Lesson 22

We're full in potty training you right now. On the top of the list of "Things I Never Thought I'd Say" is the sentence: "William! We do NOT pee pee on the cat." Yet, this morning, I found myself forcing that sentence out to keep from laughing. You and Dad were going to take a shower, so I stripped you down, but Dad wasn't quite ready. You've never peed in the floor before, so I wasn't worried. I came around the corner, just in time to see you grab your "sausage," aim for Fubar, and let a stream go. After nailing him right between the eyes, (good aim btw) you lifted your other arm in triumph and yelled "I did it!!" I passed you off to Dad for your shower, and promptly laughed until I cried. It was one of those things that I could have gotten crazy mad about, or laughed. There are lots of those kinds of situations in life. Which brings me to lesson 22...

Learn to laugh at things in life. Obviously something like a sudden death isn't going to be laughable, but don't sweat the small stuff. There's a long joke about how EVERY year, we burn a batch of rolls at Thanksgiving. You'd think at some point someone would have lost their temper over it, but we've just started making 2 batches knowing one will inevitably burn. Doesn't matter if we sit and watch it, something comes up and we forget. Things like pee on the cat, burned bread, spilled milk, even when somethings break are just minor bumps in life. Save the stress and anger for things that merit them. No body wants to be around that guy who loses his marbles every time something minor happens.

Lesson 21

There's an election coming up soon. There have been so many ads on the tv, I'm close to throwing it out the window. As I've gotten older, I hate those ads more and more. They breed uneducated voters. Anyone who does their research isn't going to be swayed by those ads, only people who just vote to say the did are. I'm very liberal, Dad was a registered Republican when we got married, though he changed "sides' when Obama ran. I don't know how long that will last, but for right now he's pretty unhappy with the state of the Republican party. Who knows how your chips will fall, I can tell you that even though I'm very liberal, there are somethings I'm conservative about. You're dad is the same way, somethings he's very conservative on and others very liberal. They key to being an educated voter is to make informed decisions and vote for who you think will best fulfill the role you're voting for. Never paint yourself into a corner just because you're affiliated with one side or the other. Your uncle Keith is a Republican, but I'd vote for him in a heartbeat if we lived in his county. He's a good DA. Which brings me to lesson 21.

If you're going to vote, do it knowing the issues. Read the news, the conservative news, the liberal news, even the foreign news. Watch news programs. Research policies. Don't take one person's word that a candidate is better than another. Decide what is important to you, what you're willing to compromise on, then research the candidates. Don't settle for what I tell you makes a good politician, or what your dad tells you. Argue with us, respectfully. :) Dad loves a good political debate. Arguing will make you think about the issues, and hearing other points of view will make you think about the other "side." Never get into a debate with someone who keeps bringing religion into why they're voting. It will never work out. That's why there is a list of people in the family I won't even discuss it with. Not everyone believes in the same God, not everyone believes there IS a God. You can't argue against something that isn't constant. I'll admit, I'm not very good at debating. I get really irritated when I hear broad generalizations about groups and statements that leave no room for compromise. The point is, if you're going to vote, do it right. Make sure you really believe the person is right for the job, not because a commercial or a pamphlet told you so. Vote for them because you really do think they'll be the best person for the job.