I probably don't qualify for a Christmas wish, since I'm not Christian and don't celebrate Christmas. Also, this wish is completely and utterly impossible. But that's okay; it's still my wish.
I want a massive cultural change as I will explain below. It's a bit complicated as it has two parts. One part is a change in our cultural attitudes toward who should have children, and the second part is a change in the cultural attitude for how children should be reared. Note, I'm not saying any of this should be enforced on anyone, but that I wish it was what our culture encouraged and expected. People can always go against cultural norms, but having something be the cultural norm makes it easier to have it go that way.
So, first about who has children. People's attitudes toward having children are complex and varied, but people can be roughly broken down into three categories. People who really, really want to have kids and will be sad if they never raise children. People who might like raising children, but are fine with never having kids. People who absolutely do not want to raise kids. Currently, we tend to try to encourage people who are ambivalent about having children to have kids, and some people try to encourage even those who hate the notion of having kids to have kids. I think this is wrong. I think we should encourage people to have kids only if they truly want them or if they are ambivalent and are with a partner who really wants to have kids. Having kids is a huge amount of work, and I think it is best done by those who want the result so much that they will not resent the costs involved. In general, I favor quality over quantity. I'd like kids to be well-raised, and I think those who want children have better odds of raising them well.
I am sure that many people who were ambivalent have done a great job when they actually ended up in that situation. And I bet even some people who hated the notion of raising kids have been good parents. And some people want kids, but have a very unrealistic notion of what that will mean and do poorly when they actually have children. This is not an absolute correlation. But, I think overall, it is best for society if the people raising children are the people who really want to raise children. And while this would lead to fewer children, I don't think that would be a bad thing.
Next, and this really goes with the above, I really like the notion that it takes a village to raise a child. While I know some individuals do manage to raise children well all by themselves, and many couples manage with little help, I think raising a child is a huge amount of work that is best done with several involved, competent adults. I think most parents could use more help than our culture gives them, and that being a bit less sleep-deprived would be better for everyone. So, I want more of the people who are ambivalent about raising children or who like kids, but don't necessarily want to commit the amount of time and effort involved in raising them, to become involved in helping the kids in their neighborhood. Currently, this is socially fairly inappropriate, especially if you do not have kids. Some neighborhoods probably do have the notion of getting to know your neighbors, but a lot of them don't anymore.
Even if the parents are great at raising their kids, there is an inherent advantage to having other adults around who are happy to help out. It's not just a matter of babysitting, it's a matter of education. You may be well educated and talented, but you are human and you cannot know everything. I think it's better if the kids are exposed to more of a range of things to learn. Maybe you are fantastic at math, science, literature, and pottery making, but the guy down the street knows how to play the flute, and you don't. And the woman next door is an awesome dancer. Wouldn't it be great for your child to get a chance to try pottery making, number theory, and dance. You can't know what a young child is going to be good at or truly enjoy, because it takes trying things out to learn that. It's a shame to miss a really special talent or something that they will utterly love just because it's not something you thought of.
Even with this arrangement, you can't expose a child to everything. Time is finite, of course. But I do think it would lead to a broader range of experience, and also help to show them that there are a lot of options for what sorts of things you can do. Just knowing more people who live their lives in different ways can be helpful, in my opinion.
Yes, I know there are issues with trusting your children to more people or having people trust their children to you. However, most people aren't going to harm children. And we can do things to help teach children to tell us when someone does harm them. And more adults also means more people for that child to confide in or get ~good~ information from. There is no absolute way to protect children, but I think we could trust more people and still keep kids reasonably safe.
And if more people who like kids, but don't want to necessarily invest all of the time, energy, and resources into raising their own didn't have kids then there would be more people who would be happy to be involved in helping to raise other people's kids. I really think this would be a net win for everyone. Even for those who hate children, since they generally tend to hate children who are misbehaving. And while nothing will make it so that children never misbehave, I think better raised children will, on average, misbehave less. And children with better rested parents who truly want them and more interesting things to do that are actually good for them are likely to be better raised. I think it would also foster a sense of community, that I think is psychologically beneficial for most humans.
I can't back up any of my claims. But they are things that I believe. And I like the vision of the way that the world could be that I have described. Please change to this culture now. Thank you.
I want a massive cultural change as I will explain below. It's a bit complicated as it has two parts. One part is a change in our cultural attitudes toward who should have children, and the second part is a change in the cultural attitude for how children should be reared. Note, I'm not saying any of this should be enforced on anyone, but that I wish it was what our culture encouraged and expected. People can always go against cultural norms, but having something be the cultural norm makes it easier to have it go that way.
