Authorities in the city of Chihuahua, Mexico are enforcing a new set of rules. They are dictating to parents on what they can name their children. Now the authorities state they have the children at heart. They are trying to prevent children from a lifetime of ridicule and legal troubles. I've never known anyone to be arrested or encounter legal problems because of their name, but I have seen a few names where they should have locked the parents up for giving it to their child. I've often wondered what people were thinking when they named their children. The celebrities for example: Blanket, Rumer, Tallulah, and Phinnaeus. How much thought did these celebrities put into the selection process? Did they think about the children and what they would have to endure growing up in this world? Oh, these are celebrity's children they won't be in the real world.
For those of us who live in the real world, these names would be banned in Chihuahua, Mexico. Authorities in Chihuahua don't want foreign, odd or creative names used or odd spellings. If parents do use a foreign name, they must use a Spanish surname such as Maria. I'm for Maria, my middle name is Marie. Don't you love it! I decided to check out a database of Hispanic names. I wanted to see what was so great about Spanish names that authorities would enforce such a rule. Here's a sample of the names listed in the database under A: Argentina, Africa, Adabelle for girls. Adelio, Achill, and Abdallah for boys. I believe parents should be able to name their children without interference from the authorities or anyone else, but I personally would not choose any of the names listed above for my children. I would not want to place the burden of carrying any of these names on them. For those who have chosen one of these names, no offense. I'm just expressing my opinion. People's taste are different.
When I was in school, I knew a girl by the name of Candy Kane. She was tortured; kids can be cruel. Here's a few other names that make me shake my head in disebelief: Apple, CoCo, Whizdom, Avon, Dianionique, and Puma. I see legal trouble surfacing when some student starts torturing and humiliating these poor children, and parents start yelling harassment! Do you think these children will take on an "alias" at some point in their life? Who knows they may end up loving their name.
I don't believe that anyone should have the authority to dictate what a parent should name their child, but I do believe that some thought should be put into a child's given name. It is something they will have to live with for the rest of their life. For the Mexician authorities, I wonder if the parents will have legal recourse if they choose one of the names that they have selected and the child is ridiculed. Will the parents be able to sue the authorities? After all, they enforced the rule.
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8:30 PM
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Author: rmgales
Should smoking be banned in private vehicles? If the Marco Firebaugh Memorial Children's Health and Safety Act of 2006 is passed, drivers in California will be fined if they are caught smoking with a child under the age of six in their vehicle. This applies to moving or parked vehicles. Vehicles on private property will not be an exception. If you pull into your driveway and decide that you want to light up before you enter your home, don't have a child under the age of six in your vehicle. I don't know if you will be forced to the ground and asked to place your hands behind your back so they can slap handcuffs on you or not (now there's a picture for you), but the driver will be warned the first time and fined a $100.00 thereafter.
Lets take a look at this bill: health professionals who testified on behalf of the bill stated that recent studies show that secondhand smoke contributes to high rates of bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma in children. I personally believe this is true and I'm all for protecting our young, but why doesn't this bill apply to children over the age of six? How can they leave out children of any age? Are they saying that children over the age of six aren't harmed by second hand smoke because they can sit in the front seat of the vehicle or they don't have to be in car seats? What about teens? I'm not understanding the logic.
Furthermore, are they going to pull police patrols from crime ridden neighborhoods to monitor private vehicle owners who smoke and their children? Do you think they are trying to shift the focus away from their smog infested cities to smokers because they can't clean up their own state? You would think that one of the most smog infested states in the country would be more concerned about the rapists, murders, robbers, molesters, and gangsters rather than someone's personal vehicle. If they're not going to concern themselve with the criminals, you would think they would be trying to elininate the smog that's affecting all of their citizens instead of focusing on smokers and their children. The obviously don't see that the smog is contributing to these ills as well! What's next, a bill that allows police officers to peep through the windows of private homes to detect parents smoking around children under the age of six?
Back to the controversial cigarette. If this product is so harmful, why is it legal? Could it be the almighty dollar? Industries make billions of dollars on the sell of tobacco annually. If these products are legal, how can one be fined for using them? Why don't they fine the tobacco companies for perpetrating an addiction? To me selling cigarettes and fining a person for smoking them makes as much sense as alcohol being sold to an alcoholic, but locking up the alcoholic after he kills someone, beats the crap out of wife or kids, gets fired from their job because he or she is dysfunctional from the effects and can no longer provide for his/her family, and than costing society thousands of dollars for rehabilitation.
