 | Raising a child is hard. Raising children is even harder. Raising children well is near impossible. But Catalina and I are trying. In fact, Catalina says I am very trying. One of the things we are trying to do well - which we'll likely find out in twenty years was the exact opposite of what we should have done - is being upfront about the human anatomy. From the moment we began talking about all the sundry body parts, we have called a spade a spade. I suppose now isn't the time to bring in euphemisms, so for those who aren't following, we called a penis a penis and a vagina a vagina. I'm sure some out there will disagree with what we're doing, but we do have some good reasons for our decision. First and foremost we believe it is a safety issue. With all of the information that is coming out as to the staggering numbers of individuals - especially children - who are sexually assaulted, we think it is vital that our kids don't have to beat around the bush or tread in ambiguity if they ever have to talk about someone touching them where they shouldn't have. We have heard so many stories of children who allow molestation to continue without saying anything because they either don't feel they can talk about it, or they don't know how to express what is going on. The safety of my children is more important to me than the discomfort of saying awkward words. |
|
0 Comments
work week, a leisurely vacation, or anything else, we think about how long an event will last. Sometimes we dwell on the anticipation of something tedious or painful ending, and at other times, it's anxiety at the thought of something great coming to a close. So just like on the day we became newlyweds – and even more so seven years into our vows – I can't help but think about our love as something fantastic that is drawing to a close - at some undetermined time in the future, at least from my perspective.
For those that know me, however, you understand that under my facade of seriousness I am all jokes. To my credit, I can let some very serious things roll off my back and move on with life. But to my debt, the inability to ever take anything with complete seriousness can end up hurting others. In this instance, I think it's to my credit. While I wanted to explore some very serious ideas in this poem, I also wanted to lighten it up a little and have fun with it. I wanted to show that death doesn't kill life while it is being lived. So even when addressing the ending of our lives, such thoughts don't negate the fullness of those lives and our love. |
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed