LEGALizing Halloween...for 4 year-olds

With Halloween rapidly approaching, we've been receiving at the home, the annual October 31st "what you can & can't lists" from our children's schools.

Our youngest is currently attending a preschool provided by a local religious institution (which will go unnamed).

Primarily for reasons of geographic convenience, we have our 4 year-old attend this preschool of which we've been relatively pleased...

...until we received the "Halloween Letter"...

First, apparently we can't use the word, "Halloween", but instead have bent toward the ever popular politcally correct, "Fall Party". The irony of this is that the origins of Halloween are steeped deep in "Christian" traditions...but I digress...

...and then we come to the rules for the wearing of the costumes!

Oh boy...

Rule #1

Costumes must be:

Fun & Child-Friendly

Rule #2

"We CAN NOT have any costumes that are witches, ghosts, monsters, vampires, or anything violent" (oh and all of these words are printed in the color red and underlined to imply importance)

I always find lists of rules interesting...because I'm not sure where it ends? So what if my 4 year old wants to be the bride of Frankenstein? Is that okay? It's not on the list...And on the internet the other day, I saw the cutest little mummy costume for children...I guess that's ruled out because mummy's are considered violent (thanks alot Boris Karloff!)

And what about the ever-popular Batman, Spiderman, Superman...did you see any of these recent block-busters at the local cinemaplex? Violent? I think so...

Bottom-line is this...by attempting to provide a safe, comfortable environment for children during all hallow's eve celebrations, we've instead made a mockery of a parents decision to expose their children to the world...As soon as we begin to make lists, we've strolled down a dangerous road.

WHERE DOES IT END?

I would end my rant here if the "best" part of the halloween letter has still not been revealed:

"There is no need to pack a lunch since we will be having pizza delivered"

Apparently the powers-at-be at preschool deem vampires more detrimental to my child than pizza. Have we not looked around? Childhood obesity is nutty...adult obesity is crazy. And yet, we announce that pizza will be PROVIDED by our schools.

And I know, I get it...it's no big deal...pizza delivery is easy, uncomplicated, and convenient...

But please don't instruct my 4 year-old that she can't wear her witch costume (see picture!) and then feed her with food that has the potential to do real harm to her health and well-being.

C'mon schools...help us as parents create a safe, comfortable, healthy environment too...

...think before you write...BE CONSISTENT.

CAUTION: Talkin' 'bout E.D.

WARNING! Straight Talk About The Body Ahead...

"So guys, can't get it up?" "Having a (not) hard time?" Don't get the "attention" you need?

We all snicker at the Viagra and Cialis drug commercials on the boob tube, huh? It's taboo to discuss how one's manhood lacks the strength to rise to the occasion. (Okay enough with the wise-cracking erection euphemisms)

What I find more interesting is the actors found to participate in said commercials. Talk about misleading & false advertising!

Why, you ask?

Truth to be told, erectile dysfunction is a SYMPTOM of larger issues. E.D. is not something a man wakes up with on a Tuesday morning after years of normal vertical responses. Simply stated, an erection occurs when an increased amount of blood flow is sent to the penis during sexual arousal. When blood flow is reduced or blocked, erections CANNOT occur.

But how do these blockages occur? Let me address this question by posing another...

How do blood flow blockages happen in other areas of the body (IE the heart)? Dare I say poor care of the body--primarily a lack of physical activity and poor diet.

NO DIFFERENT IN THE PENIS!

So when we see very attractive, fit, middle-aged men in E.D. commercials, it's simply WRONG. The vast majority of men who struggle with ED are struggling with other issues potentially more dangerous (heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, etc.)

Bottom line: We treat physical issues, conditions, and problems incorrectly. Treating E.D. acid reflux, high blood pressure, with perpetual drugs IS NOT THE ANSWER! We're simply treating the symptoms.

Believe me I know--I've lost 120 pounds and am now a fitness professional owning my own personal training studio--becoming and keeping fit is hard (no pun intended)

Daily exercise and clean eating is something that has to become your lifestyle. I KNOW IT'S HARD. But the alternative can't be: LET'S MEDICATE IT!

There's more to life than pills, potions, and programs!

Maybe I can help...?

Mercy for Sex Offenders...

• Murderer


• Rapist


• Thief


• Sex Offender


• Adulterer
  

Now...rank them. What's the worse crime?:

5.


4.


3.


2.


1.

Several years ago, I received an email from a long-time friend that contained a link to the state website indicating the current residences of all known sex-offenders...

I clicked on the link because of nothing more than morbid curiosity...I didn't stay long...

I navigated away quickly with a sickness bubbling from deep within me...

...but not due to what you might think?

My temporary sickness was not brought on by my disgust of those known convicted of sex crimes residing nearby. But instead, the utter absurdity of having such an on-line resource.

I am fully convinced of this: what divides us as people more than anything is an unwillingness for empathy and forgiveness. We declare war, scream across congressional aisles, sign divorce decrees, leave our children, discriminate against people of different skin tone...all in the name of self-righteousness and a need to be and feel superior.

I recently received a piece of campaign literature from a local politician campaigning for re-election. Amongst the common bullet-list of why this individual should be given a certain additional amount of time representing constituents, there was a list of recent pieces of legislation written or proposed by this politician.

The one that stood out the most was a piece of law proposed that would prevent convicted sex offenders from patronizing local swimming pools (as well as schools). I was very confused by this. I mean honestly where does this end? If we are to prevent this small minority of law-breakers from entering public areas where persons under the age of 18 MAY frequent...where is the end?

Theme parks?


Stadiums and Ballparks?


Sidewalks?


McDonald's? (maybe they should stay out of there for other reasons--you know it's not really food, right?)

Check out this scenario:

Mark (age 18); a senior in high school is dating a sophomore (15) named Christy. They have consensual sex. Christy's parents bring charges against Mark and he is convicted of statutory rape, and is now forever registered as a "sex offender". Twenty years go by...Mark is now married and has been for 12 years. Mark has three young children. But Mark can't go swimming with his wife and kids...

...huh...?

People should no doubt face the consequences of their actions and if the consequence of a certain crime (according to our justice system) is jail, probation, etc; then by all means, the offender must "pay" for the offense. But when does one reach forgiveness? When do we say, "you made a mistake, you faced the consequence, you've been forgiven (by the law) and it's time to move on"?

We all have demons, temptations, make choices that may seem unusual or even deviant. Haven't we all faced the idea that if someone found out I was doing such and such, I'd be in a lot of hot water? One might argue that we have to suppress such temptations.

I haven't found this to work, either. We all have a tendency to fall...ALL of us! What's best...?

Faith? A good shrink? A better wine? ...

For me it's the former...I choose to follow a Man who chose to find forgiveness & mercy in the worst of the worst. I follow this Man because he once walked in the shoes of the less-fortunate, the deviant, the scorned, the forgotten...the sex offenders.

Those who vote to separate people out who've made mistakes with the proverbial "Scarlett Letter"; forever to pay over and over for their crimes must have not been extended forgiveness in their own lives. For this, I do have pity. I know what it feels like to have someone close refuse forgiveness. I hope those of you out there will someday find peace...

But please let's not separate more than we already do...