The Fear is Back

I thought we were past the fear but last night again it came back.  Hubby and I were out by the car when we heard screams of terror inside the house. In an instant, I feared the worst we rushed back in and Little Bug was trembling in fear, tears streaming down his face and screaming at the top of lungs, “there’s a bug in here, it’s a mosquito, it was right there next to my chair”.  I searched but couldn’t find it.  Daddy ran to get the fly swater as I held Little Bug in my arms as he clung to me with all his might.

To you this may seem like the silliest thing ever.  But to us, it is one of the hardest of pains on our hearts to see the fear in Little Bug’s eyes when he sees a flying bug.  As I hold him close and try my best to comfort him, I hold back tears myself.  The desire to make these fears go away just overwhelms me and the knowledge of knowing I can’t crushes my heart.

In an instant he goes from being the brave, strong and I can beat any challenge kiddo to this extremely frightened, illogical, no reasoning with him, child who needs his mommy to save him from this horrible creature that is larger than he is.   In his mind (or maybe it’s truly how his eyes see) this tiny creature, is worse than any monster imaginable.

He’s done so well, I thought we had gotten past this.  With the mosquito season gone maybe I just made myself believe he was past this and he really wasn’t.  I don’t know sometimes.  All I know, is that as I sit here writing this, my heart aches, my tears fall but I never give up hope.  Someday, I know someday, he won’t shutter in fear of these tiny creatures, I pray this never happens in front of those that will laugh, point, stare or bully my baby but someday he will truly get past this.  But until this day comes, my baby will have my arms to come to for safety, for hugs, for protection, for strength, to shed a tear with him for any and every need.

Well, later that evening I did find that horrible mosquito that frighten my son and squashed him.  How dare he scare my Little Bug! My son had every right to be scared.  This was one of those HUGE and I do mean HUGE Texas size mosquitoes.  That thing scared me.  If you live in Texas you know which ones I’m talking about.

Here Comes the 2010 Census Should Your Kids Count?

The Census only comes around once every 10 years but did you know that since the first census way back in 1790 children have been under-counted.  I talking every year since then children have been under-counted. The problem comes from us, as parents are we accurately reporting the number of children we have, including newborns?

Does it really matter? Yes, because if we don’t report those numbers correctly the nation doesn’t get a true picture of those in this country.  And without a clear picture communities don’t get the rightful share of public funds.  It all boils down to the wrong calculations and wrong calculations lead to over-crowed schools, not enough child care or health care programs.  Babies must be counted today, so they can benefit tomorrow from the community services they deserve and need.

If you don’t think these numbers count, just look at this:

Census counts are used, in whole or in part, for more than 140 programs that distribute more than $400 billion federal funds to states and localities, including child-focused programs such as:

• Special Education Grants to states ($10.8 billion)
• Head Start Programs ($6.9 billion)
• State Childrens Health Insurance Program ($5.9 billion)
• Foster Care Title IV-E ($4.7 billion)
• Improving Teacher Quality State Grants ($2.9 billion)

In the 2000 Census, there was a net under-count of more than 1 million children under age 10.  They can’t provide the Census with their information, but we as parents can and should.  It is our responsibility to make sure our kids count.

This post is part of a Public Service Campaign by Global Influence Network

Do You Worry About Your Kids’ Identity?

I know we hear a lot about identity theft and if you are like me,  you probably think more along the lines of adults having this problem happening to them.  Surprisingly to my knowledge, children are the most vulnerable and rapidly growing victims of identity theft.  Over 900,000 children were victims of identity theft last year. That’s over 1,400 daily.  Can you believe that?  Did you know there are over 80 million unprotected kids in the United States?  Any child with a social security card is at risk of identity theft.

• Did you know the top 3 places where theives get your child’s confidential information is 1) schools, 2) doctor/medical offices and 3) by hacking into databases/internet.  That’s a scary thought to me.
• Do you know if someone is using your child’s personal information?

How much risk is your child in?  Vist www.kokikidsid.org/survey.gif and take the child safety survey. (Don’t worry you don’t have to put any info in.)  “Remember, there is a new victim every 3 seconds” - KokiKid’s How important is it to you to keep your child safe from identity theft?  Frightening to think how a child’s identity being stolen could impact their future whether it be for potential employment or college admission.

Disclosure:  The information provided was provided to me by MomSelect.com and BSMMedia.com and I felt it personally important I shared it with you.

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