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About a month ago I announced to the family and friends that Mr M and I are expecting Baby No. 4.
Congratulations and delight abound I was feeling pretty good. Until I read the following article.
Green group calls for one child policy
AUSTRALIA should consider having a one-child policy to protect the planet, an environmental lobby group says.
Sustainable Population Australia says slashing the world's population is the only way to avoid "environmental suicide''.
National president Sandra Kanck wants Australia's population of almost 22 million reduced to seven million to tackle climate change.
Restricting each couple to one baby, as China does, is "one way of assisting to reduce the population''.
I have one question. If we all lived a little greener then wouldn't that have more impact than simply reducing the population and sticking to our bad habits?
I recently saw a documentary titled "Baby Boom to Bust" on SBS. Simply it explores the ageing populations and shrinking birth rates that most first world countries are experiencing and what affect this will have on the economy on said country. The welfare system, growth and prosperity.
Even if you only look at the family unit, the documentary states that by the middle of the 21st century more than half the Italian population will have no siblings or extended family. Is this a concern?
Another point to consider is that in Australia, and around the world it would appear, the birth rate of most first world countries has been declining yet the world's population is increasing.
I had a quick look at a few parenting forums and in particular large family forums and found that large families are very conscious of the world and the circumstances they find themselves in. Granted, they drive larger cars but tend to bath siblings together, are quite savvy with their money budget and tend to dispose of less. Hole in a sock? mend it. No biscuits in the pantry? Bake them. Ran out of eggs and cucumbers? Go to the backyard to get them. Large families tend to go on more driving than flying holidays.
Which brings me back to my original question. If we all lived a little more green, would that have more impact than simply reducing the population?
I'm no expert so would love to hear from those are well versed in the above.
An English health worker is standing by her "heartbreaking" decision to send her own son to prison after he became involved with drugs.
Mother Sends Own Son To Prison
A Taliban firing squad killed a young couple in south-western Afghanistan for trying to elope, shooting them with AK-47s in front of a crowd in a lawless, militant-controlled region, officials say.
Young Couple Shot Dead For Trying To Elope
These are two stories that appeared on smh.com.au on Wednesday 15 April 2009. Both appeared in the World section. One above the other.
My aim is to not to jump on my soapbox about which act is a crime and which punishment is warranted. But it should come as no surprise that being raised in a Western country my whole life, the course the British mother took is more familiar, natural to me if you will.
But thats exactly the point. What the Afghan parents did probably feels familiar and natural to them.
I know that the UN condemn honour killings and they should. Unfortunately in the world we live in the reality is it can never be properly policed. Well at least in the rural the rural areas that have no state police.
I have read some articles in the past year of honour killings occurring in the UK by Pakistani families; the perpetrators, mainly fathers and brothers, have been arrested and tried according to UK law.
Again, everyone will have an opinion and it is probably safe to say that most of you reading this will think that honour killings are cruel and unusual and barbaric forms of punishment and deterrents.
But these two sets of parents are similar in one way. They followed the law as their society had instructed them to. They didnt keep the matter to themselves and deal with it in the home; they chose to adopt societal norms with regards to punishment and discipline. And both suffer life long consequences.
Now I know thats not always the case. Parents do try to keep discipline within the home.
I just trying to stress that society has taught us to be acceptable; and what we know is familiar and would seem normal. Perhaps even to the point that we dont question it.
What one country deems as a serious crime another doesnt. Again, this is just an observation. We raise our children by what society dictates as normal. It is generally a minority that strays from those rules. Home births, home schooling, large families are not the norm anymore, although they seem to be making a comeback
or maybe thats just a media beat up. Thats a whole other post.
We all survive on instinct. I know most mothers instinct would kill or be killed for their children. I wonder how a mother copes with an honour killing. I wonder how a mother copes with being the one to send their child to jail. I wonder what a mother in China thinks if she is forced to abort a child because it is a girl.
How strong or familiar do societal norms and pressure have to be to override instinct?
Do you think weve lost our ability to think? I think we dont give ourselves enough credit in some cases
.and in other we give ourselves too much credit.
Over the last 8 years, since I became a parent, the amount of parenting titles available on our bookshop shelves has just exploded. Is there really a market for this many books? Is there any end in sight? There is of course the baby section, the toddler section, the preschooler, starting school, heading into the tween faze, teenage years
.Im assuming we stop once our children become adults. There are books concentrating on boys, and there are books concentrating on girls. Those with learning difficulties and disabilities.
