If There is a Hell

I am sitting here watching the breaking news on the case of Caylee Anthony, you know the case, the little girl who has been missing whose mother is in jail charged with her murder--and tears are literally streaming down my face. A body has now been found that the authorities believe is the little girls', and it looks like she had duct tape over her mouth, indicating that she suffered and was murdered--by her mother. I am overcome with a sick feeling and I can't help crying thinking about the horror that this little innocent girl lived as her last moments in life. It's hard to imagine anyone being able to committ this sort of heinous crime, but, as a mother, it is unimaginable to me that a mother could murder her child. I just don't understand why one would choose murder when there are other choices that can be made. If for whatever reason, she didn't want the child anymore, she could have left her with the grandparents or at a hospital, no questions asked. Why murder her? I guess because she was too chickenshit to admit that she was a failure as a mother and that she didn't want her baby. Cases likes these sometimes make it hard to have faith in humanity. If there is a hell, Casey Anthony has just sealed her reservation.

Tortured by Puberty---AGAIN!!!

I am a mother to a tween ( I guess we call them tweens, now, not preteens anymore). My tweenie-bopper (that's the word I like to use) is nine and has entered into the hell of puberty. That tortuous stage of life when you don't feel like a kid anymore, but sometimes you really want to be, but you feel like you might be growing up, and sometimes you want to be, but you are really afraid. And, you figure that everyone else must notice that you are different--they don't look different, maybe it's just you.. You remember all that, don't you? Somehow we all survived, but, now, I have to live with the pain of watching my daughter go through it, knowing that I can't really do anything to help her, not really. Her body is changing; she is becoming defiant, and moody. And, I find myself not knowing how to talk to her. I remember feeling what she is feeling, but I can't seem to express it in a way that isn't totally uncool (to her) or embarassing for the both of us! And, I am starting to freak out a little bit because I feel like she is growing way too fast! I literally feel like she is slipping through my fingers, the daughter I knew is being replaced by a new one, and I don't know how to talk to her! I feel a sense of panic! I feel like a failure, even. Adding to my worry is what I am hearing from other mothers of tweeny-boppers. Last night, I was reading posts on the at the Babycenter Community website in a group for moms of tweens and teens, and a lot of the women commented that their 9, 10, and 11 year old daughters were getting their periods, wanting to wear make-up, had boyfriends, and were wearing bras--real bras, not training bras!! I was horrified! Since when are 9 and 10 year olds getting their periods!! I am not ready for this! Somebody help me! "If I could turn back time... "Oh, Cher, where are you when I need you!?

When your'e a Jet...

The auto company CEOs are so broke that they show up to their first meeting in which they are asking the taxpayers and the government for money in private JETS!!! That is like a suspected murderer showing up to court with blood on his shirt. How does it look?! Personally, I am still struggling with my opinion on whether or not we should bail these guys out or not. On the one hand, I understand that if we don't a lot of men and women will lose their jobs, not to mention that this will stifle innovation within the automobile industry in the US, if not annihilate it altogether. And in a recession, people need to be working and new ideas need to be fostered. Conversely, I fear that if we "bail-out" the auto industry, they will just screw it up again. I mean, why are we here in the first place. Plus, if we help them, who's next? The credit card companies?

What the hell?!

You ever watch The View, oh come on, you can admit it... Anwyay, they have a segment called "What the hell? Wednesday" where they discuss news pieces that are unbelievable or stupid or in some way warrant a "what the hell?" Okay, now that you get it, I have a "what the hell?" that I'd like to share. By now, I am sure everyone has seen the news reports about the guy that was trampled to death at a Wal-Mart on Black Friday. What the hell?!! Are people that desperate for a bargain that all sense of humanity has left them. Is that $10 piece of crap from China, no doubt, really worth it?! What the hell is wrong with people?! And, while we are on the subject of desperation, could this failing economy have anything to do with this? Are people so broke that they must resort to pushing and shoving and fighting with each other in order to save a few bucks so they can have a "good" Christmas? This newstory is not only disturbing and utterly despicable, it is embarrassing. It is embarrassing to me, as a mother, to think that parents are so consumed with buying their kids the latest toys and electronics that they don't care for each other. Why not spend that energy teaching your kid something valuable instead of buying them more crap they don't need? And, yes, I realize that I am making an assumption by saying that it was parents shopping for their kids. I'm sure the crowd wasn't all parents, but I'd be willing to bet that it was populated with more moms and dads than singles. I know how crazy parents can get when it comes to shopping for their kids. I have had my own Black Friday shames in the past. And, this urgency to buy for your kids is a very hard thing to surpress. God (or someone) help us.