School shopping and underage drinking....

Ok. I took the kiddies out school shopping for all their supplies needed to survive the school year. Markers, crayons, spiral bound 80 and 60 page notebooks (which you cannot find either), pencil boxes, pink pearl erasers, Kleenex, wet wipes, quart size storage bags, pocket folders....yeah the list goes on and on. Yet, it was one purchase I want to discuss. The backpack.

Office Max had great deals yesterday and while I had hoped to find a backpack for my daughter elsewhere, she found a cute pink one there. I didn't pressure her to shop somewhere else because the backpack was a reasonable price AND it was 25 percent off. When I took it to the cashier I was asked "Would you like to buy the protection plan?"

"Protection plan?" I asked.
"Yes." "For an additional $2.95 you have a full year of coverage against broken zippers or if the bottom falls out of it, you can bring it back and we'll exchange it."
"Oh. So if I don't purchase the plan and the bottom falls out, I can't bring it back?"
"Well, no, not if it doesn't happen right away."
"How long do I have to bring back a crappy backpack if it falls apart?"
"I'll have to check...hold on."

So. With that the cashier pushes a button on her headset to speak with a manager.

In the meantime, I'm chatting with the woman in back of me.

"Wow. I can't believe that you have to pay extra in order to cover crappy workmanship."
The woman behind me agrees "Perhaps you should spend more money and get a better made bag."

Thinking she is correct, but not wanting to spend more than the $25.00 I was already shelling out I decided to take my chances. Looking to the cashier for an answer.

I have until September 20, 2008 for the zippers to break and the bottom to fall out of the bag in order to receive a full replacement.

Is this just a sign of the times?

I'm beginning to wonder!

Today I read in the Washington Post there are those who are proposing lowering the drinking age to prevent binge drinking. What? The problem here is not the age of the drinkers. The problem is the idea one must drink to get drunk! There are many adults who haven't figured this out and I'm sure lowering the drinking age will not solve the issue either. Why do we as a nation insist of trying to fix problems without working to find the root of the problem?

From immigration reform, healthcare issues to teenage pregnancy - the answers to all of these issues land in the root causes! Work hard to solve the problem by digging below the surface. I do not know why kids tend to binge drink. Perhaps binge drinking is the only way they understand how to drink - it is what they perceive to be cool, the only way they perceive they can have any fun, the only way to strike up a converstation with the opposite sex...you name it - there is a reason. What I do not understand is why we don't have converstations with our children about respect.

We can develop a resepct for ourselves, for the beverage, for our body, mind and spirit. We can learn moderation. We can learn self control. We can learn to respect.

I do think I should be able to let my children have a glass of wine with their pasta. I do think my children should be able to have a celebratory drink at a wedding or other special occasion. I do think I should be able to teach my children there is nothing special about alcohol - only that if you disrespect the power of the drink, you can lose everything.

We teach our children to ride bikes with helmets. We teach our children to walk across the street by looking both ways...why can't we teach our children about alcohol? Why must we treat it as if it is something forbidden? It is the way we teach that leads to the undesirable behavior.

Lower the drinking age? No. I don't think so. But take the time to teach your children...I think we should...but education is just another one of those things the general public thinks should be left to some else. That my friends is another blog entirely.

In the mean time - I'm going to test the strength of the backpack by shoving it full of everything that needs to go to school that first day. Yet...I can stop worrying about fixing the "workmanship issue" by purchasing a protection plan and while I'm spending more money to cover a product the store won't even stand behind I can only hope the drinking age will be lowered to the age of 6. Then my daughter can drown her sorrows over a ripped backpack with a case of Sam Adams and I can stand back and not take any responsibility for any of it.

Is this really the American way? Good Lord, help us all! (That is as long as I can say Good Lord).

How to argue and win...every time!

I started reading a book last night by Gerry Spense called "How to Argue and Win Every Time." I only started reading it because I was trying to clean up my house a bit - you know the whole clean sweep concept where you take everything, sort through it, decide what to keep, what to donate and what to sell. Well with this stack of books I thought..."maybe I should read them before I give them away."

I chose this particular book because I am a terrible when it comes to arguments. I am like a five year old. I ask permission of my folks and my spouse and when I don't get the desired result I feel as if I've done something wrong by asking. How is it I hand someone else the power? What I am hoping to achieve is to learn the appropriate way to handle certain situations that arise and what I can do to make it so each side is happy with the result.

Case in point. Last week while my children were up with their grandparents and my husband on the road I found myself alone. Alone time is good. Alone time is great. Yet, when I'm alone, I begin to think how I can fill my house with life and love. I began to think about hosting an exchange student. So I found a site online that shares their applicants and immediately found a young man I thought would be a perfect fit for our home. Without consulting the husband, I went ahead and made contact with the local placement person and scheduled a home interview. The woman said "Do you think your husband will go along with this?" I believed he would, especially if we could get the kid into our home school district. So when I hung up the phone I thought to myself "Yeah! We're hosting an exchange student!" Wrong.

Thing is, I approached the phone conversation with my husband the wrong way. I sought his permission. Like a child, I asked to host. Like a parent, he explained all the reasons I shouldn't. I didn't have an argument to win because I didn't approach it correctly.

The book is quite interesting - as it talks about the reasons why people don't win arguments. It mostly has something to do with "Locks." We lock ourselves into situations and we alone hold the keys to that lock. I know and understand I am used to being told what to do. I know and understand I am used to believing others have more authority because I have a hard time admitting I know enough.

Inside there is a very strong person dying to get out. Inside there is a woman that knows she is as special as sliced bread. But with a lifetime of seeking approval - it is difficult to simply break out. I need to find the keys to my own locks. I need to finish this book and I can't do it when I'm blogging!