The innocence of kids


I have been really struggling lately in knowing what will be the right time to talk with our 8 year old daughter about sex and "girl stuff". My battle is with my view on her innocence and the children who are growing up too soon. When I was 8, I loved Barbies, dolls and stuffed animals. I had no idea what "grown-ups" did and had no desire to. I wore my hair in pig tails, wore My Little Pony shirts and took my Cabbage patch doll to school.
I have been watching my daughter and already she is slowly separating from her childhood toys. On Halloween, she dressed up in a Pegasus Barbie costume and several little girls made fun of her because of it. I was heartbroken for her. She was afraid to tell other kids what she was for fear they might have the same reaction. I see more and more kids rejecting "kid stuff" and being exposed to all sorts of things young teens should not even play with or view. I see the struggle my children deal with as they are forced to lay aside their favorite toys because a little boy down the street said it was for babies.
I really think the kids are just innocent victims in this world that is slowly corrupting children at a younger and younger age. And sadly, it is not just the world but their parents as well. I'm not just talking about the children who live with druggie parents or in abusive homes, I am speaking of parents who take good care of their kids, love them and yet expose them to movies that are meant for 13 yr olds or worse even 18 yr olds, TV shows and video games that are filled with violence, hatred and sexually explicit themes. These children have their minds filled with things that are not meant for them and they are not allowed to live and think in the innocence God created them with.
I sat in the movie theatre a few months ago and watch a movie rated PG13. It was a great movie, but had some pretty scary things in it. In front of us, a father and two twin boys who could not have been over 4 yrs old were viewing the same movie. It made my stomach turn. What are adults thinking when they take their little ones to these type of things? Why can't they let kids bask in their youth. Play with Thomas the Tank Engine and not think they are too old at six yrs old. Pretend to be princess Barbie who rides a magical Pegasus. Run and play without pretending to find dead bodies, or some other ghastly thing.

Just to be innocent.

MY BIRTHDAY WEEK!

I never expected the celebration of my birthday to last quite so long, but my big 3-0 was terrific! It started on Saturday afternoon when I went to a bachelorette over night party at the Sterling Inn. We had a relaxing time in the pool and hot tub. While getting into the "18 and up" hot tub we were greeted with a lifeguard who sweetly asked, "Excuse me girls, how old are you?" We all laughed and rattled off our ages (which were all very much above the "18 yr" restriction). After a terrific dinner at Bahamma Breeze (hurray for seafood!), we headed back to the hotel for gifts and fun. Melissa, the bride, got lots of beautiful nighties and other "fun" items. After stuffing down cake, we went down to the restaurant where they advertised karaoke from 10 till 12. When asking directions to the restaurant, we were again asked if we were all above the age of 18. Upon entering the place, we were very confused why the attendant had confirmed our age. The dining room was filled with teens and children with their parents. I guess they wanted to make sure we had a chaperone! lol Melissa made us sing a few songs together (the best was Material Girl by Madonna) and we laughed and had a great time.
When I arrived at church on Sunday morning, my beautiful kids greeted me with "Mommy, close your eyes and bend over!". Well, you can guess what I thought was about to happen so I gently refused and laughed. After Todd reassured me that I needed to sit down not "bend over" I did so and Caleb put a necklace on me that said "Why grow up?". They were so excited to tell me about my party they had planned with their Daddy.
That night, we all went to my in-law's house and they threw me a really great party. There were decorations everywhere, presents, a special "birthday hat" and Bryan even brought some wonderful cheesecake. I really felt special that evening.
To my surprise, my birthday celebration was not over. Tuesday morning (my actual b-day), I woke up and discovered Todd had overslept his alarm (or so I thought). Then, when I thought he was going in late to work so to help me get the kids ready for school, I found out neither one of us were going to work! He had arranged it with my manager to give me the day off so we could spend the day together! We ran around to different stores (to which I give him credit for handling the dressing room with patience) and had fun playing with photo booth in CompUSA on the new iMac. Later that night, we went out for wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was amazing that Todd would put so much thought and design and effort just to make me feel special. I can't begin to express how blessed I feel to be loved like that.
Being 30 doesn't feel any different, but knowing I have friends and family who treasure me, makes me feel absolutely wonderful!