My RIGHT to WRITE

I have been thinking for the past two weeks about what I want to write, and oh do I have ideas! I start a post, and then begin thinking about how others will perceive it and the negative judgments that will pour in if I ever publish it.  I stop writing and put my computer away, and go on with my ever so safe and happy life. Then something will happen either to members of my own family, to friends, or even to strangers on the news and it gets my heart pumping. And again my fingers start typing, and then like clockwork the doubts and fears settle in.  I know that I need to be brave, strong and true; like my Mother always says. I will speak up, because it is my right. I will say what I am thinking because that is my duty, and I believe it needs to be said. It may not always be “politically correct,” but that’s a whole other issue…for another blog post. :)

Today my thoughts are jumping from topic to topic, but I think that I will settle on the issue of the attitude of entitlement. Yesterday I turned on the TV while I was folding laundry. Dr Phil was on and it peaked my interest. The story was about a 15 year old girl that had completely inappropriate behavior. She drank alcohol, did drugs, and was beyond disrespectful to her parents. One of her defenses was that she was just like every other teenager. I’m afraid that her comment is more true than false. What is happening with the youth of our nation?

For three years I worked as a Recreation specialist at a treatment center for “at risk” youth. While working with these kids, I realized some patterns and trends:

1.       A large number of them did not get to spend a lot of time with Mom and Dad. They usually came from very wealthy families, and were raised by a nanny, or went to boarding school.

2.       Most had some sort of addiction; drugs, alcohol, pornography, or video games.

3.       Almost all of them had fallen behind in school.

4.       A significant number of them had little to no social skills. And no respect for authority. 

These things might sound familiar to someone that has worked with teenagers. I don’t know what the solution is to this growing problem, but I have a few ideas of things that might help. Something that my Grandpa Juan used to tell people when they asked how he raised such great kids, he would say, “It’s quantity time, not quality time.” The more time you spend together, the more chances you have for quality time. Instead of going into a situation thinking… we need to make this “quality time.”

 

1.       Limit the technology. Good grief, our parents didn’t have cell phones when they were young, and life was good. In my opinion, teenagers don’t need them! I always hear the argument, well what if they need to get a hold of me? Or when they start driving I want them to have a phone. Well, every other person in this country has a cell phone…they WILL be able to get a hold of you.

Technology can be a HUGE distraction. Even for parents. We are off in our own little world, not caring about those around us. Look around, so many people are on their phones, and not talking to each other. This plays into the lack of social skills of the upcoming generation.

WHAT are they (cell phones) doing at church?! When I look down the row and see people playing games, texting, or “using their scriptures.” Whoa, then I’m distracted.

There is a time and a place for good technology. This lap top that I am using right now allows me to get this post out to you, it allows me to index and do family history. It can be very positive, but used too much can be dangerous.

I won’t even begin on what I think about video games--BLAH!!!

2.       Work hard together and Play hard together. Teach young people the importance of work, by giving them chores and assignments to help with the house hold duties.

“Families that play together stay together, especially when their play is uplifting and wholesome. Family vacations, holidays, birthday celebrations, and other activities build strong bonds and feelings of self-worth. The phrase “Remember when we…” is sure to bring love and laughter in the years to come.” (https://www.lds.org/family/activities?lang=eng)

3.       Eat meals together. Have good conversation, and don’t invite the cell phones. 

I could go on and on with ideas, and I am sure that you have some…please share! But I will stop here, for now.   Lots of thoughts, but I will save some for later.  

Modesty is Always Beautiful

Recently my sister-in-law Julie, took her little boys to Wal-Mart, she did her shopping and then approached the check out. Of course her eyes were drawn to the magazines, where the Cosmopolitan cover absolutely appalled her. The woman on the front was so scantily dressed, I’m not even sure you can refer to her as “dressed.” Julie said her first reaction was to turn the magazine over so that her little boys didn’t have to see this disgusting display. But the back was just as bad. Her next move was to take sweet Princess Kate who was on another cover and place it over all of the Cosmo magazines. She went through all of the check out aisles doing this. She felt a concern for every man and women walking through the store and being unwillingly exposed to pornography. Julie said that the last magazine to cover was in her own line, and there were two men that were there looking at the magazine. She said she didn’t want to make them feel ashamed by covering it up right in front of them, but she did it, and said, “That was for my boys.” They both looked at her and smiled with gratitude in their eyes. 

Once she got to the cashier she told her that the magazine was very offensive; she agreed and called the manager. He came and told Julie that there was nothing that they could do about it, to which she said, “If you wanted to, you could do something about it.” 

Later that day Julie called corporate Wal-Mart and talked to a very nice customer service agent that told her that the Cosmo magazine should ALWAYS be covered in every Wal-Mart (Remember this if you ever see it uncovered… Speak up!!). One thing that she found interesting is that every person that she talked to agreed that the photo on the cover was completely inappropriate. 

I have something to say to every Woman and girl. Pornography is a growing issue in our world. More and more men and boys are becoming addicted to pornography. It is a problem for some women as well. I recently had a class where we learned the physiological effects that pornography has on the brain. It is similar to a drug; releasing chemicals that make a person feel good. Pornography is a dangerous addiction just like that of smoking, alcohol or drugs, and can consume money, time, and harm healthy relationships.

What the speaker then said was an unnerving thought for me, “sometimes girls make themselves the pornography by the way they dress.” Can you imagine that by the way you meagerly dress or an inappropriate picture of you on your Facebook or otherwise available could cause some innocent young man to become addicted to pornography?! Think about it! 

As women we seek respect from men, but how can we demand respect from others if we don’t show that we respect ourselves enough to cover our bodies and feel secure in modest clothing. It is very disheartening when I go shopping with my husband and see young girls wearing the shortest shorts possible that their bum cheeks hang out, and backless shirts that don’t have much of a front either. What kind of message are we sending with the clothes that we wear? Are we helping those that struggle with pornography by covering up and dressing modestly? Are we keeping our boys and men free from impure thoughts by treating ourselves with respect first? 

I can see that the style is getting shorter, lower cut, and tighter. I also know that you can dress stylish and still be modest. 

My message goes back to my sister-in-law’s comment, “If you want to, you can do something about it.” This goes for anything that you feel needs “something done.” Even one person can make a difference. One girl can be a positive example to others by dressing modestly and one Mom can make a difference by teaching these principles to her daughters. My sister-in-law Julie made a difference by one simple phone call. We can all step up and do our best to make a difference in the world.

What the Hill? Introduction

When my sweet Audrey was born, my little nephew Carson (5) asked his Mom, "What is Audrey's last name?" She told him, "Her last name is Hill."
"Hill? Is that Annie's last name too?"
"Yes, it is"
After thinking about it for a few seconds he said, "What the Hill?"
So thanks to Carson I came up with the title of this blog. I have been thinking about starting a blog for a while now, but I needed a solid purpose behind my desire to write.  A lot of my friends and family have really cute/inspirational blogs, some share family stories, some share recipes and everything in between.

I think that this blog might be a little different than that of my friends, but hopefully a place where people can read and share their thoughts freely on some serious issues. Recently I have felt so much passion to share my thoughts and feelings about so many big issues and I figured that this would be a good place to let my voice be heard.

Thank you for reading and commenting!