Words of Wisdom Wednesday

"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future."

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

I really like that. =) Don't you? One of the reasons I wanted to be a teacher was so that I could change the lives of the kids I came into contact with. These days it's even harder to do that as a teacher. I don't think I realized that before I did my internship. If you listen to the news at all, you know how difficult it is for an adult to even have a mentor relationship with a child. Teachers taking advantage of students, pedifiles, creepy people...how in the world do you even manage to help kids anymore?!

Anyway, I think there's so much truth to FDR's statement. I'm not a parent, but I think a lot (not all) of parents are failing to prepare their kids correctly for their future. They let them have every.single.thing. they want. Teachers are encouraged to praise kids for showing up to class or even just completing an assignment, whether it was done well or not. What does this do to kids? It gives them a sense of entitlement...we're telling them, "Yes, you can have whatever you want. No, you don't have to work hard for it." Is that fair? Is that the way real life works? Heck no! Real life is hard, and you have to work for every.single.thing you want. It isn't handed to you on a silver platter. You want it? You work for it. Save up the money.

Ok, I'll get off my soap box now. =)

Here's something else you ladies might enjoy.

A Military Wife: A Poem

Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home, For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move... .....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

--Author Unknown
___________________________________________

Oh, what a lazy day it's been. I seriously haven't done anything other than running the dishwasher and doing a load of Joe's Army clothes. Seriously. Oh, I did work out. I tried a new Pilates video. Oh.my.gosh! It was killer! I think I'm going to search for an intermediate video or something. That one was a little too difficult for me. I could do most of it, but there were a few times when I was seriously confused. Lol! I'm so glad I was here by myself.... =)

In other news, Joe's parents are more than likely coming to visit in mid-March. As long as his dad can take off work, that is. We have a tentative date, so we'll see what happens. I've been working my tail off in that spare room trying to get rid of the boxes that are still there. I don't think I'm doing much good, though. It looks like the boxes just exploded in there and I have nowhere to put all the junk that came out of them. *sigh* Maybe I'll figure something out in the next 3 weeks. At least the rest of the house is nice, neat, and organized! I have some great pictures of things that I've found while unpacking...I'll have to share them when I figure out where my camera cord is. =)

Until then, I hope the rest of your day is wondermous!