Lets look at this from another perspective, are they questioning a parent's decison making skills? If a parent won't protect their child from second hand smoke they will. If they are so righteous and adamant about protecting children, why aren't they protecting "all" children. I think the citizens/parents in this country should question these lawmaker's decision making skills. What's your thoughts?
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7:30 PM
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Author: rmgales
I noticed that breastfeeding was generating alot of conversation on various Blogs, so I decided to read through several. Two truly captured my attention. First, a Blogger from Indiana was offended because a mother was breast feeding her child across from his table in his favorite Indian restaurant. He described the experience as "weird", and was glad when it was over so he could finish his meal. Second, sales associates at Victoria's Secret were creating a controversy by banning mothers from breastfeeding in their store. Now this corporation makes millions of dollars annually from women's breast, but they don't want mothers exposing them in their store. Hello!
Why are Americans offended by a mother giving nourishment to her baby? If a baby is hungry, he or she doesn't care if Mom's in public. They want to eat. In most countries breastfeeding is seen as a natural act, but Americans relate a woman's breast to sex. As a result, a breast should remain unexposed until a man takes them out for his pleasure? This may also explain the Victoria's Secret sales associates banning women from breastfeeding in their store, they sell "sexy" lingerie. We just can't believe that a woman would expose her breast in public to feed her child, but we believe it's okay to go to war and blow another country to hell. I wonder how many Middle Eastern mothers are breastfeeding because they are now unable to purchase milk for their babies or are we suppose to care? Afterall, they're the enemy. Am I getting political here?
I personally did not breastfeed my child because I worked outside the home. I was a commuter, and I didn't feel comfortable pumping and storing my milk in a work environment that far from home. Honestly, there are times when I regretted not breastfeeding my daughter, simply because of the nutritional value in a mother's milk. The medical profession has conducted numerous studies, and it has concluded that breast milk is better for babies. I wanted my child to have the best of everything, but her pediatrician assured me that she be would just as healthy without my milk. So I became comfortable with my decision. You should know, he was right.
Bottle feeding or breastfeeding is a personal choice for a mother. Should mothers who choose to breastfeed deprive their children of nutritional value because some people are offended by them exposing their breast in public? Lets think about this logically, why is milk produced in a woman's breast after the birth of a child? Isn't it to provide nourishment to her child? Isn't this how female animals feed their young? Cats do it, dogs do it, cows do it, horses do it, animals in the wild do it, but America is more comfortable relating the breast to sex than a woman feeding her baby. What's wrong with this picture? If a man finds a woman's breast pleasurable and of value why shouldn't her baby. Lets get real America!
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7:59 AM
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Author: rmgales
As a parent, you often wonder if your child is safe, especially during their teenage years and when they decide to move away from home. My worst nightmare would be receiving a call that my daughter had been in an automobile accident or injured somehow coming from a party or club. A message awaited me one morning at my office informing me that a co-worker and friend had lost her 25 year old son. To say that I was shocked would be a understatement. My heart broke for her. I wondered what had happened, but most of all I wondered how a mother would ever recover from the lost of her child. I still haven't come up with an answer to this question. My daughter and this young man grow up together. We lived in the same neighborhood for years, and I've worked with his mother for 20 years. What would I say to her? We had just discussed our kids in the hallway at work several weeks before. She was planning to retire in several months, and I was expressing my envy. I thought of the pain and confusion she must be feeling. How do you make funeral arrangements for your only child? How do you say good-bye to someone that you gave birth to, nurtured, disciplined, loved unconditionally, and vowed to never allow any harm to come to them? How do you say good-bye to someone that you would literally die for? The answer to these questions have not come. I knew that I had to go to her, but what would I say. I had no answers.
