Because I Said So

When I was a young adult, and not yet a mother, I wasn't interested in children much. I would notice other people and their children and how they attended to them. Some parents allowed their children to run wild, and some kept some semblance of control. Most of it was just observation, with no presumption. After all, I had never had children. Who was I to give advice on parenting? And even if I had children, those children weren't mine.

After I married and became pregnant with my first child, I still didn't have those "motherly" feelings, other than being happy to be having a child. I had my doubts like most parents do. Would I be a good mother? Would my child grow up strong and stable? Other than the practical side of things, like feeding, diapers, etc., there really isn't any book than can tell you how to be YOUR child's mother. You just know, and you learn.

I had always heard that labor and delivery of a baby was painful. And women told me I'd never remember afterward just how bad it was. Well, it was bad, and they lied.

And I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

You see, being a parent is such a gift from God that whatever you had to endure to get to that point, is just plain OK. The sight of that beautiful baby girl, that we had made together, was a miracle in itself. All those feelings I didn't have before her birth came rushing in like a tidal wave and drowned me with love for this little wonder.

For weeks I refused to allow anyone but myself and my husband to hold her, much to the surprise of my in-laws. I didn't care. She was mine. Well-wishers tried to tell me how to take care of her, but I ignored them. I was, after all, my baby's mother, and I WAS the best judge of what was best for her. And you know what? I was an awesome mother.

As she grew, I realized that, to my daughter, I WAS the best (and only) mother she could ever have. I could do no wrong in her eyes. I chose the best schools and the best care for her. I stood up for her when she was wronged. I protected her from danger.

I used all those phrases my parents used on me. "Mom knows best", "because I said so", "because I'm the Mom and you're not". But what that really means is, we know what's best for them. We have the age and wisdom, and the all consuming, unconditional love for our own children.

I know I speak for every parent out there when I say, I know what's best for my children. I warned them about the dangers that can befall children. I gave them permission (or not) to do the new and exciting things children want to do. I know their every ailment, what makes them happy, sad, upset, bored, and angry. I taught them right from wrong long before they went to school, and that concept is continued even there. We teach our children to listen to their teachers.

So why am I writing this blog on being a mother? Because our government is overstepping its bounds and trying to tell me what I can and can't do as the mother of my children. I don't know about you, but I didn't allow my neighbor to tell me how to parent my children, so why would I allow the government to do so? And what gives them the right?

SB 828 is such a bill. In it the law states that a child under the age 12 cannot ride on a motorcycle as a passenger.

Read SB 828 Details here.

WTF??? What next? More laws to tell me what school they can go to? What religion they can worship? How dare this Senator have the audacity to tell me he (the government) knows what's best for MY children.

And this from a government who refuses to recognize the dangers of using cell phones while driving, and the negligent drivers who threaten the lives of many every day, and who are given a traffic ticket for taking a life?

My children are grown. They know how to make sound judgements on their own lives. I taught them as much as I could, and the rest is probably just dumb luck. To this day, they still call me and ask for advice. I am, after all, their mother.

So I challenge all parents, whether you ride a motorcycle or not, are you going to allow the government to pass laws that tell you how to raise your children?

Write to Senator Bennett and tell him you don't want the government telling you, a United States FREE citizen, what you can and can't allow your own children to do. Protest this law that removes your constitutional right to raise your children as you see fit.

I did. My constitutional rights are valuable to me. The more the government regulates, the fewer rights you and I have. If things continue the way they are, soon we will have no rights at all.

And if you won't do it for yourself? Do it for your children's rights.

Send your letters to:

Senator mike Bennett
bennett.mike.web@flsenate.gov

Senator Dave Aronberg
aronberg.dave.web@flsenate.gov

Senator Burt Saunders
saunders.burt.web@flsenate.gov