Family Beliefs

If my family had a list of things that we hold true, it would be the following list: 

1) Margaritas are THE family cocktail. If it's too early for margaritas, than a Bloody Mary will do, and rum drinks are always welcome. 

2)Jimmy Buffet is King. (My sister, brother and I all knew the lyrics to Why Don't We Get Drunk and Margaritaville at a young age). 

3) Dogs are the best pets. Cats, they're weird (have you seen them throw their leg over their head? WEIRD....okay I do like them and we've had a few. I mean how else are we supposed to keep the little soul sucking trolls at bay? Thanks Drew Barrymore and Cat's Eye for making me look into that mouse hole and finding a mouse). 

4) You can only have sugar laden cereals on the weekend, and really only on Saturdays and you must watch Saturday morning cartoons. I miss watching Land of the Lost and eating Frankenberry. *SIGH*

5) Going to watch movies are a regular family activity. As is forcing us all to play Yahtzee, because that one certain person always wins and they force us all to play; even though we've all actively hidden the game from that person during the week.

6) Watching your sibling cry on a bike ride is a must at least once a month. 

7)  Again movies. Lots of movies. 

8) Again watching that one sibling cry on a mountain hike...no the beautiful scenery didn't help, we could still hear the pouting and crying. 

9) Education is important, we don't allow you to be Little Yahoos forever. 

10) If you're a kid, don't bug the adults when we have company. If something happens between you and your cousins, resolve it yourself. It was like Mad Max Beyond Thunder Dome in the family room and someone might have gotten hurt, but you didn't bug the adults unless there was blood or a bone couldn't be popped into place. 

11) If there was a family activity going on, you enjoyed it and had fun. There was no complaining, you just had fun with your family. 

12)  Don't bug the parents before they get up. Make your siblings cereal and watch t.v., usually Solid Gold or WWF wrestling on Sundays. HULKMANIA!

13) Family dinner is a must. We had to eat dinner with the family almost every night unless you were spending the night down a friends house or spending time with another part of the family.

14) Your cousins are your best friends and just like your siblings. You will spend more than half your time with them so y'all better cling together and get along. Honestly though, I had the best times with my cousins and love spending time with them. I wish we spent more time together. 

 

15) There is no getting out of playing Yahtzee. 

16) The Beatles are the best band ever and as much as we like Paul McCartney, John Lennon was the better song writer. 

17) Family always has your back. 

The Hunting Ground

Sundance Film Festival premiered the documentary The Hunting Ground  at the 2015 Film festival. It's a film that I believe that all parents of young girls should watch. As a single parent of an 11 year old girl, I want to be aware of what kind of world I will be realistically sending my daughter into in a few years.

I want to believe that I am hopefully sending her somewhere that she can get an education and be safe. Unfortunately, I know that is not realistic. I know that anything can happen to her anywhere, and that right now I can some what control situations and make her aware of certain things. When she goes to college, unfortunately, it is up to her to control her surroundings. I hate that in this society we have to teach our daughters to act like victims already. What I mean by that is that we have to teach them how to think about what they are doing every minute of every day. It means that they are not allowed to let their guard down at all. So much of this is because of the way that victims are being treated when they report a rape or crime. Colleges have been ignoring  the victims and letting the rapist get away with a crime because of who they are. It's ridiculous that so many young women have been forced to see their rapist almost on a daily basis and have to sit in the same class room day after day. College has become a formidable Hunting Ground and colleges have helped perpetuate this hunting.

I know that most young men don't go to college to rape, but how much of this is peer pressure and the ignorance of other young men at colleges? It really is a shame that parents have to talk to their young sons about how not to be peer pressured into being a rapist. Really it is a shame that people need to talk to their sons about how they will be at college. I really hope that parents sit down and talk to their children about this, regardless of them being boys or girls. I don't like that I have to have a conversation with my daughter about how to protect herself when she goes to college, but really parents should be talking with their sons about this behavior. It is wrong that I have to have the responsibility to teach my daughter how to never let her guard down especially at the place where she is going to get her education, why shouldn't boys have to be talked about how their group behavior, peer pressure etc will affect peoples lives? I would really like to send my daughter out into a college world where I know that she can let her hair down once and awhile and not end up being a victim.

With that being said, please sit your child down and talk about these things regardless if they are male or female. We have to make changes for the better and talking with our children will hopefully help.