Looking Back....on the good days...

I still have these books and will read them to my kids someday and add them to their bookshelves


I spent HOURS sitting by myself listing to all my stories on records


I had the Holly Hobby doll on the far right. Took her everywhere with me


My brother Matt had every single He-Man action figure there was


My Sister Audrey LOVED Strawberry Shortcake dolls and had the whole collection

Josh and I were talking about how times have changed since we were kids. We used to have the best cartoons and TV shows when we were kids ( Tom & Jerry, Bugs Bunny, Nick at Night etc ) and we played outside until it got dark. We didn't sit in front of the TV watching CRAP!! I told him when our kids get old enough, I want to buy the whole collection ( if it's available ) of Little House on the Prairie episodes, and have them read my books from when I was little and we'll buy the good Disney movies for them and educational things for them to do and take them outside to play and do things with mom and dad in nature. Not stick them in front of the TV so they can eat, become obese and watch mindless, violent things on TV. It got me thinking about when I was a kid and the things that made me and my brother and sister happy. It ages me quite a bit, but the things I loved back in the 70's are now VINTAGE !!

When I see teenagers today it really makes me sad. I feel like they are so much more mature then I was ( And I thought I was very mature for my age ). But I realized, they HAVE to be. Technology is out of control these days. Kids are exposed to WAY too much information about stuff they have no business even thinking about or worrying about. These kids all have cell phones, iPods, blackberries, computers in their rooms and they are getting into serious trouble. A few weeks ago I was flipping through the channels looking at the menu for the day and every show on the Lifetime channel had shows where teenagers were having group sex or doing drugs or getting pregnant or going to jail. And I know every generation has these kids... but it just seems like to me, the kids today are out of control. The " stuff " they know... makes me sick. they shouldn't be thinking about stuff like "to be popular I have to do this with a boy " or " My group of friends are better then you because we wear these clothes and drive these cars " . I know there are good kids out there, but I've just seen a lot of disrespectful little brats running around our neighborhood thinking they are entitled and expectant of everything they have. Nothing is a privilege or luxury to them anymore. Everything to them, is OWED to them. I mean, look at young Hollywood these days. Hello.. are there any normal kids out there ? Very few !!

I just wish times were simple again. And I know it's only going to get worse. It makes me want to have a house out in the middle of nowhere so my kids won't be exposed to so much evil. But I also know I have to just teach them right from wrong and hope they make the right choices and live good lives.