Tragedy in Newtown, CT

I have been debating over the last few days whether or not I wanted to write a post about this heart breaking event. Every time I sat down to write, the words just wouldn’t come. There are no words that I or anyone can say that will make any of this better, that will provide the answers people so are desperately looking for, or to justify all those beautiful lives being lost. This is a tragedy that has rocked the nation to its core. There are many stories surrounding the events and many speculations on why this happened, but does why really matter? Will knowing why bring back loved ones? Will it truly bring closure? Although the words to express how I feel keep eluding me, I do have a few thoughts I would like to share.

To the people of Newtown, CT:

As a parent myself, I cannot even begin to fathom the pain and sense of loss you are experiencing right now and I pray I never do. What has happened in your peaceful little community is unspeakable. There are no words that I or any one can say that would help you heal or to make sense of any of this because this doesn’t make sense. But please know that we are all grieving with you, we are all crying with you and you are in our thoughts and our prayers.

To Parents Everywhere:

Hold your children tight. Tell them you love them. Be conscious of them and their actions. Be conscious of what you expose them to and what they are unintentionally exposed to. Sensor them. Reassure them that you are there for them, that they can come to you and you will handle it the best way you know how. Teach them to speak up even if they turn out to be wrong. Teach them to be aware of their surroundings, teach them to protect themselves. Teach them right from wrong. Teach them to be kind and loving. Teach them to be respectful. Teach them to have a conscience and morals and values. Teach them to live by those convictions. But most importantly, spend time with them. You will never get these years back. They will be grown in the blink of an eye. President Obama said it best last night, from the moment they take their first step, they are taking steps away from us. Make sure that those steps count. Your children will never remember that they grew up in a germ-free, impeccably clean home, they will remember the nights curled up on the couch watching a movie, they will remember the bedtime stories and the times you spent playing on the floor. I know this incident has opened my eyes to time. Time is not guaranteed. Make the time with your child(ren) the best it can be. Everything else can wait, time will not.  

To Our Teachers:

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to each and every one of you that has ever touched my life and that will someday impact my son’s life. You are truly amazing people. You love our children and you protect them, you teach them, you care for them. It takes a very special person to be a teacher and give of themselves as you do and receive so little in return. You are abused by parents when you discipline their child or give them a fair grade for the work that they have or haven't done. You make difficult decisions and deal with difficult children, but you get up every day and do it again. You are selfless and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To the Media:

Stop showing pictures of the killer and his family, does anyone truly care about him anyway? He is dead, he is a coward and he will be judged accordingly. Stop sensationalizing him, stop giving him a moment more of your time or this nation's. We don't care about him or his past or his issues. We care about the lives that have been lost. We care about the families that are left behind to make sense of all of this and to somehow deal and cope. We care about the children and the teachers that had to bear witness to this horrific act of rage and anger. We care about the teachers that put their life before the lives of the children in their care. We care about those lives. We don't, however, care about your ratings and that you have interviewed babies for those ratings. The effects of this tragedy may not hit some of these kids for days, weeks or months. Leave them alone, they are babies and they have already been forced to grow up far beyond their years. Allow them to grieve and to heal. Have a little decency.

In case you weren't aware, the media has a very profound way of influencing society. If you want to do something, if you want to air something, do something good. Call for awareness on gun control, on mental illness and change for our society. We are so focused on preventing terrorism from the outside and we are looking past the terrorism we see every day, right here on our own soil. We are and WILL destroy ourselves from the inside out. The end of the world will come, and it won't be because of a prophecy or some divine being or natural disaster, it will be because of us. We will be the end of our own world.

Oh NickJr...Where Have You Gone??

When I first became a Mom, I had no idea that NickJr existed. It had been years since I had watched Nickelodeon and even then it was Nick@Nite watching old sitcom re-runs. So, when I was still learning what to do with a baby all day long, I started flipping through the channels and I found Nickelodeon. There were cartoons! I was sure that the bright colors and animation would somehow stimulate his little brain, even if Spongebob Squarepants was on over and over again. But he sat in his little infant seat bouncing his legs and seemed to be enjoying it. I found Spongebob incredibly irritating, but I went about my business cleaning and organizing.

Then one day, I happen to stumble upon, NickJr. The shows were much more baby friendly and well, it was just like they said, it's pre-school on TV, even though my son was no where near pre-school age, exposing him to early learning can't hurt, right? After all, he was a preemie and developmental delays were a huge concern for me, even though nothing indicated that there may be any. AND there were no commercials. No commercials advertising toys or games or Happy Meals, just little skits by good 'ole Moose A. Moose and his best friend Zee B. Bird. Even these little breaks between shows were educational. I felt like I had hit the jackpot!! And much to my delight, Brandon liked this even more! He loved Moose and Zee. He loved the Wonder Pets and Dora and even the Fresh Beat Band. Mommy even started liking them too. I would sometimes catch myself singing along throughout the day. He even seemed to learn!

Some parents limit their children's TV time, but I tried to get him as much of this TV as I could!! He really was learning!! What was equally as great was once he became mobile, he didn't just sit and watch TV, it was merely background noise and if he heard something that caught his attention, he would stop, watch and move on. So, for me, I didn't see any harm. I was completely convinced that these shows were helping him develop and teaching him lessons and values.

When Brandon was 16 months old, I went back to work. I worked a little temp job for 6 or 7 months. When I was home again for a few months, I turned NickJr back on and was very disappointed to see that Moose and Zee were gone! Their whole programming and line up were different!! Some of Brandon's favorite shows were on sporadically or during the hours he was asleep and during the time that he was awake, there were more Dora episodes on I was convinced that NickJr was actually RUN by Dora. She had monopolized the network!! I love Dora as much as the next guy, but seriously, there are other shows. I found in order for my son to watch Bubble Guppies and Team Umi Zoomi, I had to DVR them.

I've been back to work again for well over a year now, so I only see NickJr when we are home for the night. But I have started seeing a change that, well, I am not too sure I am happy about anymore. I can deal with Moose and Zee being gone (although I secretly wish they'd return), but what I have a hard time dealing with is that NickJr sold out for the advertising. Slowly and really almost stealth-like, they began introducing commercials. While they aren't fast food commercials, they are toy commercials and not necessarily commercials for educational toys. That's disappointing.

Children and adults are constantly bombarded with commercials and advertisments trying to influence where we eat and what we buy, what services we need and what medications we should "ask our doctor about". Why can't there be one place where kids can just learn and enjoy TV?