Beiber Fever

Beiber fever has taken over my child. Ironically, she has only limited exposure to him. At school, they are singing some of his songs in music class. She also claims to be a huge fan of Lady Gaga and Hannah Montana. She has never seen their music videos or TV shows. I can thank the media and classmate exposure for her fanaticism. Today at the grocery store checkout, she caught a headline claiming that her 16 year old teen heart throb might be a daddy. Thanks! I really enjoyed trying to explain to my 7 year old about tabloids and inappropriate sexual behavior of teen idols. She wisely pointed out that he is only a kid. How could he be a daddy? She is still convinced that Miley Cyrus has a split personality and needs strong psychotropic medications. She thinks that Lady Gaga celebrates Halloween everyday. Why else would her mother let her leave the house in those outrageous costumes?

Even as a small child, Sara has loved grocery shopping. For 6 straight months, going to the store or the neighbor's house to mooch food were the only ways to end the 5:00 fussies. She loved all the people and free samples. Now, I hand her the grocery list and put her to work. But, lately she has discovered the tabloids. I'm tired of answering questions about affairs, quickie divorces, spousal/child abuse, illegitimate babies and aliens. My brilliant parenting consists of telling her not to read the headlines. Her response? "Mom, I can't help it. They are right in front of my face." Maybe I should put her to work bagging the groceries.

What's your story?

Everyone has a story. It might be an adventure tale, an inspirational tale, an entertaining story, a sad story or a story with a happy ending. No one has a real life fairy tale. No two stories are the same. The characters are different. The plots vary. Everyone wants to tell their story. Not everyone wants to hear it because they are too wrapped up in their own lives. But you should take a minute to listen to their stories. You will learn, be inspired, and challenged by the stories of others. I have learned things in the most unexpected ways from the most unexpected people. I've traveled in Asia, Europe, the Caribbean. I've had the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. Interestingly, the people I click best with are sometimes the people I have the least in common with (on paper anyway). The most important thing I have learned? My life isn't as difficult and tragic as I like to think. My husband is gainfully employed at a job that he loves. We are happily married. We have 2 healthy children. We have good friends and family. We have a place to live.

After a lot of thought and observing other people, I've decided that the moral of my story is this: surround yourself with people you care about and who care about you. Take chances, be open to new ideas and experiences. Never judge someone at first glance. Be willing to forgive and give second chances. It will open doors for you. You will be glad you did. It will make your story a better one. It will make you a better person.