Single Moms on the Holidays
A friend of mine posted this article from www.findingjoy.net that illustrates some of the things we might want to consider when talking with our friends who have the stressful task of raising kids on their own.
It’s not about walking on eggshells as our society seems to want to train us to do. But there are some good things here about listening better in order to be a bit more sensitive in how we support our single parent friends.
My mother was single raising tummy brother and I from when I was 3 until I was about 11 when she remarried. During that time we moved 3 times and my mom got her masters in nursing. It was not an easy life for her, but we didn’t realize that as kids. In retrospect we could have made her life easier, but we could have made it more difficult too. But I never “saw” her stressed. Maybe her temper was short at times but I certainly never knew how much she might’ve been dealing with serious @$?!
So, this holiday season, you may want to reach out to your single parent friends and see if there is any way you can lend them an ear or help in some way to make their 2019 holiday a little better.
What a Weird Way to Be Environmentally Conscious
This article on foxnews.com had me struggling. I didn’t know whether to laugh or get angry...a principal at an elementary school in England noted getting concerns from some “children” about the environmental impact of Christmas cards passed in school between students. It doesn’t mention how many, nor does it mention any sort of polling done/voting done that justified his decision to ask parents and children to refrain from bringing in cards OR if they were to give a card, to just give one to the entire class.
I’m open about the fact that I’m a Christian and it’s a large part of my identity. But that’s not why I find this absurd. I can see the point, but it seems to have been a fairly unilateral decision. Now maybe the news story is leaving out details in order to elicit a reaction, but where is the idea of “giving” or recognizing others in the season. Is there an underlying religious concern? Or is this just chalked up to being too overly sensitive - there are likely more creative ways to create a similar atmosphere of giving while still being environmentally conscious, or there could be other more impactful ways that the school could get greener.
In the end, I’d be open as a parent to dialogue about the tradition, but it does seem like this is just something silly or misguided even “if” the intention was well intended.
Why Does Our Body Ache When We Have The Flu?
Apparently the answer is our body’s production of Cytokines as our immune system works to fight the virus. Wait, you don’t know what cytokines are? Well neither did I, but this article in the Health and Wellness area of popsugar does a good job of providing the technical info on addition to the layman explanation.
My key takeaway. Good ol’ chicken soup is still a great remedy! Gramma and our wise elders knew a thing or two...
