I know, I'm kinda breaking the blogger ethic thing by posting more than once a day (if that rule even exists). But I feel like I have to take advantage of the time I can post, since it's not often that I get the leisure time to do so.
As I briefly mentioned in my 'Politics: Part I' post, my mother is 100% an Obama supporter. I spent the summer leading up to the 2008 Election knocking on doors, making phone calls, and visiting summer schools to register voters. So, of course, when President Obama was elected, she was beyond elated. So when January 2009 rolled around, she dragged both my sister and I to Washington, D.C. to watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Your first thought is, "Wow", right? Well, I'm not going to lie. A lot of it was very nice. We had a dinner in a very elegant university (sorry, I can't exactly remember all the details) and were introduced to a lot of important people.
But, like I said, those details are fuzzy to me. But what I do remember is the bitter cold.
One thing about me: I don't like the cold. It makes sense too, since I am from Nigeria (where it never snows), and the temperature never gets below 70degrees Fahrenheit. But really; I DON'T LIKE THE COLD. It's rare when people see me without a jacket nearby. I live in the Sandhills of North Carolina, and the temperature here isn't too bad. But due to global warming, our winters have been becoming shorter, but colder. A couple of years ago, it snowed, and I cried. I mean, I literally bawled for about 2days. That's how much me and the cold don't get along.
So considering we're in D.C. in the dead middle of January, it was blistering cold outside. The wind acted like a finely-sharpened knife and whipped through the air viciously. On top of the cold, we had to walk about 5-6miles, with constant pauses every 10mins due to the size of the crowd.
I was miserable. My mum had lived in New Jersey when she first came to the States, so it wasn't so bad for her; and my sister was indifferent to the cold. But I felt like the grip of death was dragging at my feet. My mum found it hilarious and took numerous pictures of me, because all you could see were my eyes. Like, literally; I wrapped my whole head with 3scarves, and the only visible part of my face were my eyes. It definitely was the moment of my life where I was the coldest, and probably qualifies for the top stop for the time in my life where I was the most miserable.
I remember little about the speech itself; the crowd was enormous, so I was watching from a big screen television that was there. One thing I especially don't remember was the hat that the First Lady wore that became such a big fashion topic after that. I did feel ahmazing, though, to actually be witnessing history. I had this strange weight inside of me, knowing that I was seeing 'the first' of something, and I don't think I was the only one in the crowd that felt this. (Others exhibited this feeling with constant chatter and shouts and bellows, which was different from my reaction, of course, because my mouth was covered, so I couldn't say anything."
All in all, it is a little surreal to think that roughly four years has already passed since then. And now we approach that time once again: where another (or the same) American will be entrusted to keep our country free and ensure its prosperity. True, it was a mind-blowing experience, not just for me, but the whole country. But I think that the more personal message I was able to take home from the experience was that Virginia/Maryland cold is NO JOKE. D:
Monday, October 29, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Politics: Part I
Ahhh....politics is in the air. The stench of false promises and excessive polling is filling the atmosphere, clouding the minds of both informed and uninformed Americans.
That's right, it's voting season.
I know that that first statement makes it sound like I dread politics, but it's actually quite the contrary. I do highly enjoy discussing and debating (mostly debating) on the broad subject of politics and the controversial aspects that it brings up. Now, would I every embark in politics as a career? Hell no. Politicians are soulless creatures who are all competing in a big popularity contest, and if I ever became one of those, I may result in ending my life. (It may also have something to do with my fear of holding a high position in politics since I was 7 after I watched the assassination video of John F. Kennedy....) (Fun Fact: The word 'politics' comes from Latin words 'poli' meaning "many" and 'tics' meaning "bloodsucking creatures".)
Unfortunately, I didn't watch the Presidential Debate, and I only saw a bit of the VP Debate, but those definitely won't sway my vote, even if I did watch them.
I am an Independent. Sometimes I sway right, sometimes I lean left. It all depends on the people who are running, the plans they have, and their history.
I assure you, I am DEFINITELY not like the average teen who just adopts the political views of their parents. As a matter of fact, back in '08, me and my mother were close to blows during the Democratic Primary Election (I was rooting for Clinton; she was backing up then-Senator Obama). I actually listen to news (CNN, if anyone was wondering), and make my own decisions based off of cold facts.
