Full Circle Child Blog

     We tell our children to ask questions; “You’ll never learn the answer if you don’t ask the question.”  All change begins with a question.  As a society we have been overcome by Apathy.  Not only are we not questioning the way things are, we are making a deliberate effort to remain ignorant, because apathy is expected of the ignorant.  How can you care about something you have no knowledge of?  However, we have no excuse today with a world of information literally at our fingertips. 

   When I think of my children and their future, this is what worries me most.  If people are not upset by injustice; are not outraged by war; are not saddened by poverty; are not worried about environmental degradation, what hope do we have?  Please read our page on “American Apathy”  

   You’ve probably seen the commercials paid for by the “Americans Against Food Taxes” which depict a happy American family who is concerned that taxing their soda will financially destroy them.  Are they kidding?

First and foremost, soda and juice drinks ARE NOT FOOD!

   I find it appalling that a great number of citizens actually believe that soda, “juice drinks”, and other flavored beverages are a necessity.  Now I understand why so many children today hardly drink water.  For anyone who believes this nonsense and scare tactics, look at the “Americans Against Food Taxes” website and notice who their main supporters are; Pepsi, Coke, McDonald’s, etc.  Sure, there are some other associations, including AARP, but these groups oppose basically ANY TAXATION.  Think about how much profit beverage companies, fast food chains, and grocers make on sugary drinks.  It’s all water and high fructose corn syrup! 

   For everyone complaining about taxation, the government already heavily subsidizes the producers of corn; a big portion of which goes to manufacture high fructose corn syrup.  Therefore, we are already being taxed to produce soda and other sugary drinks.  The difference is that now those government subsidies find their way into the pockets of those huge corporations (as cheap production costs, etc.), whereas the proposed taxes would help fund healthcare in our nation (God forbid).

   Don’t expect most healthcare professionals to point it out, but many chronic health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and even some behavioral issues, are directly related to nutrition.  So, if the government is going to provide healthcare to everyone, nutrition must be a part of it.  A proposal that helps discourage people from buying products detrimental to their health (and proven so), is fine by me.  Personally, I’d like to see more junk taxed in order to subsidize healthy, nutritious foods and healthy school lunch programs.  What people should be upset about is the fact that many Americans have a hard time affording fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.  This falls into the same category as other excise taxes and is no way a tax on food or any necessity.

This tax may not be the best idea, but detrimental to families?  Give me a break and go drink a glass of water!  

   I just finished reading Michael Pollan’s latest book, In Defense of Food, and it is full of great information, as I knew it would be.  One of the most basic points he makes is that we must get informed about our food choices; not only what we eat, but where it comes from, how it is produced, and how we consume it.  The idea to eat healthy, nutritious, “real” food consumed at the end of a short food chain is not new at all.  The difference is that until recently, people didn’t have to think about it. 

   It seems to me that perhaps a shift in the way our food was produced, and the rise of big agribusiness, coincided with the feminist movement.  As women went to work outside of the home and had less time to worry about what to make for dinner, this important role was taken over by corporate marketing.  Women were told they could get more done and spend less time in the kitchen with quick, easily prepared meals and TV dinners.  This propaganda pushed away the very person who made the decisions about what to eat, knew where her family’s food came from, and took pride in nourishing her children.   

   Of course women have every right to work outside the home or not, and equality is a right all people are entitled to, but the idea that providing healthy meals for a family is an unimportant chore simply needs to end.  As strong women and mothers we must take back our right to know what we are feeding our children and take pride in doing so!

I wonder if citizens today, for the most part, believe that deception by government or corporations is only something read about in our history books?  No matter how much evidence to the contrary, mainstream Americans seem to think that their best interests in matters of health and well-being are being looked out for by government and that it is just crazy or paranoid to think otherwise.  Nor do they believe that it is possible for corporations to conspire to deceive them.  Well, just check out this link!  It is unbelievable, even for those of us who do not trust the government and huge corporations!   http://www.enviroblog.org/2009/06/-its-1960-embattled-tobacco.html?utm_source=BPA-Call&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=second-link&utm_campaign=Toxics   

I used to think that in order to be a good mother I should have my life figured out, a career, a set path.  Attending college while raising three kids made me feel like I was going backwards to finish something I should have already done.  Now I realize that what I am learning may actually benefit my children much more than if I had learned it before having them.  It’s as if we are on a journey together; one of self-discovery, knowledge and the inter-connectedness of our world.  I am learning to appreciate and be inspired and find my place in the world.  And this place is not separate from my children, just as it it not separate from the environment and all others living in it.  It is important that my children learn how they are connected to everything else and that they have the power to change our world for the better.  The realization that learning does not only take place in an institution, but perhaps even more in the natural world has helped me to begin on a path with my children, which is lined with wonder, inspiration and hope.

 Join us as we experience nature together–http://www.fullcirclechild.com/ExpNature.html

   This question has been thrown around so much for so long that we don’t even think about the meaning anymore.  Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or working mom, you know that the politically correct answer is yes.  The idea that we can “have it all” has been shoved down our throats and become part of our collective “supermom” subconscience.  As the daughters and grand-daughters of the American feminist movement, how could we possibly say that we are entitled to anything less than “having it all”?  

   We need to re-examine the question and analyze its meaning.  When we hear the phrase “Can we have it all?” it is implied that in order to have it all, one must do it all.  Herein lies the problem.  As a mother, “doing it all” means that no longer is it enough to raise children and manage a household, we must also be capable of running a business or working at least a forty hour week outside of the home, and maintain our sex appeal.  
  

   This idea that women are not good enough or are not complete without stretching themselves in fifty directions at once, is a terrible misconception that needs to come to end.  A mother who devotes herself to staying at home to nurture her children deserves respect and support from those around her.  It is a difficult job that offers no vacation time, monetary benefit or much appreciation.  At the same time, mothers who must work or choose to work outside of the home, also deserve respect and support because it is tough to find a balance between nurturing your own ambitions and your children.
  

   As women we are highly capable of accomplishing what we set out to do.  However, the first step in finding balance and doing the best at whatever we choose to do, is establishing our own priorities and defining for ourselves just what “having it all” means.  When we discover what we really need and want on an individual level, we discover that perhaps we can have it all!