The obituary appeared in the paper. The viewing would be Thursday night and the funeral Friday. My initial plan was to go the funeral. As time grow near, I decided that I could not sit and watch this mother's pain from the loss of her son. I would have to go to the viewing. I left the office early heading home to prepare for the evening. My mind was racing a hundred miles a minute. I wondered if my daughter was okay. I lost count of the number of times, I had her called that week. I just wanted to know that she was safe. She understood, she never complained about my calls. She took the time to chat and tell me what was happening with her life. As I drove to the funeral home, I tried to prepare my condolence speech. I'm an experienced and eloquent speaker I told myself, I can do this. I pulled up at the funeral home, and saw that there was only 1 car in the parking lot. I realized that I had driven to the wrong funeral home. At that point, I also realized that I was an emotional wreck. I prayed for clarity, strength, and the right words for my meeting with Cindy. I arrived this time at the correct funeral home. I had planned to arrive early, but to my surprise the line was already coming out the door. I took a deep breath, and took my place in line. I felt my blood pressure rising, as I read the obituary and looked at pictures of her son around the room. A kind gentleman standing behind me noticed my discomfort, and placed his hand on my shoulders. He talked to me until it is was my time to approach Cindy.We embraced for what seemed an eternity. The words poured from me as I gave my condolences from my daughter and me. I turned the focus to the good times that the kids had growing up, playing by the pond and fishing. Our common love of Longerberger Baskets, my manager who would be there for her tomorrow, and others at the office who wanted me to give their condolences etc. It was effortless, it was coming from the heart. I could see and feel that she was grateful that I had come to support her. I had brought a smile to her face inspite of her pain if only for a moment. I felt so good after leaving her that I stayed and chatted with other co-workers and friends to help ease their discomfort while waiting to talk to her. Once again, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior all things are possible. I pray that this mother will find strength in God, and she will at least be able to move forward with her life. To all that have lost a child, may you be comforted and blessed.
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6:28 AM
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Author: rmgales
While reading my local newspaper, I came across an article on mothers preparing home made baby foods. The article referenced a site on preparing wholesome baby foods, which I decided to visit. The site listed several reasons for preparing home made foods. Two of the reasons listed really caught my attention. First, "You have total control over what is put into your baby’s food and you know it's free of additives that a tiny tummy simply does not need!" I feed my daughter Gerber and Beech-Nut cereals, fruits, and vegetables until she was ready for table foods. She never acquired the taste for any of their meats. Not once did her pediatrician tell me that the foods that I was giving her was affecting her digestive system or was the cause of any of her health problems. The second reason was, "Healthy eating habits develop earlier as your involvement is dedicated to making only high quality, healthy baby foods and snacks. Your baby will benefit from these healthy eating habits long after that college diploma is in hand!" My daughter is a college graduate, and she is healthy and happy. She watches what she eats and works out regularly. I was able to achieve the same result as the mothers who are preparing home made foods. If one is able to raise a healthy and productive child using store brought products, what are the true benefits of preparing home made foods? Did you raise a Gerber or Beech Nut baby? What's your thoughts?
For unique baby gifts and one of a kind gift baskets visit Rhonda's Fabric Gift Baskets at: http://www.fabricgiftbaskets.com.
6:10 AM
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Author: rmgales
Disposable Diapers versus Cloth Diapers, which is better? This topic is still in debate among parents everywhere. Because I worked outside the home, I chose disposable diapers for my daughter. She's now 27, healthy, happy, educated, and showing no ill-effects from my decision.
I also selected disposable diapers as a staple in my diaper cake business. Why? My target market for this particular item are mothers from the age of 25 - 40. Most work outside the home, use day care centers for child care or they are fortunate enough to have a family member provide child care. Most importantly, most child care providers do not want the trouble of maintaining cloth diapers.
Are disposable diapers more convenient for travel? What do you do with soiled diapers while you're on the road? Are cloth diapers cheaper? I calculate my time to maintain cloth diapers into this cost, so no it would not be an incentive for me. I work outside the home, I have an on-line business, and a home to maintain. Is it really easier to tell if your baby is wet with a cloth diaper? My opinion, if you check your child's diaper often, you should be able to determine if your baby is wet no matter what type of diaper they're wearing.
For unique baby gifts and one of kind gift baskets visit Rhonda's Fabric Gift Baskets at: http://www.fabricgiftbaskets.com.
5:46 AM
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Author: rmgales
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12:39 PM
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Author: AJae
