that she was doing it out of principle and not to gain a monetary win. In my opinion, more women need to speak up for themselves. Victims don't need to be victimized any more than they already are because of the situation. Speaking solely from my situation, sexual harassment is humiliating and you just want it to go away. But, sometimes, speaking up is the only way to right a wrong. So I stand behind Taylor Swift's case and am glad that she had the COURAGE to bring to light the situation, to face the media about it and to be a voice against sexual harassment!
*Stepping off the soapbox...drained.