Why we need to love our children...

Last week I was having a bizarre conversation with DH's mom about teen pregnancy and schools making condoms available to students. It stemmed from me complaining about having to pay to send our kids to private school for a couple of more years while we are here in Hawaii. Our kids our in private school for a few reasons, the greatest being is that academically the Hawaii public schools are on the most part way below par. DH's mom thinks it is a great idea because of things like condoms in the health room in public schools. She thinks it is inappropriate for schools to make contraceptives available to students without getting the student's parents' permission.

While the thought does horrify me that parents would not be notified, I also believe something needs to be done to help curb the numbers of teen pregnancies. Obviously not all parents are as involved with their kids as we are and are not making it a priority to teach their kids about the consequences. I know a few people who could have benefited from having condoms made available to them in high school. But I also know that is not the complete answer to curbing/ending teen pregnancy. It is about the education and the parent involvement. Not all parents are going to be upset if their child gets pregnant or gets someone pregnant. I for one, would be greatly upset and my boys will know that! :-)

Anyway, the point of this post is that DH just sent me a link to this article. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815845,00.html?cnn=yes
A little town near my old stomping grounds, has a boom in teenage pregnancy. A bunch of "directionless" girls made a pact to all get pregnant and raise their kids together. The school is contemplating making contraceptives available to the students, but obviously that would not have helped these girls. If someone WANTS to get pregnant they are not going to go pick up contraceptives in the Health Room.

I think Amanda Ireland hit the nail on the head when she said "'They're so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally,' Ireland says. 'I try to explain it's hard to feel loved when an infant is screaming to be fed at 3 a.m.'"

And let us not forget the nonsense with Jamie Lynn Spears... there is nothing like glamorizing teen pregnancy to make us believe it is cool.

So my plea to all parents is this... LOVE YOUR CHILDREN UNCONDITIONALLY. Help them find the love/acceptance they desire at home, not in a little baby. No matter what craziness is going in your own life, love your kids!

Thank You Dad and Mom!

This was one of the hardest Father's Day I have ever had. My father passed away almost 10 years ago. Since ES was born, Father's Day has been about what a wonderful father Blunoz is to our children. ES and YB are truly blessed to have such a wonderful father.

But I also had a wonderful father. Today the sermon at church focused on how to be a great father and the pastor used examples of some great father's such as Tim Russert and Tiger Woods and his father. The end of the sermon focused on Tiger winning the US Open in 2006 soon after his father passed away and his emotions of not having his father there to hug. Now I haven't won a US Open but I can definitely relate. Missing your father hits at the oddest moments (and of course some not so odd). Today was one of those days for me.

Today I waned to thank my father and my mother for being such wonderful parents. My parents have loved me unconditionally all these years and supported me in every endeavor I have undertaken. None so great as winning the US Open, but I know they are still proud of me.

As a child, it always used to crack me up at how "fair" my parents were. If my brother got a 10 speed bike at age 12, my sister got one at age 12 and then I got one at age 12. If they spent $X on my brother for his birthday, then they spend $X on my sister and on me. My grandmother was the same (to the point where we would find pennies in our gifts). But as an adult, I can now so appreciate how equally they treated us. I am sure at times my siblings and I felt our parents loved one of us more than the other, but that was so not true. Yes, our parents loves us each differently, but they never loved one of us more than another.

Thank you Mom and Dad for loving us each so unconditionally and so thoroughly. You hard work and love has not gone unnoticed.

Mom, I hope you didn't have to get any tissues! But remember you are loved more than you will ever know (even when you drive me bonkers :-) )!!!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Blunoz!

Thanks for always being a dad who is willing to play and be goofy with our boys. Their hearts and minds will always be filled with wonderful memories of their childhoods, and I am sure that relationship will continue into adulthood!