I swear as time goes on it gets harder and harder to keep acts of service at the forefront of my mind.
On Thursday, my act of kindness was to order Nathan's anniversary present. I wanted to make sure that it's here in time for our anniversary next month. It was a lot of fun working on it for him. I wish I could say more, but I can't.
On Friday, I bought Nathan and his coworker lunch and took it to them at work.
On Saturday, I let Devon have control of the downstairs television and gave him a day off from chores.
On Sunday, Nathan and I taught our youth Sunday School class.
On Monday, I took care of myself. I went to work and got my hair done. And hung out with Nathan playing puzzle games on my phone. It was a good day.
On Tuesday, I let it go. I came home to a ridiculously messy home and two boys who were playing video games, one of which had had a friend over. Instead of harping on them, I asked them to pick up some stuff while I made dinner. In reality I wanted to get onto them and pack the Xbox-es away. This feels like a very frequent experience.
I feel like I'm getting in a service rut. I have been focusing on other things, so my acts of service are not as thought intensive as I had hoped. I want to shake it up a little and do more. That's my goal for the next 7 days.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
It's Not Okay to Say "Retard"
My act of kindness today is to try to make people more aware of how the use of the word "retard" or any derivative is demeaning.
My friend Shan shared a link on facebook, which I shared as well, and will also share here:
I feel very strongly about this subject. I have a great aunt who has Down Syndrome. I have cousins and a brother who all fall on the Autism spectrum. I have worked with kids, teens, and adults who have developmental and/or physical disabilities.
I feel the same way about the use of the phrases "That's gay" or "You're gay." They are used in the same way as "retard" and "retarded"---that is, to imply that something or someone is stupid or slow or different.
It's not okay. It's just like saying "nigger." It's not okay to use that word, so why is it okay to call some one "retarded" or "gay"?
I don't know if it's a generational thing or a cultural thing to use these words. When I was the site director of the Boys and Girls Club, the kids there would say things like that all of the time. I continually reprimanded their use of these words/phrases by explaining just how demeaning they were. And then I heard my boss refer to something as being "gay." To this day, I wish that I had said something. I brought it up in a round about way by mentioning in a conversation with him that I didn't let the kids use these phrases, but I never said anything directly to him about his use of it.
I feel like people use them thinking there is absolutely nothing wrong with them. They think they're just words, with no power behind them. But that's not true. They are more than just words. And this casual use of them gives them an unhealthy power because people believe it's okay when it's not.
I don't know that many people actually read my blog. This is more for me to account for my acts of service. Still, if you do, please take a moment to read the blog I linked and please rethink how you use the words, and even more, how you view these people. I have never met someone with special needs who did not touch my heart and bless my life.
My friend Shan shared a link on facebook, which I shared as well, and will also share here:
I feel very strongly about this subject. I have a great aunt who has Down Syndrome. I have cousins and a brother who all fall on the Autism spectrum. I have worked with kids, teens, and adults who have developmental and/or physical disabilities.
I feel the same way about the use of the phrases "That's gay" or "You're gay." They are used in the same way as "retard" and "retarded"---that is, to imply that something or someone is stupid or slow or different.
It's not okay. It's just like saying "nigger." It's not okay to use that word, so why is it okay to call some one "retarded" or "gay"?
I don't know if it's a generational thing or a cultural thing to use these words. When I was the site director of the Boys and Girls Club, the kids there would say things like that all of the time. I continually reprimanded their use of these words/phrases by explaining just how demeaning they were. And then I heard my boss refer to something as being "gay." To this day, I wish that I had said something. I brought it up in a round about way by mentioning in a conversation with him that I didn't let the kids use these phrases, but I never said anything directly to him about his use of it.
I feel like people use them thinking there is absolutely nothing wrong with them. They think they're just words, with no power behind them. But that's not true. They are more than just words. And this casual use of them gives them an unhealthy power because people believe it's okay when it's not.
I don't know that many people actually read my blog. This is more for me to account for my acts of service. Still, if you do, please take a moment to read the blog I linked and please rethink how you use the words, and even more, how you view these people. I have never met someone with special needs who did not touch my heart and bless my life.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Minecraft and Boxed Noodles
Friday: I stayed home today because I wasn't feeling well. The boys were out of school (well, the younger two were, so we let our older one stay home, too), so Nathan called to instruct them to clean the house (his act of kindness to me, in theory). Our 11 year old got really upset because he "had to clean the entire house by himself and couldn't do anything until Dad got home from work" (which was at 2:00 mind you). He pouted and sulked and finally hid in his room, while his brothers and our 17 year old and I cleaned. I went to talk to him very patiently (that was my act of kindness...I wanted to tell him to suck it up and get to work because he helped make the mess) and gave him the option to help (and therefore participate in any family activities that day) or to stay in his room. I gave him 15 minutes to decide. He finally chose to help, although it was somewhat grudgingly. I cut him some slack, though, because his brothers hadn't been to stay with us in a couple of weeks (the holiday disrupted our normal schedule), and he has to readjust every time they are with us.
Saturday: Our youngest got baptized today. He lives in SLC, so that's where we were for the baptism. Afterward, we stopped by Trader Joe's to pick up some things while we were up there. My 11 year old helped me grocery shop (this is something that I usually like to do by myself). I said yes to several things that he wanted that I would not usually buy. Some were fruits, so that was fine. We also bought some peanut butter cups (at $5 a box) because he wanted them, and some boxed noodles to try (I can't stand those things...these are just a slightly healthier version of Ramen Noodles...ick).
Sunday: Today my act of kindness was to play Minecraft with Nathan. He and the boys are obsessed with this game, and I just don't get it! So, in an effort to figure out what all the fuss was about, I played the game with him. After about 30 minutes, I passed the controls to my 8 year old.
I still don't get the point of Minecraft.
Monday: Yesterday I picked up the living room before work. Our house is a mess every time the younger boys come to visit. Chaos always ensues despite my best efforts. I came downstairs yesterday morning to trash that needed to be taken out, a sink full of dishes, a table with half full bowls of soup from the night before, and a war zone for a living room. I wanted to run away.
Instead, I made myself breakfast and settled in to watch some Netflix before work. After I finished eating, I put the living room back together (instead of screaming and running away).
Of course, by the time I got home last night it was already "lived in" again. Thank you boys.
Saturday: Our youngest got baptized today. He lives in SLC, so that's where we were for the baptism. Afterward, we stopped by Trader Joe's to pick up some things while we were up there. My 11 year old helped me grocery shop (this is something that I usually like to do by myself). I said yes to several things that he wanted that I would not usually buy. Some were fruits, so that was fine. We also bought some peanut butter cups (at $5 a box) because he wanted them, and some boxed noodles to try (I can't stand those things...these are just a slightly healthier version of Ramen Noodles...ick).
Sunday: Today my act of kindness was to play Minecraft with Nathan. He and the boys are obsessed with this game, and I just don't get it! So, in an effort to figure out what all the fuss was about, I played the game with him. After about 30 minutes, I passed the controls to my 8 year old.
I still don't get the point of Minecraft.
Monday: Yesterday I picked up the living room before work. Our house is a mess every time the younger boys come to visit. Chaos always ensues despite my best efforts. I came downstairs yesterday morning to trash that needed to be taken out, a sink full of dishes, a table with half full bowls of soup from the night before, and a war zone for a living room. I wanted to run away.
Instead, I made myself breakfast and settled in to watch some Netflix before work. After I finished eating, I put the living room back together (instead of screaming and running away).
Of course, by the time I got home last night it was already "lived in" again. Thank you boys.
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