Looking back to the 2008 Election, once former Senator Obama won the Primaries, I decided to check this guy out, and compare him to the opponent, Senator McCain. And, to me, Obama seemed to have the upper-hand. His economic plan was quite solid, and I agreed 100% on his standpoint about the war. Now, John McCain definitely had homeland security in the bag-I'll give that to him. But other aspects..he just didn't rise up to expectations. I guess he decided that when it came time to chose his running mate, he knew that he needed a radical move to help fill in the gap between him and Obama. I always describe his thought process as such: "Oh yeah? You are trying to give the nation its first African-American president? Well, I'll give America its first female Vice President!!" And it really was a good move. Once it was announced, all women voters' attention turned to him. But he made a huge mistake with who he chose: Sarah Palin. Everything was fine and dandy until she decided to open her mouth and allow the pure shit that she called ideas to spew from the aperture in her face. The whole country was like, "Oh shit. This lady is an idiot." Even McCain himself was like, "Oh shit. She's stupider than I thought." Obama went the safer route by choosing Biden; I'm sure that he figured that one record was good enough for his campaign.
In the end, the Obama/Biden ticket took the cake. 'Til today, I still hear my conservative classmates grumbling about how "McCain should've won". And I always just smile politely and say, "You know, you're right. McCain should have won. But there was no need for it, really, since I think we all had a good grasp of what would've happened if he did win: McCain would have encountered some health problems while in office and have to be hospitalized, thus leaving the country in the hands of Sarah Palin. And from there....well, America would have just fell into a black hole and disappear off the face of the planet."
So that was in 2008. Four years later, and here we are again. There's definitely much more to say about the campaign this time around, due to a number of social and economic factors (and maybe also due to the fact that it's way more fresh on my mind). So look out for Politics: PartII!!
And, as always, please leave comments and share my blog with your friends!
That's right, it's voting season.
I know that that first statement makes it sound like I dread politics, but it's actually quite the contrary. I do highly enjoy discussing and debating (mostly debating) on the broad subject of politics and the controversial aspects that it brings up. Now, would I every embark in politics as a career? Hell no. Politicians are soulless creatures who are all competing in a big popularity contest, and if I ever became one of those, I may result in ending my life. (It may also have something to do with my fear of holding a high position in politics since I was 7 after I watched the assassination video of John F. Kennedy....) (Fun Fact: The word 'politics' comes from Latin words 'poli' meaning "many" and 'tics' meaning "bloodsucking creatures".)
Unfortunately, I didn't watch the Presidential Debate, and I only saw a bit of the VP Debate, but those definitely won't sway my vote, even if I did watch them.
I am an Independent. Sometimes I sway right, sometimes I lean left. It all depends on the people who are running, the plans they have, and their history.
I assure you, I am DEFINITELY not like the average teen who just adopts the political views of their parents. As a matter of fact, back in '08, me and my mother were close to blows during the Democratic Primary Election (I was rooting for Clinton; she was backing up then-Senator Obama). I actually listen to news (CNN, if anyone was wondering), and make my own decisions based off of cold facts.
Looking back to the 2008 Election, once former Senator Obama won the Primaries, I decided to check this guy out, and compare him to the opponent, Senator McCain. And, to me, Obama seemed to have the upper-hand. His economic plan was quite solid, and I agreed 100% on his standpoint about the war. Now, John McCain definitely had homeland security in the bag-I'll give that to him. But other aspects..he just didn't rise up to expectations. I guess he decided that when it came time to chose his running mate, he knew that he needed a radical move to help fill in the gap between him and Obama. I always describe his thought process as such: "Oh yeah? You are trying to give the nation its first African-American president? Well, I'll give America its first female Vice President!!" And it really was a good move. Once it was announced, all women voters' attention turned to him. But he made a huge mistake with who he chose: Sarah Palin. Everything was fine and dandy until she decided to open her mouth and allow the pure shit that she called ideas to spew from the aperture in her face. The whole country was like, "Oh shit. This lady is an idiot." Even McCain himself was like, "Oh shit. She's stupider than I thought." Obama went the safer route by choosing Biden; I'm sure that he figured that one record was good enough for his campaign.
In the end, the Obama/Biden ticket took the cake. 'Til today, I still hear my conservative classmates grumbling about how "McCain should've won". And I always just smile politely and say, "You know, you're right. McCain should have won. But there was no need for it, really, since I think we all had a good grasp of what would've happened if he did win: McCain would have encountered some health problems while in office and have to be hospitalized, thus leaving the country in the hands of Sarah Palin. And from there....well, America would have just fell into a black hole and disappear off the face of the planet."
So that was in 2008. Four years later, and here we are again. There's definitely much more to say about the campaign this time around, due to a number of social and economic factors (and maybe also due to the fact that it's way more fresh on my mind). So look out for Politics: PartII!!
