Expecting Handouts

I have a major problem when people expect to receive help.

If you have a catastrophe in your life and need momentary help to get back on your feet, that's one thing. By all means - accept help from others, dust yourself off, and go on about the business of taking care of yourself once again.

But if you walk knowingly into a situation that you know damn well you cannot handle on your own, you should not expect to be bailed out by anyone else.

Nadya Suleman fits the bill as someone who just absolutely makes me see red. In case you are one of the 5 remaining people on the planet who hasn't heard about this foolish woman, she was the single mom of 6 children, 3 of whom are considered legally disabled, who was unemployed and lived with her parents. All of her children were conceived using donor sperm and in vitro fertilization. She supports her family on a variety of state/federal assistance.

After going through yet another in vitro procedure, she gave birth to 8 more babies. Still unemployed. Moving out of her parents tiny home into a slightly larger home, using money gained from deals arranged to share her "story." Dr. Phil pitched in and paid for renovations. The woman has had in vitro more than half a dozen times (not cheap!), sport manicured nails and has had plastic surgery. Have I mentioned she has no job?

But, by God, she's actively soliciting donations! Here's a screenshot from her website:



Check out her Wikipedia entry to take a look at her life. (Yes, I know that Wikipedia isn't known for having 100% accuracy since users can edit...but I've read and followed each reference out of sheer morbid curiosity and it's a good compilation to-date.)

Bloggers have gotten a lot of crap for speaking ill of Nadya. Many have encouraged us to feel sypathy for Nadya and gather 'round to help her.

HELL NO.

It's her CHILDREN who deserve sympathy and help. And, frankly, they're not going to get it while their mother continues to exploit their very existance.

Seriously.

Seriously, the Medical Edition

We had several seriously?!?!?! moments today that I can share. (By the way...head over to my How to Have a Baby blog to see the latest on baby's medical issues/status.)

First, baby has been having daily weight checks, color checks and bilirubin blood draws since this past Tuesday. Our doctor has Saturday and Sunday hours for urgent care and follow-ups, but the location varies between the main location and a sub location. This weekend was at the sub location. The nurse at the main location advised us yesterday to simply call the sub location at 9 AM today to see what time they wanted us to come in.

We're good at following directions, so we called at 9:05, and explained why we were calling and what our little girl needed to have done. The girl at the desk told us that a new nurse was working today and so she didn't want to over-burden her, and so couldn't we wait until Sunday? Um, no. So she said she'd page out our doctor to see what she said and get back to us if we "actually" had to come in. Ok...we'll play.

An hour later, no phone call. We decided to give it another half hour...and then called back. The response? "Oh, yeah. Well, how soon can you be here?"

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? This sub location is almost 20 miles away...and we were waiting on a call back to get ready to leave the house. So, really, you can wait on us. Seriously!

Second, when we finally got to the doctor's office, we ended up sitting there for TWO HOURS just to have her weight checked (she gained almost 3 ounces versus yesterday) and to have a lab slip drawn up to take to the hospital since the doctor office's lab was closed. TWO HOURS. And it totally put the little one off her feeding schedule. I finally went back to the nursing room to start feeding her when she was a half hour overdue and then the nurse came in to weigh her and promised that we'd be on our way soon. So she only got half a feeding. Seriously?!?

Finally, when we got to the hospital, we ended up with a stupid lab tech. She asked why we were doing daily blood draws (um, the diagnosis is on the lab slip, sweetheart) and so I explained that we had been monitoring her bilirubin levels since Tuesday to make sure they were coming down. She looked rather alarmed when I told her the starting level and so I commented that the blue light therapy was working to help bring her numbers down bit by bit. The tech said that she didn't know that phototherapy could be done at home and she just assumed we were doing it at the hospital. Seriously?

Rewind. So this tech thought that we came to the hospital, took our child out of her blue light therapy, and brought her up to the lab? Um, I've heard of self service, but that crosses the border into stupid land. Here's your sign. Yes, the baby is getting therapy at home. Duh!

As a postscript, the nurse at the doctor's office and the lab tech both referred to Baby Catherine as "he" multiple times even as I was correcting them on her gender. Oy.

So it's been a Seriously Stupid Saturday all the way around. And despite the lab tech saying the results would be ready in an hour...we haven't received any results. So, on our own, and I'm sure AMA, we've decided to say "screw it" to doing a weight check and a blood draw tomorrow and try to capture an entire day to ourselves at home without working around medical crap...Monday will be soon enough to do her next checks!

Hope ya'll are having a great weekend!

Ignorant Children, Part 2

I was at the library today, checking out a few books in preparation for the arrival of the little one. (I'm beginning my quest to read ALL of the books that have won the Pulitzer Prize.)

While there, I noticed a mother and her teenage son. He was busily picking out DVDs to rent. His mom asked him, in a very tentative voice, "Would you like to check out a few books as well, while we're here?"

He replied, "Naw. I don't need no books. Nothin' ever happens in books."

Oh, God. I had to stop myself from rushing over and bonking him over the head with the hardcover copy of Gone With The Wind I'd just picked up.

This is a problem I perceive with today's youth - they don't read! Even up to my age - a few, hmm, years past my high school days.

I was on a work trip to Philadelphia a little over a year ago with one of my coworkers, and I was showing him around the city that I spent a lot of time in growing up. Somehow, we got talking about books. He confided in me that he was hoping to read at least 1 book this year. Because, you know, he's busy and all.

Gosh, don't strain yourself.

When did reading become such a challenge? I'm not saying that kids have to run out and pick up the classics, but read something, for God's sake! I'd seriously challenge anyone who told me they didn't have time to read because they're too busy. Quite honestly, I rarely encounter people who have more crowded schedules than I do. But I'm still in the process of reading my 81st book this year.

What are your thoughts?

This trend in reading disturbs me...seriously!

The Ignorance of Children...

I judged a speech and debate tournament between yesterday and today, and I'm reminded again of the ignorance of children.

In particular, I judge LD (Lincoln Douglas) Debate, Extemp (Extemporaneous Current Events Speaking) and Congress (speeches for/against resolutions). I just other events as well, but these are the ones that deal with current events.

I've got to tell you that some of the analysis I hear is so freaking cracked up, it makes my head hurt. I'm not saying that I have a difference of opinion with what's presented...I'm saying that the way these kids analyze issues is seriously flawed.

Is it their parent's fault? Is it their teacher's fault? Have we, as a society, just become less analytical?

It scares me that these kids are our future leaders. Year by year - and I've been judging for almost ten years - the analysis just gets worse and worse.

I'm looking forward to teaching Spoiled Baby how to handle thinking through current events issues. Not what to think - I don't need a mini me - but how to process what goes on in the world around her.

It seems that there's just not enough emphasis placed on learning how to think. Seriously!