Things that bother me....

First let me start off with some good news: My brother returned from his deployment and will be here with his family for 2 weeks. We picked him up from the airport Saturday. (This was after he was "stuck" in Hawaii for quite some time--- how does one get "stuck" in Hawaii??? That was the word he kept using in all his frustration at being "stuck".)

So, after we picked him up at the airport, we all decided to eat lunch together. We went to a great burger joint called Mugshots. If you haven't been there, you need to go. So good. Anyway, on to my main point.....

As we were all sitting there eating lunch, my eyes kept being drawn to a couple sitting in the booth behind our table. I couldn't quit glancing over at them every 10 seconds. From the minute they sat down they pulled out their phones and never once looked up and spoke a word to each other. The waiter would come and bring them drinks, take their order, and check on them, and they would look right back down and their eyes would glaze over again staring at their "smart phones". This bothered me to no end. It was only after I had been watching them for quite some time, that a little boy about 6 or 7 years old popped his head over the back of the booth and I realized he had been sitting there the entire time. He would then glance around the restaurant in an attempt to help his boredom. I was appalled. His parents NEVER, I mean NEVER took their eyes off of their electronic devices-- not even to interact with this well-behaved, BORED little boy.

This whole scene of ignoring each other for whatever reason really ate at me. Chad and I both own one of these "smart" devices and we both love ours. Maybe a little too much at times, but we are very careful about when we use them. Especially around our kids. A couple of times I have caught both of us sitting across from each other in the living room with our iPhones out checking Facebook, catching up on football scores, or reading the latest news. And our kids are in between us in the floor playing while we are ignoring them. That's when I make it a point to say something to Chad about putting our "toys" away.

And when we go to eat at a restaurant, whether as a family or just Chad and me, neither one of us pulls out our phone to check anything. We may not always have lively conversations, but we at least talk. Even if we have to resort to talking about the small things that might have happened at either of our workplaces throughout the week. Or why I found someone's underwear in an odd place at home. But we at least make it a point to talk. It just really broke my heart to see this little family totally ignore each other over an electronic device.

Onto the second thing that bothers me..... MTV. Now, don't get me wrong-- I grew up watching MTV. MTV has always been controversial to some degree. But these days it APPALLS me. For starters, the show "Jersey Shore". Um, okaaaay. For some reason this show has become a total hit and I don't understand why. I tried to watch it one night after the boys were in bed, just because I wanted to see what this show was about. I literally could stomach only 15 seconds of it. And I think I lost about 5 million brain cells in the seconds I watched it. I think it's disgusting and disturbing that people can act like that and get their own television show AND write books. What could someone who goes by the name of "Snooki" possibly have anything to say worth reading?!

I do like the show "Teen Mom" because it really shows the hardships of what can happen when you're 16 and have a baby. I actually love that show and try to watch the new episodes. Some of these girls have it rough. However, each commercial break, MTV started advertising a new show by the name of "Skins". I could tell from the 30 second ad, that it was very disturbing. Once commercial shows a 16 year old girl in reverse--- from when she passes out at a party from either being gloriously drunk or gloriously high to the fun time she had at the party kissing boys and possibly a girl, to when the night started and she told her mom she was going to the library to study. (Never mind this girl had on an outfit I don't think anyone would wear to ANY library to study in-- and there is a car load of teenagers standing outside the car waiting on her, all the while her mom allows her to press on with her journey of "studying".)

First off, that is giving some major mixed messages to teenagers about watching a show that shows how BAD things really can happen when you have a sex life before you have a driver's license, yet there is a show targeted at teenagers that glorifies lying to your parents, using recreational drugs, and lots of sex. And that is an understatement about this show "Skins". It shouldn't even be allowed on commercial television.

I know my parents thought they had it hard when we were teenagers, and they did. But, 15 years later, you can multiply that times 100 and that's how difficult we as parents (who care about being a parent rather than a friend to our child) have it. Not only are we faced with issues that have existed since the beginning of time-- peer pressure, drinking, drugs, and sex, but we have to deal with it on a whole new level. There is a ridiculous amount of technology and kids are exposed so early at some things that I am just not ready for. It scares me to death.

Which brings me to one more thing that bothers me..... Children and teenagers having their own personal computers. Now, I have several friends who have allowed their children to have personal computers or laptops, but I totally disagree with it. That's their business however. As far as my family is concerned, we will only have ONE computer in our house and it will be in a main room where everyone has access to it at any given time. I know there are programs that will block out certain things, but that's not good enough for me. The personal parental block is the most affective means that will take place in my house.

My husband thinks I need to run for public office because I get passionate about things and he has to listen to my rants like the ones above. I would love to run for something, but I don't think anyone would listen to me. That is why I blog.....