TheMommyBlog

Saturday, November 22, 2008 Family, Role Models

Charles Sykes is the author of Dumbing Down Our Kids. He provided for high School and college graduates a list of eleven things they did not learn in school. In his book, he talks about how their feel good, politically-correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality, and set them up for failure in the real world. Lay this one on your young ones.

Rule 1. Life is not fair; get used to it.

Rule 2. The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3. You will NOT make $ 40 000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping:—they called it opportunity.

Rule 6. If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.

Rule 7. Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes, and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So, before you save the rainforest from the parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8. Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades; they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9. Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off, and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10. Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11. Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

Nothing in life is free.

Decide what you want in life, and then start the hard work of making it happen.

Sunday, October 12, 2008 Site of the Day, Role Models

You may have noticed that I’ve had the Site of the Day up there pointing to the Gal-to-Gal Foundation’s Virtual Walk for Breast Cancer for almost a week now. Normally I stick to the time allotted, but for some reason I couldn’t let that one stay for just a day before going to archives. Also, I goofed on the link, and promised Jeanne Fitzgerald, Founder and CEO of Design-her Gals that I would give it some extra time.

Well, just tonight, Jeanne wrote again with very sad news, sadder still that it came during this year’s Walk:

“I am sad to post that this afternoon Dorit Shapiro - our President of the Foundation lost her brave battle to Stage IV. It was her only wish that we meet our goal of $250,000. Please… go and join now! We must make it for Dorit. Watch her speech only 6 days ago!”

Dorit left two daughters, four and eight years old.