Responsibilities

There are all kinds of responsibilities in this world. Some are definitely more important than others. It just depends on your point of view. In my opinion parenting is a huge responsibility that often is lacking in a measure of good sense. You notice that I don't say common sense. We all know that common sense is base sense and not all that common to begin with. Browsing the news today, I came across 2 stories that pretty much typify what I'm thinking.

A 3 year-old took his toy Mustang (battery powered) onto the freeway (link pops a new window) in Wisconsin with a 2 year-old passenger. No one was hurt, thank god. But when his dad asked him, he said they just "went for a ride." A couple things pop into my mind: why is a 3 year-old playing in a moving vehicle anywhere near the street (driveway or sidewalk) without at least minimal supervision? Especially knowing that you're that close to major intersections or interchanges for freeways? And why would a parent of a 2 year-old allow play dates where such supervision is so sketchy? I'm mean come on folks. These kids at this age have no idea what it means to be mortal nor do they have any concept of danger or fear. They are simply mimicking mom and/or dad in behavior. Let's get in the car and go for a ride . . . on the freeway! Not good. Kudos to the 3 year-old driver, apparently he obeyed all the traffic laws and was operating his "vehicle" in the crosswalk and correctly according to the traffic signals. Apparently the keys and battery of this little vehicle have been removed. Kind of like locking the barn door after the horse has escaped. The part that really bothered me the most is that the dad's comment after the fact, "Nothing bad happened, so it's kind of cute now when you look at it" . . . uh right!

The second story involved the arrest of a Mom who is accused of buying her 14 year-old son guns (link also pops new window.) Teenagers are notorious for not thinking things through but simply reacting. So what on earth would make a parent think buying a firearm for any reason is a good idea? The kid is being bullied. Ok fine, what kid gets through that part of their life who hasn't been bullied? I bet I can probably even get bullies to cop to the fact that someone at sometime picked on them growing up. They had to learn the behavior somewhere. So you're a parent and your teenager son who's obsessed with the shootings that happened at Columbine High School asks you to buy a gun . . . let's think about this one for a second . . . NO FREAKING WAY!!! Not only did Mom actually buy one for him, Dad tried to as well but was prevented because he's got a previous felony. And not only does he have 1, he has 3. It happened more than once!

Does this bother anyone else? I mean, 15 minutes of browsing the news and this is what parents are doing for their kids?? My kids will likely hate me for, *gasp*, being responsible and thinking things through before acting. The best thing I can give them growing up is the ability to think and understand that actions have consequences. Apparently I might be alone in my philosophy, but come on. This is just a little too out of control.

Journeys

I am on a journey. In fact, we're 8+ months into this adventure as of this post. You see, I am pregnant with our first child. All in all, I have to say that I have loved being pregnant. There are certain aspects I could have done without: puking my guts out periodically, micro-bladder bursts when I laugh/cough/sneeze, and the required modern Spanish Inquisition. For those of you guys and women who've never been pregnant, I'm talking about the Glucose Tolerance test they give you around the 7 month mark. My situation is going to be a bit different from most of you gals out there, so take heart in the fact that what I'm about to say is NOT going to apply to most women. You see, my family has a history with Diabetes already. That makes me a much higher risk for Gestational Diabetes and Diabetes in general than the normal population. I've struggled with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) for years. So when my Obstetrician, who incidentally is a GREAT and fabulous doctor, mentioned that we needed this test I groaned internally.