And, as always, please leave comments and share my blog with your friends!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Parenting
I feel like I haven't posted anything in forever. I just have so much work....The only time I actually get a chance to write is while I'm in class. Ironic, wouldn't you say?
On to today's topic: parenting. Some may think that I am a little young to be writing about such a topic, but I feel as if I am knowledgable enough to speak quite informatively on this subject.
To be quite frank, most people aren't cut out to be parents. Yet all (most) people have the ability to reproduce. I'm not saying that people who don't fit a certain paternity measurement shouldn't have the ability to create other human beings. It's just that most people don't really understand the amount of sacrifices that it takes to be a good parent (notice: there's a difference between a parent and a good parent; everyone has a parent, but does everyone have the latter?).
It's so easy to create other human beings, the difficulty of raising a child is often underestimated (hence the reason why when teens get pregnant, they don't see it as a big deal, because they think caring for babies is EASY....Ha! But that's for another day). It's more than just the birthing process. It even goes farther than the simplicity of feeding, clothing and sheltering them. I mean, think about it; babies are human beings that you have to raise to be prosperous human beings who contribute positively to the society (or, at least, that's what I would hope all parents strive for). That means developing their morals, keeping them educated, potentially imposing religious viewpoints onto them, and keeping their personalities holistic and well-rounded. Of course, you also have to deal with things that the children pick up outside of the household, which can often times change them for the worse. This makes things a lot more difficult and a lot more complicated. Parenting is probably the only full-time occupation that envokes every emotion possible by the human brain, and the only one that no matter how many times you've done it, it's just as difficult as the first time around. (So doesn't that make being a housewife a job....?)
One of my favorite educators once said that there should be a required test to take before one can become a parent. And he's right on the money with his idea, because not all people are cut out for the job. A lot of people aren't willing to sacrifice everything and anything for another human being. This doesn't necessarily mean that you're selfish, but it sure as hell means that you shouldn't have kids.
But then there are those out there that would take a bullet for their child. Ohkay. Good for you. You get a sticker for putting others before yourself. What I'm eluding is that people think that simply because they love their child with all the world, they are cut out to be a parent. Don't get me wrong; love is an essential part in being a parent. But it goes back to the idea of being a good parent. Love isn't going to discipline your child, and sometimes it can actually hurt a child, which is the reverse intention of any caring parent.
So what does it take to be a "good" parent? Well, of course, I don't have the ultimate recipe for being a good parent. (Not only because I've never actually been a parent myself, but mostly due to the fact that there is no manual that comes out of the womb with the baby.) I am just regurgitating what I've heard from well-experienced mothers, and also what I've seen done wrong by parents.
First of all, of course, it takes love. And it has to be a special kind of love, one that isn't often encountered in life: unconditional love. This means that no matter what circumstances, you will always love your child, and give everything and anything, even your life, for them. (I'll be flexible on the circumstances, though; if your son's on death row for the murder of 12 people, I think that is a probable situation to potentially stop loving them.) Another key factor is being able to discipline properly. I'm not decreeing that all good parents beat their children (although I will say that this method was used on me, and I believe that I turned out quite above-exceptional). But being able to say, "What you did was wrong" and enforce some kind of punishment for it is key. This teaches children a concept of right and wrong, and will follow them through life and help them make good decisions in all aspects of life.
Good parents should also be sensible to some level. I believe that a good parent-child relationship can be easily defined by whether a child is not afraid to approach their parent with any subject and talk to them about it. You want your child to be able to talk to you about everything, so that you can know what's going on with them at all times, and potentiality save them from making bad decisions.
I believe that these three concepts are the most general ideas needed in parenting, and that a good balance of all three can make someone a good parent. Remember, a GOOD balance; too much of one or the other could pose to be very grave. (For instance, too much discipline could make them resent you and lead to rebellion, too much love could push them away from you, and too much sensibility could cause them to take advantage of you.) My mother and grandmother were both phenomenal women who did mix these three aspects fairly well and ended up being great mothers.
Once again, don't view this post as the Vedas of parenting. I'm sure that I'm forgetting a lot of other important aspects needed to be a good parent. Also, remember that I have yet to experience parenthood, so I could be really off with my analysis. I just thought that I'd share my views about parenting. Lastly, I want to emphasize that although used throughout this, I am trying to use the term "good parent" rather loosely. This is because I am not trying to define strict guidelines of what makes a "good parent", mostly because there is no one method of "good parenting". What I am trying to get across here, though, is that there is a such thing as bad parenting, and that by incorporating some of the things that I've previously mentioned in this post, maybe one could at least going down that parenting path.
