(no subject)

There's a woman on my fb who seems to think that, if you decide not to patronise a company for their CEO donating to or advocating something bigoted and awful and denying of human rights, you're being intolerant of his religious views.

Guess what, sweetcakes? You're a smart woman but honestly? if I don't want to buy bigoty chicken, or bigoty jelly beans or bigoty pasta, then that is my right. They're free to be happy lil bigots. I'm not obligated to hand my cash over to them when other companies manage to not be bigoty.

Stop acting like these people are so hard done by. You wanna deny your staff birth control which is frankly an over reach of an employer in the first place? You wanna donate to deny equal marriage? No. You can believe what you like. That line is right here _______________________

But you cannot cross into MY line ________________________________

and tell me I must abide by your religious ideals, or your beliefs. You cannot make laws enforcing YOUR religiousity because that tramples on everyone elses. You dont have to use the pill, eat pork or marry a gay man if you don't like it, but you cannot tell me I cannot do these things( ok marry a girl but whatev).

This woman howls "FREEEESPEEEEECH" as if we're stopping him from speaking. Free speech means the government can't come in and tell you what to say or not to say. It doesn't mean the public is obligated to entertain every halfwitted thought you happen to shit out. We're not obligated to agree.

No one's freedoms are being impinged on when I say "company X, CEO X, I don't use your services because I don't give money to companies I find offensive."

I don't use religious or gun iconry in my work, and I'm sure that'll piss off some folks because I also do pride jewelery. But hey, there's plenty of sellers who will cater to their little hearts, it just doesn't need to be me.

ChikFila will survive fine if I don't buy. So will plenty others. I just sleep better at night if I can at least not fund things that deny others their honest and legal rights.

But according to this woman, I'm the asshole. Sure. Ok. I'm in a fucking country where we legalized this shit and got the fuck over it. I'm sorry your "merica can't seem to shit and get off the pot on these issues.

(no subject)

Just dropped S off at daycare for the last day of classes for me. (exam at 2, about to have a nap before I head up).

The other boy the sitter watches was in full scream. Because mumma had dropped him off while he was napping and he was upset.

We didn't really read parenting stuff when we were pregnant, and I was never entirely enamoured with the current love of Attachment parenting. I don't knock it if you do it, but...my own reservations are thus:

I'm not sure its healthy for either momma or baby. I want Stirling to know we're always going to be available when he needs help, but I want him to learn from go, that he can indeed work some stuff out on his own. That we won't pave the path for him, but we'll hold his hand along the way if he wants it.

I've lost track of the times I've gently told him to "work it out" as he sits there grumbling at some task he's trying to accomplish. Even from very tiny.."work it out". He now is happy to play in his crib, self soothes, generally doesn't melt down like the end of the world when things are a bit off routine. He rolls with things.

We joke to him "sorry we aren't isolating you in a suburban nursery in silence." He's not bothered by the noise of the world around him. He's not bothered by little or even moderate changes in the day to day.

He does get crabby when he's really hungry but he is learning to cope and know we're not starving him if he has to wait 5 min. He's not fond of being messy-pants'd. He's a bit owly when tired. But he knows how to cope and he's getting better at it all the time.

He eats everything offered. Gleefully. Its never occured to him at some point not to? I dunno.

We seem to have mastered some strange combo that means this kid is laid back, and fearless.

Unlike the kid at the daycare who can't cope. He's always crying. Stirling? Oh he can put on a howl but he doesn't cry much. He sleeps through the night. He self-soothes. ( grabs the soother in his sleep, and he sorts himself out. Its hilarious to watch.)

He's happy. He laughs. he plays. He's good in public places. Ok, aside from recently deciding that an indoor voice is no good, he has to talk really loudly! again, funny as hell.

I question much of the modern parenting that isolates, coddles and shelters kids. It teaches them to be helpless, and unable to cope. Not what you want in an adult later.


( we started introducing tooth-cleaning to him. He thinks this is the funniest thing ever. The finger-brush with the kit is apparently very tickly.)