I've been wanting to post to my journal again for a few weeks. But it does take time to think, compose and reflect my thoughts.
Teach Your Children Well. DH and I went to Ironstone Winery (
www.ironstonevineyards.com) a few weeks ago, to see Crosby, Stills and Nash. The concert wasn't selling well, so we got 2for1 tickets for the lawn seating. I did enjoy the concert and the oldies. But one of the songs got me thinking alot....about my life and about my kids. See if it reflects on your children, the older ones. I hope I'm unique.
In 1971, I hiked 25 miles through Rochester NY for the Hope Ship. We raised money, based upon the number of miles we walked. Too bad the Hope ship is no longer functioning; it used to provide other nations with healthcare. The theme song was the Crosby Stills Nash and Young song - teach your children well.....
My reflection is that I must not have taught my children well. As evidenced by recent events and travel with DD (24 yo, 3 kids, husband), they do not "get" the need to save anything, to help anyone, to walk 25 miles for any good reason, to grow, to recycle, to save money, to cook, to can, to sew, to till the soil, to give good nutrition, to.....deep sigh...to do ANYTHING! We moved my DD up to Vancouver WA where she was accepted into Washington State Univ Vancouver, to continue her Jr and Sr year. Some of you may remember that in 04 she became homeless and a crack addict. So yes, my first baby has grown up alot, and has really turned her life around. Ok. Good. Nice Job. Very Proud of her.
but why oh why don't they recycle, turn off lights when they leave a room, cook anything, give balanced, rainbow colored meals to the kids (8, 4.5 and 13 months), plant something, mend a sock, separate the laundry, say thank you alot, help the neighbor, save their money, use coupons, respect their furnishings, etc etc etc???? It really came home this week during the move. Its so much easier to pop a Uncrustables (gag) into the kid's mouths, or give them a package of string cheese, or snack bag, than to prepare a sandwich, or cut up an apple or give them a scoop of cottage cheese, or or or....
My DD is not rich - just ran out of her unemployment, is on WIC, was on MediCal (for the kids), hubby is a "helper" who helps the autistic child navigate thru the local high school, makes 10 buck an hour, etc. But what do they own? A Wii, three computers, 4 guitars, a car which we bought her, and some broken down furniture (after she discarded the good stuff we accumulated and bought for her off of Craigslist these last few years). And lets not even get into DS, who didn't grad from high school last year, who only now lives on his own in San Jose, flopping from couch to couch, who got his first job at $9/hr at Fry's installing stereos, etc, who also doesn't recyle, cook, or care about anything.
What is the difference nowadays? DH and I are hard working, saving, clean, higher educated (me), ppl who plant a row for the needy, who have always extended an hand to a neighbor, who paid for a Costco membership for an elderly couple who couldn't afford it, who even now, in tight times, send checks to the Red Cross, to the Cattle Dog rescue group, $10 to memorialize a woman whom I never met but admired; offer to help the local CSA with weeding a local garden, who volunteer to head a community committee for 3 years (Bay Area); to serve on the local Lupus Foundation board for 4 years (Bay Area); or ran the local snack shack for 8 years for AYSO (bay area soccer).
Teach your children well - their father's hell - this means that I should have taught my children the values that were so important in our day - which might have given them some values as they move forward with their families. I thought I did teach them - by example. Can we really teach our children how to care, how to see and save the world? And feed them on our dreams - do our children nowadays see our dream from the 60's and 70's? Do they see and feel what is happening to their food, to their soil, to their earth, to their souls?
Again, I've been thinking of these lyrics and how they apply to my children, and the point was driven home these past few days. My dream continues; I guess that it doesn't wrap my children or grandchildren up in the same wings of hope and love.
I still have alot to learn though. It saddens me to realize what a waste my "education" was. I do believe I will pull my kids from public school eventually, after much prayer and thought.