It would seem the old adage of it takes a village to raise a child should change to it takes a library to raise a child.
And thats really the key. The origin of information has change from the community to the library. If its not published its not credible?
Not that Im against having books to help. That would make me a hypocrite, but the choice has become so extensive how does a first time parent wade through all the titles and pick the one thats right for them?
Sure, one book doesnt fit everyone so choice is needed but is there such a thing as too much choice?
But raising children isnt the only topic that has been hit by the barrage of books.
Cleaning. Yes, cleaning. How to keep a clean house now apparently needs a published how to guide to make sure we do it properly. Have we lost our capacity to think, organize and do for ourselves? Has our instinct completely abandoned us?
Sure there are cook books out and I myself own a few because recipes are almost endless but dusting? Do we really need an instructional manual for that? Its not the sort of information that needs updating. If I want streak free windows Im sure a quick question to surrounding friends will more than supply me with the necessary tools.
Id love to know who the authors are. How are they more qualified than me?
I have also noticed that having a vege patch in the garden has become fashionable, even somewhat of a necessity. It makes sense. It really does.
Being a child of migrant Greek parents we had a vege patch. A big one. My fathers tomatoes were the talk of the town. And my embarrassment swelled immensely. It was so peasant-like to have a vege patch. Couldnt we just buy tomatoes like normal people? Im not saying that is was a fair assessment. But thats how I felt. So I paid no attention. And now that my kids want a vege patch I either have to swallow my pride and ask my dad for help
.or buy a book.
Over the last couple of weeks I have been watching parliamentary question time on ABC. Im not altogether sure I gain any clarity on current issues as the politicians seem to always dance around the answers with their fancy deviations and verbose responses.
However, I truly sit in amazement for the speaker of the house. He keeps proceedings moving forward, he quickly pounces on anyone getting out of line and most importantly he keeps his cool
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Did homework make you smarter? Did it give you that edge over the other kids in class? Did it make you appreciate more what you were learning in school? Or did you just do it to get to the end? To appease parents and teachers?
Ive just had an article go on live on www.webchild.com.au titled Homework or Childs Play? Discussing whether homework really is relevant
[ Click here to read more ]
Its true. I was in my local Myer store looking for canisters to fit our variety of teas and there she was. Her mobile phone rang and it got my attention; I looked towards her. I instantly recognized her; but still I had to be sure.
As for the wife of a former prime minister she wasnt all that striking. I dont really know what I expected but she really just looked like my mum. No fancy shoes, no fancy bag, no fancy dress and no fancy hair. She just looked nice
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Below is an article I found on the smh.com.au website. I don't know whether to laugh or shake my head in despair. There are so many things in this situation I'm not quite sure where to begin.
A four-year-old US boy grabbed a shotgun from a cupboard and shot his babysitter who had accidentally stepped on the boy's foot.
[ Click here to read more ]
I copped my first I Hate You yesterday. My cherry has been popped. My five year old son Alex spat I hate you at me in the car on the way home.
You see it all started when he asked if we could borrow a game from the local video shop. I said yes and he was happy. But as we were walking to the car he was shouting at the top of his lungs. Nothing in particular; he was just being loud. So I asked him to lower his voice because the neighbours didnt want to hear him
[ Click here to read more ]
A couple of weeks ago I saw Def Leppard in concert. Its been 16 years since Def Leppard has toured Australia. 16 years ago
1992. I was 18 and Def Leppard was living in the moment of their success.
16 years on
2008. Im 34 and Def Leppard and I (as well as the rest of the crowd judging by the demographic) were re-living past moments. I cant speak for Def Leppard but why was I there? Well Def Leppard were one of those bands I listened to incessantly as a teenager. Ah the teenage years
when time was aplenty and my identity yet to be cemented
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I'm feeling sad...not depressed, just a little bit sad.
Today my youngest turns 3!. Yay! I'm not sad about that. He's very cute  [ Click here to read more ]
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Comment by Mrs M
on AM I REALLY BEING UNGREEN?
Mum's Word
Thank you for your kind wishes.
The other thing about having a large family (I still can't believe I'm in that category, although Peter Costello lumped me in it during his last budget...) anyways... a lot of the cost cutting methods generally come about because of necessity.
All of a sudden you do realise how wasteful you can be and make changes. I don't know if I'd go to all the trouble of a vege patch if it was just Mr M, me and one child. I would just go to Woollies.
Thanks for the visit.
Love & stuff
Mrs M