Thursday Thoughts

Several things are on my mind today. The first is this NY Times article about a Nebraska Safe Haven law meant to protect babies. It seems the language of the law says you can safely abandon children up to age 19 at hospitals, police stations, and other "safe havens" in Nebraska. Other states have similar laws to help alleviate so-called "dumpster" babies, which are usually abandoned by young mothers who have kept their pregnancies secret. One father, whose wife passed away, abandoned 9 of his 10 children. Wow. So if you don't want your kids any more, just drive them to Nebraska and hand them off. I feel sadness and worry for those parents who feel like their only option is abandonment. I feel even worse for the kids -- especially those older children, who know they're being abandoned. I'm sure Nebraska is going to fix the law, but it is a thought-provoking topic. I've been thinking seriously about becoming a foster parent once my youngest child is 4 or 5. That's years away, but I think it's an important thing to do.

Next, I read this article in the Reader's Digest magazine during breakfast this morning. It's about a NYC mother who let her 9 year-old ride the subway home alone. She wasn't neglecting him; rather, he wanted to see if he could figure out public transportation and make it home by himself. The premise of the article is that we are too fearful for our children. The things we used to do as kids -- run the streets all day in summer, walk to friends' homes far away, ride our bikes to the grocery store -- aren't very common anymore. I needed to read this article. I'm trying to loosen up and be less paranoid. I even let Jillian enter a public restroom by herself. It was a big moment for me. I was checking out groceries in a nearby line and could see the bathroom door, and Jillian couldn't wait. I've even stopped imagining that the children are being kidnapped out of their bedrooms at night, for the most part. I think parents today need to be very aware of the influences on their kids, and protect them accordingly, but kids also need independence and to grow up without fearing everything, and everyone, around them. Let me know what you think.

TA DA! It's done! The Halloween countdown calendar (design borrowed from Pottery Barn Kids -- please don't sue me) I started in September of 2007 is finished, hung, and stuffed with Halloween goodies. My crafty friend Anna got all the supplies and figured out patterns, and a few friends got together to work on them. I quickly got left in the dust, mostly because Kara was a newborn and I was kind of busy, so I'm so happy that I actually finished this project! It involved a lot of hand and machine sewing, and more thread-switching than I've ever done before. And it's going to be proudly displayed every October until I die. : )

The finished project, except the bottom row. I was backed up against a wall and couldn't fit it all in.

Just to show you some of the detail. I loved doing the skeleton's bones because I learned a new stitch, which I have now forgotten.

Bonus picture: Kara trying to raid the fridge. Too bad you can't hear her little grunt as she tries to pry the door open.

What's on your mind?

Amy