“He looks weird.” Three boys were using their library time to goof off, so I asked if I could help them find a book to read. One of the boys answered, cockily, “Sure, how about a book about Obama’s economic policies.” Given that he was probably eight, maybe nine years old, I sincerely doubted he even knew what an economic policy was. But, information is power, so I took all of the boys over and showed them the biography section of the library. After a quick tutorial on how to find, alphabetically, biographies on the President, I asked the boys if any of them would want to be President someday. Not surprisingly, the cocky one said yes, but the other two shook their head. One of them, tellingly, explained that he wouldn’t want so many people to dislike him. They looked at pictures of the President in the books, and again, the cocky one laughed and said the above overhear about our President. It was finally at this point that I lost it. “You do not disrespect the President of the United States, ever!” I told them. “You can absolutely disagree with his, or her perhaps someday, policies or choices, but no matter what, it is a difficult job that they have taken on and they deserve our respect for that.” It hit home…. And the boy was finally quiet. At least until after I walked away. I will reiterate this truth I believe in, our words have power, even more so when we are speaking them as adults around children. What we say and how we say it goes right into their head and without the context to understand our emotions, they none the less pick up on our beliefs. And I am not talking about our policy beliefs… I am talking about our moral beliefs. For example, how we treat people even when we disagree with them. To riff an old jazz song; It ain’t what you say it’s the way that you say it! That’s what gets results. ***** Reader news - BETTING JESSICA readers please note – Next week I am re-releasing an updated version of BETTING JESSICA. On Thursday November 15th (a week from today) I will have a one day free promotion so that you can grab the revised version if you want it for your Kindle library. Also, if you liked reading about Jessica’s foil, Cynthia, in BETTING JESSICA then you might like to read a free story about her coming out November 30th on Free Reads from the Genre-istas. Check it out at: http://freereadsfromthegenre-istas.blogspot.com/ Finally, we are looking at the end of February for the release of my next novel, UNTANGLING THE KNOT. I’ll keep everyone updated here and on my home page. Thanks so much for sharing the journey.
2 Comments
“This election is a joke.”
It is election day, and around the country people (who haven’t already) are attempting to cast their ballots. It isn’t only the federal election that demands participation. On a state and local level the battles are just as serious and ferocious. I suppose that is why, though it might be a joke, no one is laughing. So I thought I would add a little bi-partisan humor to your day; something to make you smile as you waited in line to vote or, anxiously, for the results to be tallied. You might be a…. Republican if: - You’ve named your kids, deduction one and deduction two. - The only union you support is the baseball players, because heck, they’re richer than you are. - You don’t think “The Simpsons” is all that funny but you watch it because that Flanders fellow makes a lot of sense. - When people say Marx, you think Groucho. Democrat if: - You own something that says, “Dukakis for President,” and still display it. - You’ve never been mugged; you give it away. - You got teary-eyed during the film, “The American President.” - Your house smells like a garbage dump because of your commitment to recycling. The Secret of Success… is sincerity. Once you can fake that you’ve got it made. All I ask… is the chance to show that money won’t make me happy. (Ashleigh Brilliant) I wanted to go to… the paranoids anonymous meeting; but they wouldn’t tell me where it was. (For all you conspiracy theorists out there.) If all the world is… a stage, then where is the audience sitting? Everything should be made…as simple as possible, but no simpler. Why isn’t there a tax… on stuff I don’t like? And finally… Everything is controlled by…a small, evil group to which, unfortunately, no one we know belongs. Voting is not a joke… it is a right and a privilege. So GO! Appreciate this gift of democracy. (This blog is dedicated to my brother, Michael Sprinkle, for getting involved. Good Luck, Michael!) |
Subscribe to my blog:
About Me...Deanne WilstedLink here to Betting Jessica on Amazon.com Archives
June 2020
Categories
All
|