I just got laid off this week and even though I have already applied at a number of places I dread the thought of getting further behind in our already outrageous bills.  We have been so far behind we have been floating ourselves with payday loans, so every week a about $400.00 comes out of the bank and that is what is killing us.  If we didn't have those loans we would be ok, but we can never seem to catch up enough to get them paid off and we just have to keep getting more to survive.  Now that I have lost my job I don't know how we are going to make it.

Stubborn Pre-Teens

I am having the worst time with the pre-teen and his stubborn and know it all self centered attitude.  He thinks he can get everything he wants and has to do nothing to earn it. I guess boys are worse than girls also.  He is not that bad unless his dad is out and I'm alone with him, then he decides to act out and not listen to me because he thinks he can get away with it.  His dad does not punish him as much as he should and lets him get away with a lot.  Since I'm just the (step-mother) girlfriend I can't do as much to punish him either.  He thinks his dad is going to take his side and he can do what he wants.  His dad is finally seeing the light and has started punishing him a little bit more but he still acts up with me.  He gets all upset and says he hates living with me every time I get on to him or ask him to do anything.  The latest episode was today I asked him to clean his room and do some of his chores.  He has a friend over but his friend was staying the whole weekend.  He said he wasn't going to do anything because he had a guest over, I explained to him that when his friend stays two or three nights then that is not an excuse and he can stop and do some chores.  He refused and ran out the door trying to call his dad.  He said he hated me and wanted to move back to his mom's which is about 1,000 miles away.  He purposefully ran his bike into the garage. He has a bad temper and refuses to control it.  His dad and I have both told him that when he lets his temper get the best of him it only makes things worse for him, but he never gets it just keeps doing the same thing over again.  I hope he matures some in the next year because this really wears on me.  I live in a very stressful environment sometimes and I'm at my wits end. What happened to the days where kids feared their parents and when  the parents told them to do something they said yes sir or ma'm and did it even if they didn't want to.  Now days kids argue and fuss and think they don't have to do anything. We both get tired of his smart answers for everything we say.  He thinks he is the only one in the world that has to do chores.  He always tries to use that argument.

Learning How to Be A Mom

My boyfriend's 11 year old son has decided to come live with us.  I am having to learn a lot in a short time.  It is has been very interesting.  He is having to learn how to respect me and my decisions even though he may not like them and I am not his real mom.  I am having to learn how to let him make some of his own decisions.  It is tough because he is a pre-teen.  I am guessing that it wouldn't be so tough if he was younger.  We also live differently so he is having to get used to our ways.  Even though he was born down in the South where we live he has only lived here maybe 3 or 4 years out of his life and most of his life he has lived up North and they do things a lot different than we do in the South.  They eat different foods, have different manners and just act different.  We are having a little bit of trouble because his mom let him do and listen to a lot of things that his dad doesn't agree with, but it is hard to change his ways and correct them even if we think they are bad things that an 11 year old shouldn't be listening too, like rap music with a lot of cussing in it.  He is a good kid for the most part and scared of getting in trouble, but he is very strong willed and wants to have things his way and doesn't want to listen to adults especially one that isn't his mother.  I look forward to having a great experience in the years to come.

Kids these days don't help women

Today I was at work and was lifting boxes, carrying water jugs and various other tasks. There was a time when a man would go out of his way and offer to help with these things.  So now to my point.   Seems to me the younger generation shows no sign of chivalry.  There was an intern at work who is about 21 years old and he saw me doing all these activities and not once did he ask to help me, he just kept playing on his phone.  I don't know if the kids are not being taught to help others and that men should open the door for a woman and help them whenever possible, or why they are so lazy and selfish these days. It's not just young men, it's the girls too. Most children these days are not willing to stop and help someone that is older than them.  The world is becoming one selfish pit.  I know some of the reason for these actions are because of how there is so much more crime out there than there used to be.  It is not as safe to stop and help someone broken down on the side of the road like you could 30 , 40 or 50 years ago.  If everyone today would help someone out instead of helping themselves, the world could smile a little more.  I feel that so many people today are so angry and bitter.  It makes you feel good when someone is polite and respectful towards you.  If I am in a kind of weird mood and I walk by someone that is speaks to me and is in a good mood it makes me feel better and happier. Not too many people are nice to everyone they pass these days, most just walk past you not acknowleding your existence.

Children today

 I have noticed that most of the children today have absolutely no manners.  (I will follow up on this subject another day). They are very rude and don't consider anyone but themselves.
 Because most of them only want to play video games they don't develop some of the skills they need to survive.  They need social skills, they need to go outside and get and skin their knee or get in a fight every now and then.  These things toughen children up.  Now days there is padding everywhere, Playground, Trampoline, bicycles.  Kids can't be kids today because everything is padded and safe for them.  Kids used to not have to wear bicycle helmets, knee and arm pads.  Kids could jump on trampolines without net or pads around them, I just to jump out of trees onto the trampoline.  I think that too much of this protecting the kids is making them soft or not being able to fend for themselves.  Kids are being protected too much that is why so many of them are still living at home, not finding a good job being successful and being able to survive in the world without their parents or grandparents support.  Kids today just don't seem to want to work, they are very lazy.  Is this the cause of the parents doing too much for them?

What is wrong with the world today?

I have decided to start this blog to post my opinions with what is wrong with how people live today.  I'm not saying I'm perfect but I think a lot of old traditions and actions have gone out the window with people today, if we stuck to some of those everyone would be happier and safer.  Some old ways; like how we teach our children, talk to others and just be good neighbors to everyone nobody does anymore.  I will try to post something almost everyday about something I think we should change and how it will help our society today.