Parents Should Provide Encouragement to Children

As one who coaches a sport for a living, I try not to treat my players like commodities whose value to me is directly related to their performance potential. They are human beings, worthy of respect and compassion. Ditto for my own sons. I mention this because of a scene I witnessed recently at an out-of-state wrestling tournament my sons participated in. First, I will admit I get emotionally involved in the matches. They are exciting and can easily bring a parent to the brink of cardiac arrest. But I try not to overdo the yelling and cheering and I try to be as encouraging as possible. During one match that did not involve my son, I noticed a nine-year-old boy’s mom who managed to get down on the mat beside her son’s coach. When I observed the intensity on her face at the beginning of her son’s match, I was concerned. It was obvious this match was “do or die” for her. Her son fought with all his might but was overmatched and destined to lose. His mom screamed at him while she filmed with her video camera. Her words were sharp and threatening and not the least bit encouraging. I can only hope when she played the tape back later she realized how mean she sounded. Toward the end of the match, while lying on his stomach, the boy- who was fighting so hard not to get pinned that he was nearly in tears- glanced over at his mom when it became apparent he was going to lose. I watched in horror as she turned her head away in disgust the moment their eyes met. When she was sure he was no longer looking at her, she glared back at her defeated son with a countenance that sent chills down my spine. After the match, she grabbed her dejected son by the arm and marched him up to their spot on the bleachers where she proceeded to chew him out in front of everybody. I don’t doubt that this mom loved her son. I’m not saying she is an unfit parent. None of us can stand in judgment because we’ve probably all been upset at our children and overreacted at times. And nothing against moms because it could just as well have been a father. But I’m most worried about that little boy. I’m scared he’ll never forget that day. At a moment of great struggle and in a time when he most needed reassurance, when tears were in his eyes and his body and spirit were hurting- a child’s weary eyes sought out his mother’s eyes only to see her turn her face away from him. I pray the image of that moment can somehow be erased from his mind. I understand being loud at athletic events, though I think comments should be predominantly positive. I even understand parents who challenge their kids after an event when they have shown a poor attitude or given up too easily when they should have persevered. But I pray that I will never become so irritated at one of my players- or one of my sons- that I rub salt in their wounds by deserting them at a moment when they need me the most.

Trying not to give in to temptation

I’ve heard it said in church that temptation is not a sin. It only becomes sin when one succumbs to said temptation. There exist in the Stroupe household a number of temptations. In the food department, a Stroupe can find him or herself led to unhealthy amounts of chocolate (thanks to leftover stocking stuffers at Christmas time) and other sweet items such as ice cream sandwiches, Nutty Buddies, and sugar sweet cereal. Of course we are thankful to have such choices, but overdoing it has its price. The temptations don’t stop there. Four televisions and two computers beg us to overuse them. And the Wii and Playstation II vie for their share of valuable time. In addition, we’re tempted not to answer the telephone due to constant invasions by telemarketers, despite our being on the no-call list. Of course most everyone has caller ID now, but few are willing to admit it. I guess they’re worried people might think they’re not picking up on purpose. It’s called screening, and no one will admit to it. But perhaps the greatest temptation in the Stroupe house is one likely to remain unique to us. It involves our microwave, which came with the new house we moved into six and a half years ago. I don’t know how long microwaves are supposed to last, but I do know the one in the Stroupe house is on its last leg. The clock on our microwave goes blank three or four times per week. And at least once a week, the microwave ceases to function entirely, requiring a Stroupe to visit the fuse box and trip the fuse switch back and forth from the “On” to the “Off” to the “On” position. For whatever reason, it starts working again if you hold your tongue just right while you’re flipping the switch. The temptation part is the “Surface Light” button located right next to the “Vent Fan” button on the bottom row of microwave function buttons. Beginning about two months ago, when that button was pressed, the result was a loud popping sound followed immediately by a flying spark. In our infinite wisdom, my wife and I called upon the services of a green Sharpie and drew a big X over the button and wrote the words “Don’t Press” directly underneath it. We’d have been better off had we left it alone. The temptation to touch the “Don’t Press” button drove each of our three boys to the brink of insanity. Finally, in a moment of desperation, we allowed our two youngest sons to press the button just so they would witness the result and forever possess a fear of pressing buttons. This worked well. Our oldest son announced one night that he had pressed the button earlier that day when he was home alone. When asked why, he proudly stated, “Because it said ‘Don’t Press’ and I’ve always been one to take chances.” Comforting. Now that he’s driving, how might he handle the “Bridge Out Ahead” sign? By the way, we are planning to replace the malfunctioning microwave soon. In the meantime, the Sharpie green letters remain. If I tried to wipe them off, it might start a fire. Plus a Sharpie is permanent anyway- just like temptation, which constantly stares us all right in the face.