So, first about who has children. People's attitudes toward having children are complex and varied, but people can be roughly broken down into three categories. People who really, really want to have kids and will be sad if they never raise children. People who might like raising children, but are fine with never having kids. People who absolutely do not want to raise kids. Currently, we tend to try to encourage people who are ambivalent about having children to have kids, and some people try to encourage even those who hate the notion of having kids to have kids. I think this is wrong. I think we should encourage people to have kids only if they truly want them or if they are ambivalent and are with a partner who really wants to have kids. Having kids is a huge amount of work, and I think it is best done by those who want the result so much that they will not resent the costs involved. In general, I favor quality over quantity. I'd like kids to be well-raised, and I think those who want children have better odds of raising them well.
I am sure that many people who were ambivalent have done a great job when they actually ended up in that situation. And I bet even some people who hated the notion of raising kids have been good parents. And some people want kids, but have a very unrealistic notion of what that will mean and do poorly when they actually have children. This is not an absolute correlation. But, I think overall, it is best for society if the people raising children are the people who really want to raise children. And while this would lead to fewer children, I don't think that would be a bad thing.
Next, and this really goes with the above, I really like the notion that it takes a village to raise a child. While I know some individuals do manage to raise children well all by themselves, and many couples manage with little help, I think raising a child is a huge amount of work that is best done with several involved, competent adults. I think most parents could use more help than our culture gives them, and that being a bit less sleep-deprived would be better for everyone. So, I want more of the people who are ambivalent about raising children or who like kids, but don't necessarily want to commit the amount of time and effort involved in raising them, to become involved in helping the kids in their neighborhood. Currently, this is socially fairly inappropriate, especially if you do not have kids. Some neighborhoods probably do have the notion of getting to know your neighbors, but a lot of them don't anymore.
Even if the parents are great at raising their kids, there is an inherent advantage to having other adults around who are happy to help out. It's not just a matter of babysitting, it's a matter of education. You may be well educated and talented, but you are human and you cannot know everything. I think it's better if the kids are exposed to more of a range of things to learn. Maybe you are fantastic at math, science, literature, and pottery making, but the guy down the street knows how to play the flute, and you don't. And the woman next door is an awesome dancer. Wouldn't it be great for your child to get a chance to try pottery making, number theory, and dance. You can't know what a young child is going to be good at or truly enjoy, because it takes trying things out to learn that. It's a shame to miss a really special talent or something that they will utterly love just because it's not something you thought of.
Even with this arrangement, you can't expose a child to everything. Time is finite, of course. But I do think it would lead to a broader range of experience, and also help to show them that there are a lot of options for what sorts of things you can do. Just knowing more people who live their lives in different ways can be helpful, in my opinion.
Yes, I know there are issues with trusting your children to more people or having people trust their children to you. However, most people aren't going to harm children. And we can do things to help teach children to tell us when someone does harm them. And more adults also means more people for that child to confide in or get ~good~ information from. There is no absolute way to protect children, but I think we could trust more people and still keep kids reasonably safe.
And if more people who like kids, but don't want to necessarily invest all of the time, energy, and resources into raising their own didn't have kids then there would be more people who would be happy to be involved in helping to raise other people's kids. I really think this would be a net win for everyone. Even for those who hate children, since they generally tend to hate children who are misbehaving. And while nothing will make it so that children never misbehave, I think better raised children will, on average, misbehave less. And children with better rested parents who truly want them and more interesting things to do that are actually good for them are likely to be better raised. I think it would also foster a sense of community, that I think is psychologically beneficial for most humans.
I can't back up any of my claims. But they are things that I believe. And I like the vision of the way that the world could be that I have described. Please change to this culture now. Thank you.
- Mood:
daydreamy
Why are all the toys ON the tree And not under it?
Picture by: ash.blackburn Caption by: dunno source via Advanced Lol Builder
I wasn't gonna post my swag list; but then I read my friends' list and saw all yours.
MATERIALISTIC BRAGGING GO!
-The World Ends with You (THANKS JOHN ;_;!!)
-Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days (Again from John. He e-mailed Mom asked what I wanted and she gave him some list items. He evidentially ordered this one off a site called anime-castle.com...)
-Rune Factory: Frontier
-Kingdom Hearts: something-something/2 Days
-CUTE SHOES (Mom was paranoid, because she never gets people shoes for Christmas, but they were adorable.)
-The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs (A.J. Jacobs is one of my favorite authors, and I highly recommend you go pick up The Know-it-all, The Year of Living Biblically, or this book when it's in paperback.)
-Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
-To Quote a Queer: A Compendium of Wit, Wisdom, and Devastating Remarks
-Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell (Another of my favorites. All you history/essay nerds should take a look at Assassination Vacation, and if she charms you like she did me, keep going!)
-Shirts, Jackets, etc.
-Bath&Bodyworks Holiday Tradition Shower Gels (Winter Candied Apple and Vanilla Bean Noel, the latter of which is an orgasmic blend of vanilla and caramel scents.)
-A poster of Albert Einstein in wacky colors with the quote, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, while imagination embraces the entire world.”
-Deck of Uno cards
-Smoothie recipe book
MATERIALISTIC BRAGGING GO!
-The World Ends with You (THANKS JOHN ;_;!!)
-Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days (Again from John. He e-mailed Mom asked what I wanted and she gave him some list items. He evidentially ordered this one off a site called anime-castle.com...)
-Rune Factory: Frontier
-Kingdom Hearts: something-something/2 Days
-CUTE SHOES (Mom was paranoid, because she never gets people shoes for Christmas, but they were adorable.)
-The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs (A.J. Jacobs is one of my favorite authors, and I highly recommend you go pick up The Know-it-all, The Year of Living Biblically, or this book when it's in paperback.)
-Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
-To Quote a Queer: A Compendium of Wit, Wisdom, and Devastating Remarks
-Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell (Another of my favorites. All you history/essay nerds should take a look at Assassination Vacation, and if she charms you like she did me, keep going!)
-Shirts, Jackets, etc.
-Bath&Bodyworks Holiday Tradition Shower Gels (Winter Candied Apple and Vanilla Bean Noel, the latter of which is an orgasmic blend of vanilla and caramel scents.)
-A poster of Albert Einstein in wacky colors with the quote, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, while imagination embraces the entire world.”
-Deck of Uno cards
-Smoothie recipe book
This is the link to my fabulous present from my MIL
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/2010-C
Every pattern is 5x5 of 5x7 All use DMC floss and a DMC color chart is provided.
There are a few "work through the year" projects, including astrological signs, letters of the alphabet, styles of dance, ect.
There is black work, holiday pieces for each major holiday, Inspirational, sampler style, ink circle type, and just plain fun ones.
With the exception of some ot the AMerican Patriot ones (Im Canadian) I didnt find a single one I wouldnt love to do.
All are set on 14ct Aida.
Hopefully, this will make more then a few people giggle with glee like I did!
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/2010-C
Every pattern is 5x5 of 5x7 All use DMC floss and a DMC color chart is provided.
There are a few "work through the year" projects, including astrological signs, letters of the alphabet, styles of dance, ect.
There is black work, holiday pieces for each major holiday, Inspirational, sampler style, ink circle type, and just plain fun ones.
With the exception of some ot the AMerican Patriot ones (Im Canadian) I didnt find a single one I wouldnt love to do.
All are set on 14ct Aida.
Hopefully, this will make more then a few people giggle with glee like I did!
He sees you when you’re sleeping. He pounces you awake. “Don’t care if you’ve been bad or good, Just FEED ME, for YOUR sake.”
can i gitz mah dignitee bak as well?
Picture by: dunno source. Caption by: amyceleste via Advanced Lol Builder
Same procedure as every year *laughs*
Erm...okay...Cat, my dear...what were you thinking? *laughs* Well, looks as if I've been a nice girl after all *adjusts halo*
 Dear Santa...Dear Santa, This year I've been busy! Last month I put money in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} sasha_b's expired parking meter (14 points). Last Thursday I turned lessy37 in for running naked in the mall (3 points). Last Saturday I donated bone marrow to livigiano in a life-saving procedure (300 points). Last Sunday I bought porn for sarmatianknight (10 points). In August I caught a purse-snatcher who stole scarymissmady's purse (30 points). Overall, I've been nice (357 points). For Christmas I deserve a pony! Sincerely, |
Erm...okay...Cat, my dear...what were you thinking? *laughs* Well, looks as if I've been a nice girl after all *adjusts halo*
- Mood:
amused - Music:"My December" by Linkin Park
deer… santa… i… haz… been… good… kitteh…
happeh holidayz cheez frendz! maek sur 2 leev sum cookeez.
Picture by: rOBOTbOB Caption by: dunno source via Our LOL Builder
Music is a simple joy capable of altering the mood of any who hear it and few songs are more well know in any language that those played around the winter holidays.
