On Your Mark, Get Set, WRITE!

I did it! I finally made a long term commitment to regularity that I can fulfill, I think. I signed up for NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). I will be posting something on this blog every day for the month of November! This idea is much less daunting to me than NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, which is also going on in November), and it will be like "fall cleaning" for all the ideas crammed in my head. LOL There's no telling what will be uncovered. ;)

10, 20, 30 - My Life!

I first saw this on Jenny's blog, but then followed it backwards through many more.

Where were you 10, 20, 30 years ago?

Ten years ago, this day, I was probably still not fully unpacked from our move into our home. My hubby moved us into this house one year before that, all while I was in the hospital from delivering our second child. My mother was so impressed by the way my husband cleaned the house before our arrival home from the hospital, and "he even put shelf liners in the cabinets before putting the dishes away!" :) So 10 years ago, we were celebrating my daughter's first birthday, and one year of first home ownership.

Twenty years ago I was sharing an apartment in Edison, NJ with two other interns at Robert Wood Johnson Rehabilitation Center. It was my second of three different interships (Officially called "Affiliations") that I completed so that I could take the certification exam in occupational therapy.

Thirty years ago, hmmmm. I had to really think about this one. Oh yeah, I was probably in sixth grade at Von E. Mauger middle school. My best friend was Beth, and we liked to dress alike and went rollerskating almost every Saturday afternoon. I had a social studies teacher who often let me leave the school grounds to go to the local deli and get him a newspaper and coffee! Imagine the uproar that would cause today! ;P

SO, where were YOU 10......20.......30 years ago?

I "Felt" Impatient

When I saw Diana's beautiful knitted and felted bag, I knew I had to have one. Lucky for me, I learned to knit at the Live&Learn conference this year, so I could make my own. The only problem was, knitting takes too long for me. I NEEDED a fall purse right away! So....I figured I would try my hand at felting a crocheted bag, since I could whip that up in a matter of days.

I found a pattern for a great market bag, and purchased some pretty wool, and this is what I created.

Then after the magic of felting, and the addition of a pin (yes, all those buttons are a pin I had purchased a while ago just because) and a loop to close it, my market bag turned into this awesome purse!

I love it, and I love the wonderful on-line communities of crafters who joyfully share their ideas, inspiration, tutorials, and patterns. Thanks to you I can create beautifully satisfying goodies in no time at all, which is good for an impatient crafter like me! ;)

Creepy Crafting

These adorable little guys are "glove monsters" created by my daughter. We first saw the idea on my half of the brain, which gives links to tons of crafty tutorials. The original tutorial came from the wonderful CraftyPod. They are so fun to create, quick and easy too! There's plenty of time to whip up a few before Halloween. Come on, you know you want to. ;)

The Priveleges of "Adulthood"

( This is my son, with his newly acquired car, which he bought with his own money, before he goes to work at his new job at Hot Topic. Yeah, I'm a proud mom. )

My oldest son is 16 years old. He is now experiencing some of the perks that come with age, namely the ability to drive a car solo, the ability to work for pay in a place he likes, and the ability to have an independent checking account. He is ready for the independence and responsibility these things entail, and I am so happy for him. These things allow him even more freedom and self-determination than he had previously.

I have to admit, I was eager for my son to be able to do these things, because as I stated, he was ready. Unfortunately, there are many things that teenagers today are ready and able to do, but which they are denied access to merely because of their age. Psychologist Robert Epstein, who wrote "The Case Against Adolescence", stated the following in a recent interview:

In recent surveys I've found that American teens are subjected to more than 10 times as many restrictions as mainstream adults, twice as many restrictions as active-duty U.S. Marines, and even twice as many as incarcerated felons. Psychologist Diane Dumas and I also found a correlation between infantilization and psychological dysfunction. The more young people are infantilized, the more psychopathology they show.
What's more, since 1960, restrictions on teens have been accelerating. Young people are restricted in ways no adult would be—for example, in some states they are prohibited from entering tanning salons or getting tattoos.

On the last page of the article, there is a summary list of all the restrictions that have been placed on adolescents, beginning around the time of compulsory education in the 1850's. Today, my friend just told me of another one I wasn't aware of. Apparently, you need to be 21 years old to reserve a hotel room. If my friend wanted to reserve the room for her 18year old daughter, she would have to present ID when checking into the room! What about the 18 year olds that live and work independently? I guess it is just assumed that all 18 year olds are not responsible enough to be in such a position!

I believe that in order for teenagers to transition gracefully into adulthood, they need to be allowed to attempt and practice many of the skills they need before they actually become "adults". It is ludicrous to believe that magically at 21 years of age, people become competent enough for anything in particular. Unnecessarily limiting teenagers' access to activities, and then providing unlimited freedom all at age 21 is foolish at best and harmful at the worst. I think our society has seen enough of the worst effects. It's time to give people (teenagers) the benefit of our trust in their competency, and allow them the freedom to LIVE the life those of us over age 21 are guaranteed in the constitution. We will all reap the rewards.