Bad Parenting 101 & If I were a 2009 College Grad

I had to put Eli in front of a video for a moment today while I finished something on the computer--I know, bad mom. I put the video on and hurried to finish an editing project. Kevin came down, in the mean time, and asked me what he was watching. I looked around and heard Barney, but saw nothing but squiggly lines. He was so quiet though? We walked around the recliner, and he was just a snoozin'. That is a first for any of my kids. I am leaving him there for fear of him waking up and not going back down. He's snoring as I type.






And on another note, I have been thinking alot about all those unfortunate souls who are about to graduate from college to venture out into the work force. That must look a little discouraging right now. I have a couple siblings who are headed out into the real world. I was thinking that if I were graduating in these times and I had little to no debt at all, I would take the opportunity to, first of all, stay debt free. I would not even consider that brand new (or slightly used) car that I thought I needed right after college. I would run the one I had into the ground as I drove to Colorado, Utah, or wherever, and worked at a delightful little coffee house or summer camp. I would learn how to live off of very little and enjoy every moment of it. With any spare money, after bills of course (and when I say bills, I mean rent and utilities, not credit cards and cable) I would learn how to snowboard or play piano--something I have always wanted to learn. I would get really involved in a wonderful, small church who served their community in meaningful ways. I might even fly to the other end of the world and serve the people in Bangalao (sp?), Phillipines or Uganda, Africa. I might even write a book, while I waited on tables, and try to get published. Who knows? But what matters is that if I had to do it all over again, I would be careful not to believe what the world whispers in my ear--that I have to find the perfect job, make lots of money, and start accumulating stuff that just weighs life down. Keeping up with the Joneses only leads to a large national debt that the next president will leave to our children. Live different.
Oh, And Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace" would be the first book I would buy, when I saved enough money, of course.