Junk

"If we're not willing to settle for junk living, we certainly shouldn't settle for junk food." ~ Sally Edwards

Try telling that to my #2 Son, who would live on junk if I would allow it. How did I raise a kid who only wants pizza, ramen noodles, chicken noodle soup, and anything from a fast food restaurant?

Now I will admit he does have good taste, and loves expensive restaurant food and steak and bbq, as well as roasted chicken. He even asks for salad on occasion. The fact remains, however, that even more than the other kids, who will gladly take a bit of junk now and then, he craves the stuff and would almost live on it, to the exclusion of most things healthy and great detriment to his health.

The kids also seem ready to often settle for junk living, as well. #1 Son is outgrowing this as he becomes more responsible with college and work. Bigger Girl is determined to spend her life working to end all animal cruelty, of every sort. The two younger ones are all about entertainment, when they are done with school and chores and work, and lowest common denominator entertainment at that.

Wrestling on television is one of the ultimates in junk viewing, for example. #2 Son and Little Girl both love it. They also love crude humor; the meanness that seems to pass for funny these days they find highly enjoyable and take great delight in quoting the latest to me not funny at all lines at every opportunity.

Yes, some of it is that they are 14 and 12, and some of it they will probably outgrow, despite the examples of some supposed adults I know to the contrary. Still, the entire culture, the entertainment industry, advertising, everything, seems determined to make and keep them prisoners of junk. Junk food, which destroys their health and therefore their lives. Junk thinking, leaking to junk reasoning and the inability to see when they are being had by whomever controls the information of the moment. Junk activities when they could work to make a difference. Junk lives, the kind of living that leads to not caring what is going on in the world so long as they can still order a pizza on Saturday night and be entertained whenever they want.

I don't want my kids to settle for junk, in their stomachs, in their minds, in their lives.


Today is

Beer & Can Day

Bison-Ten-Yell Day

Coughing and Spluttering Convention -- Fairy Calendar

Feast of Bishamon-Ten -- Japan

Good Society Day

National Blueberry Popsicle Day

Old Timer's Day

Sedantag -- Germany

St. Agricola of Avignon's Day (patron of rain -- for or against, whichever you need! -- against bad luck)

St. Sulien's Day

VJ Day -- Surrender Ceremony took place on this date aboard the USS Missouri



Birthdays Today:

Lennox Lewis, 1965
Keanu Reeves, 1964
Jimmy Connors, 1952
Mark Harmon, 1951
Christa McAuliffe, 1948
Terry Bradshaw, 1948
Cleveland Amory, 1917
Lili'uokalani, 1838


Today in History:

Cicero's first Philippic (oratorical attack) on Marc Antony, BC44
Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion, BC44
Octavian's troops win the Battle of Actium which ends the Final war of the Roman Republic, BC31
The Great Fire of London breaks out and burns for three days; it ends with 8 dead and 13,000 houses destroyed, 1666
Great Britain adopts the Gregorian calendar, nearly two centuries later than most of Western Europe, 1752
US Treasury Dept. is established by Congress, 1789
A solar super storm affects electrical telegraph service, 1859
Theodore Roosevelt adivses the US to "Speak softly, and carry a big stick." 1901
President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam becomes the first foreign head of state to make a state visit to Australia, 1957
The Principality of Sealand is established, ruled by Prince Paddy Roy Bates, 1967
Swissair Flight 111 crashes near Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia; all 229 people on board are killed, 1998