Please leave your thoughts.
On to today's topic: parenting. Some may think that I am a little young to be writing about such a topic, but I feel as if I am knowledgable enough to speak quite informatively on this subject.
To be quite frank, most people aren't cut out to be parents. Yet all (most) people have the ability to reproduce. I'm not saying that people who don't fit a certain paternity measurement shouldn't have the ability to create other human beings. It's just that most people don't really understand the amount of sacrifices that it takes to be a good parent (notice: there's a difference between a parent and a good parent; everyone has a parent, but does everyone have the latter?).
It's so easy to create other human beings, the difficulty of raising a child is often underestimated (hence the reason why when teens get pregnant, they don't see it as a big deal, because they think caring for babies is EASY....Ha! But that's for another day). It's more than just the birthing process. It even goes farther than the simplicity of feeding, clothing and sheltering them. I mean, think about it; babies are human beings that you have to raise to be prosperous human beings who contribute positively to the society (or, at least, that's what I would hope all parents strive for). That means developing their morals, keeping them educated, potentially imposing religious viewpoints onto them, and keeping their personalities holistic and well-rounded. Of course, you also have to deal with things that the children pick up outside of the household, which can often times change them for the worse. This makes things a lot more difficult and a lot more complicated. Parenting is probably the only full-time occupation that envokes every emotion possible by the human brain, and the only one that no matter how many times you've done it, it's just as difficult as the first time around. (So doesn't that make being a housewife a job....?)
One of my favorite educators once said that there should be a required test to take before one can become a parent. And he's right on the money with his idea, because not all people are cut out for the job. A lot of people aren't willing to sacrifice everything and anything for another human being. This doesn't necessarily mean that you're selfish, but it sure as hell means that you shouldn't have kids.
But then there are those out there that would take a bullet for their child. Ohkay. Good for you. You get a sticker for putting others before yourself. What I'm eluding is that people think that simply because they love their child with all the world, they are cut out to be a parent. Don't get me wrong; love is an essential part in being a parent. But it goes back to the idea of being a good parent. Love isn't going to discipline your child, and sometimes it can actually hurt a child, which is the reverse intention of any caring parent.
So what does it take to be a "good" parent? Well, of course, I don't have the ultimate recipe for being a good parent. (Not only because I've never actually been a parent myself, but mostly due to the fact that there is no manual that comes out of the womb with the baby.) I am just regurgitating what I've heard from well-experienced mothers, and also what I've seen done wrong by parents.
First of all, of course, it takes love. And it has to be a special kind of love, one that isn't often encountered in life: unconditional love. This means that no matter what circumstances, you will always love your child, and give everything and anything, even your life, for them. (I'll be flexible on the circumstances, though; if your son's on death row for the murder of 12 people, I think that is a probable situation to potentially stop loving them.) Another key factor is being able to discipline properly. I'm not decreeing that all good parents beat their children (although I will say that this method was used on me, and I believe that I turned out quite above-exceptional). But being able to say, "What you did was wrong" and enforce some kind of punishment for it is key. This teaches children a concept of right and wrong, and will follow them through life and help them make good decisions in all aspects of life.
Good parents should also be sensible to some level. I believe that a good parent-child relationship can be easily defined by whether a child is not afraid to approach their parent with any subject and talk to them about it. You want your child to be able to talk to you about everything, so that you can know what's going on with them at all times, and potentiality save them from making bad decisions.
I believe that these three concepts are the most general ideas needed in parenting, and that a good balance of all three can make someone a good parent. Remember, a GOOD balance; too much of one or the other could pose to be very grave. (For instance, too much discipline could make them resent you and lead to rebellion, too much love could push them away from you, and too much sensibility could cause them to take advantage of you.) My mother and grandmother were both phenomenal women who did mix these three aspects fairly well and ended up being great mothers.
Once again, don't view this post as the Vedas of parenting. I'm sure that I'm forgetting a lot of other important aspects needed to be a good parent. Also, remember that I have yet to experience parenthood, so I could be really off with my analysis. I just thought that I'd share my views about parenting. Lastly, I want to emphasize that although used throughout this, I am trying to use the term "good parent" rather loosely. This is because I am not trying to define strict guidelines of what makes a "good parent", mostly because there is no one method of "good parenting". What I am trying to get across here, though, is that there is a such thing as bad parenting, and that by incorporating some of the things that I've previously mentioned in this post, maybe one could at least going down that parenting path.
Please leave your thoughts.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)