"I'm going to fail that test," I said immediately. We discussed it at some length and she, given my history, agreed that it was very likely. We set everything up so that we were in the best possible scenario prior to taking the test: no ingestion of anything but water for the 2 hours prior to the test, high protein containing meal was the last thing I did eat, and still I failed – that means my sugar was too high 1 hour after ingesting the Glucola crap they make you drink. For those of you who've never had the pleasure, the version I got tasted like Sprite or 7-Up with 4 times the normal amount of sugar you'd get in the regular drink. I understand there are cola and a lovely orange as well. Failing the first test meant that I got to go in for the full 3 hour Glucose Tolerance test they give suspected Diabetics. That one you have to fast for hours and they give you the drink and test you every hour. I won't go into the gory details, but the results were the same. All I can say is that I'm thankful I live in a time where we understand Diabetes. Not only do we understand it, but we have methods of controlling it as well. Baby is doing well and I have my sugars under control. The one dichotomy that I haven't yet been able to reconcile: how to control the sugars and gain weight at the same time. I go one of 2 ways: either the sugars are high and I'm gaining or they're controlled and I'm holding steady. Now given the effects Gestational Diabetes can have on the baby, I'll go for holding steady and let the baby take nutrients from me. Though, I am trying to eat. I eat 7 times a day now. This week I've lost a pound . . . great.

Enough about the downside of being pregnant, let's talk about the good stuff. I love feeling my little one move. My hubby and I have quite the little wiggle worm. We'll have to work on the circadian rhythms after birth as the prime time for the aerobic workout is NOT going to continue to be 3-4:30 AM. Naptime is right on schedule in the length of the afternoon though and most days I wish I could join in as well. Music is a big hit; Rachmaninov to the soundtrack from Shrek will spark a move into "listening" position. Every night at bedtime we have a story time. Currently we're working our way through Grimm's Fairy Tales. If you've never read the originals, I'll tell you, they are pretty sick and twisted. Definitely not for the faint of heart. I figure they are a great conversation starter as the journey continues with growing up. To quote Marcel Proust:

We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.

Cheers.

Why Turtles?

Everyone knows that turtles are slow. They take their time. They'll get there . . . eventually. So what is a Turtle Traipse? It's a turtle walk. One dictionary I looked in defined the verb without an object as: to walk or go aimlessly or idly or without finding or reaching one's goal. Since we haven't defined an object or goal (in life, blogging or anything else), I thought it somewhat appropriate to the randomness of a blog. Especially one put together by me.

Turtles are supposed to be good luck. I actually fell in love with them in the recent years that I've taken up Scuba diving with my best friend, partner, lover and husband. (I'm the luckiest woman in the world, but that is a topic for another time.) We took it up on a whim when we were in the Caribbean for our honeymoon just over 8 years ago. There was a "resort" course that did absolutely nothing to prepare you for diving except determine that you wouldn't freak out breathing underwater for the first time. After the first dive we were hooked. Granted, we're duly trained and certified by the professionals now . . . we're not completely insane (most of the time.) But on that first dive I was trying to figure out this thing called neutral buoyancy to keep my fins and flesh off this thing they have underwater called coral. I happened to be floating near the sandy bottom at an incredible depth of about 30 feet and I looked off in to the distance hoping my internal level would start to indicate that I was getting the hang of this . . . and I saw one. A green sea turtle off in the distance.

Now this was before I actually started a dive log (goes with formal training) and recorded all of this for prosperity. I didn't even tell my new husband about the absolute sense of wonder and awe that I felt. This creature was graceful, elegant, gorgeous and just making it's way along the seabed in a direction opposite the invaders kicking up sediments and making a general nuisance of themselves. Sure when we got back on the dive boat, someone said, "Did you see the turtle?" I nodded, but didn't go into how absolutely cool it was. I couldn't. It's like discovering the perfect chocolate for the very first time. You can't really explain it, but when it happens you know it.

This last spring we were again in a position to do some diving out off the big island of Hawai'i. On the first dive boat out of the harbor there was another sea turtle heading out of the marina to the big blue. I was in awe. But you really haven't seen turtles until you've seen them as they are supposed to be seen . . . underwater. I saw several turtles that trip, both from dry land and from the watery deep. The only way for a turtle to make progress is to stick its head out of the shell and start looking around.

So here's to exploring . . .
Cheers.