In previous years, I've posted YouTube videos and lyrics. This year you get to hear me. Today's carol is We Need A Little Christmas. A Capella, of course.
In previous years, I've posted YouTube videos and lyrics. This year you get to hear me. Today's carol is We Need A Little Christmas. A Capella, of course.
In the last 24 hours, I posted the following to Twitter:
Follow me on Twitter.
- Thursday, 0209: @tiferet93 I could see a jdn-gone-crazy-in-highschool there.
- Thursday, 0231: I seem to be in dire need of tape. One re-read of Spock's World, coming right up.
- Thursday, 0241: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?li
sting_id=37283467 THIS IS A TOTALLY NECESSARY ITEM AND HILARIOUSLY AWESOME AND NSFW - Thursday, 0736: http://code.livejournal.org/trac/livejo
urnal/changeset/1082/trunk brb loling forever. (Don't forget to read the change that caused this.) - Thursday, 0737: Insidiously cruel dreams and now I can't sleep. The dreams made sense until I woke up, which is the scary part. Tempted to call best friend. ( read the other 15 )
Follow me on Twitter.
The archive is up -- I haven't even started to think about what I want to read -- not that it matters since the servers are kind of hammered -- and commenting doesn't work -- but I have awesome Demetri Flashforward fic and it is awesome and I am all squeeful. \o/
Cross-posted between DW (
) and LJ. Comments welcome in either place.
Cross-posted between DW (
I have so much fic to read. I can't decide if that needs a \o/ or a :(
The problem is, I had so much fic to read, *already* from random stuff people have written, during, like, a week of afk (and also random non-fic entries and meta and... So Many Tabs open /flail) and the GK fic exchange, and the cap_ironman fic exchange...
And Yuletide's not even live yet. (almost!)
The problem is, I had so much fic to read, *already* from random stuff people have written, during, like, a week of afk (and also random non-fic entries and meta and... So Many Tabs open /flail) and the GK fic exchange, and the cap_ironman fic exchange...
And Yuletide's not even live yet. (almost!)
In the spirit of my online caroling this year, I present to you a reading of T'was The Night Before Christmas.
*Okay, technically it is all half stitch - 8100 half stitches to be exact. I wanted to see how a piece stitched entirely in half stitch would turn out. Not too badly as it turns out. I used two strands of floss on 22ct hardanger cloth.
I am sending you over to the fannish_xstitch comm just to remind everyone it exists and to hopefully get people posting/cross-posting there again. Posts have been mighty sparse of late. (Not affiliated la,la,la,la,la)
Yu sed camra wuz off
i took it wif mah sekkrit camera.
Picture by: ctbburn Caption by: memoo_21 via Advanced Lol Builder
Frosty’s Illegitimate children
watch awt 4 dose snowman killerz!
Picture by: Samuel R. Avro of Consumer Energy Report Caption by: Rotarydial via Our LOL Builder
Music is a simple joy capable of altering the mood of any who hear it and few songs are more well know in any language that those played around the winter holidays.
In previous years, I've posted YouTube videos and lyrics. This year you get to hear me. Today's carol is Rock'n Around The Christmas Tree. A Capella, of course.
In previous years, I've posted YouTube videos and lyrics. This year you get to hear me. Today's carol is Rock'n Around The Christmas Tree. A Capella, of course.
Page Summary
- leora : My Christmas Wish [+2]
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
cross_stitch :: hopefuldark : Take 2 on introduction.... [+2] ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif)
icanhaschzbrgr : Why are all the [+0] - sarahakacelebi : (no subject) [+0]
- cross_stitch :: hopefuldark : Merry Christmas! [+2]
- icanhaschzbrgr : He sees you when you’re sleeping. [+0]
- darya01 : Dear Santa,... (2009) [+4]
- icanhaschzbrgr : deer… santa… i… haz… [+0]
- tango : Online Caroling - Day 25 [+0]
- icanhaschzbrgr : Video: Kitteh Attacks Ornaments [+0]
- dictionary_wotd : embonpoint: Dictionary.com Word of the Day [+3]
- azurelunatic : 20 tweets for 2009-12-24 [+1]
- isabeau : *yuletide flailing* [+0]
- healingmirth : (no subject) [+0]
- xkcd_rss : December 25th [+162]
- tango : T'Was The Night Before Christmas... [+0]
- cross_stitch :: explorer0713 : New fannish cross* stitch [+0]
- icanhaschzbrgr : Yu sed camra wuz [+0]
- icanhaschzbrgr : Frosty’s [+11]
- tango : Online Caroling 2009 - Day 24 [+0]