Bailout mess would be hilarious if it wasn't so costly

This whole government bailout thing has me a little perplexed. It should be old news by now but like a cold you can’t shake, it lingers. It has become almost epidemically comical, though it would be a whole lot funnier if it wasn’t your money and mine involved. I won’t name companies here, but rumor has it many of the government bailout recipients have been less than frugal with their handouts. One company threw an expensive spa party and invited all their friends. Another used their emergency funds to renovate their offices. And we’ve all heard about companies doling out lavish bonuses to their top executives. Personally I think the top executives, who are most to blame for the mess, should be demonstrating their humility by driving secondhand compact cars, clipping coupons, and doing their shopping at Dollar Tree. And in the “It Can’t Get Any More Ridiculous Department,” some of the car companies are actually using their government bailout money to hire lawyers to fight the government in court concerning Uncle Sam’s desire to force them to produce more fuel efficient automobiles. Also in that department is the company who spent $1.77 million in October, November, and December to hire lobbyists to hang out in Washington and pester our elected officials to give them more bailout money. Therefore, considering the utter ludicrousness of the situation, I have decided to add my two cents (mine, not borrowed from the government) to the mix. I now present to you the following entities, in no particular order, who could use some bailing out: 1. Britney Spears’ image. One minute she’s bald, the next minute she’s attacking a car, etc. and etc. If she’s ever going to restore her image by making another morally reprehensible music video or Pepsi commercial again, she’s going to need some help. Ditto for the images of Tom Cruise and that former governor of Illinois with the funny hair. 2. My beloved Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball could use some bailing out. They never win more than a few games each year and the reason is always that they don’t have enough money to pay their ballplayers $20 million per season to pitch, hit, and catch a little ball for 8 months a year. 3. My Father-in-Law’s basement could use some bailing out. Ever since some irritated road workers stuck a huge boulder in the drainpipe that runs near his house, his basement has been a Jacuzzi minus the jets and warm water. Actually, come to think of it, he finally got them to remove the rock so he’s okay now. 4. Businesses who depend on the sales of television rabbit ears, 8 track tapes, and toaster ovens as their primary source of income could use some bailing out. 5. O.J. Simpson could use bailing out but I say we let him stay where he is. 6. The Titanic is a great candidate for a bailout. We raise it, bail it out, and sell all the items on Ebay. It’s the one bailout that could actually pay for itself. So there you have it. Of course there will be those who will think my bailout ideas make no sense. But considering the laughable series of bailout proposals that have transpired to this point, I think I’m probably par for the course.

Presidents Deserve More Respect

I typically avoid writing about politics. Too many diverse opinions out there. I don’t want somebody stopping me in the grocery store to explain why they’re right and I’m wrong. Because, for the most part, politics is a matter of opinion much more than it is a matter of fact. And it seems that facts get twisted and skewed in most political conversations I am privy to. Recently the country I love conducted yet another impressive peaceful transition of power. One ideology replaced an opposing one. The one thing we can always count on is the fact- not opinion- that whoever takes over loves this country and will do his (or someday maybe her) best to lead the country toward a greater future. Of course many of our presidents have failed in that endeavor. History shows that some have done a better job than others. But I don’t think I’ve ever doubted the love any of our presidents had for his country. I don’t like how we treat our presidents. I enjoy some of the parodies but I believe it is disrespectful when they are portrayed as buffoonish cartoon-like characters on late night television and comedy shows. Goes with the territory, you might say. If so, maybe the landscape of the territory needs to change. What message do we send our children when we condone the ridicule of the person who represents the country with arguably the noblest ideals in the history of mankind? A country who has shown for generations that we are willing to spill our blood to protect not only our own freedoms, but the freedoms of others. Of course our presidents have made mistakes in the area of foreign affairs and the conduct of warfare. But that doesn’t make them Bozo the Clown. Our most recent former president became so unpopular late in his second term that a majority of his countrymen assumed everything he did was automatically wrong. Many turned him off and called him vicious names, publicly and privately. Though no president should be immune to criticism, I believe the bashing was excessive. Which brings me to our current president, a man whose approval ratings dropped 15% during his first week in office. Here we go again. I believe we have become so increasingly partisan that we don’t give anybody who disagrees with us an opportunity to prove themselves. Maybe presidents deserve less partisanship and more objectivity. Maybe we can learn to disagree with our leaders on some issues yet still support them with our prayers and our respect. I highly respect the office of president in my country despite the fact that two presidents in my lifetime shamefully disrespected the Oval office during their terms. One was foolish and lied in it and the other fooled around in it, then lied about it. But that doesn’t give Americans a free pass to disrespectfully bash the occupants of the White House. We seem to unite as a country during times of war. Therefore, I am declaring that we are at war. We are at war against apathy and disrespect. We are at war against radical partisanship and blind narrow-mindedness. We are at war against selfishness and greed. So it’s time for Americans to unite. In the meantime, let’s give the old president a break and the new president a chance.