The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I've never been much into TikTok, but the more my son insists on watching it, the more it grinds my gears, and while I'm not sure I agree with it being banned outright, part of me just wishes it would go away. First off, the parental controls get a 'C' grade, if that. My son just turned 6, and while I know it's naive to think he won't run into not-age-appropriate content of some nature or another here and there, I try to limit said interactions as much as I can. That's been easier said than done at times with TikTok. Also, while a lot of the content may not technically be age-inappropriate, I still don't care for it, and feel prompted to turn it off immediately. What both saddens and annoys me more than anything else about the site is the sheer desperation displayed in many of the videos. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the following: - "Hit like and subscribe if you love your parents. If you don't hit like and subscribe, it m...

My brother and I have both been questioned on why we may refer to our parents by their first names at times. I've heard some refer to it as "weird," "strange," and read others call it "rude," "disrespectful," and "just plain wrong." I find this to be interesting. We tend to alter how we refer to someone in just about every situation as we age. Parents go from calling their kids "little peanut" to their actual name to their full name if they're in trouble. Employees may refer to their employer as Mr./Mrs. Sasquatch, before eventually garnering the respect necessary to get away with calling them by their first name. If two people get close, they may start referring to one another by cute or funny inside joke-esque nicknames. Yet for some people, mom and dad should always be referred to as just that, mom and dad. Why? Now, I'm not going to say I'm against calling your parents mom and dad, far from it. Logicall...

I'd say that by now, roughly 98.7% of the U.S. population knows I have about as much love for Donald Trump and his family as a sloth does for Usain Bolt when racing him in the 40-meter. Also, while I feel children of First Families should be generally kept out of the tabloids, since both Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. are involved in their father's presidency, I think they're fair game. Having said that, though, can we cut it out with the critiques of their photos with their children? Don't we have more substantive things for which we can go after them? Over the past week or two, both Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have been loudly criticized on social media for posting pictures of themselves with a child of theirs. Ivanka received a great deal of heat for posting a picture of herself smiling, forehead-to-forehead, with her son while at the Jerusalem U.S. embassy opening ceremony. Donald Jr. was then criticized for posting a picture of himself smiling next to his son,...

I don't have a lot to say about the anti-gun violence marches from this past weekend just yet. Seeing and hearing those kids bravely stand up to politicians and lobbyists; the unbridled pain, emotion, and conviction in their voices; it left me speechless on Saturday and I remain speechless on Monday. Adults in this country, especially those in Congress, could learn a thing or two from our kids. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, they do so, fight for the safety of our children over the money of the gun lobby, and if not, pay the price at the election booths in November of this year and beyond. Here are a few of the best signs from the protest: - "My Right To Live > A Gun" - "If You Need A Machine Gun To Hunt, You Suck At It." - "I Miss Earthquake Drills" - "The Scariest Thing In A School Should Be My Grades" - "Pack Lunches Not Heat!!!" - "I'm a 1st grade teacher. Trump's solution to school violence i...

Die-hard Trump supporters befuddle me to no end. Let's think about this for a moment here. Most of these individuals identify as "Christian," are big into "family values," and claim to vote Republican for their children's well-being and futures. It's also common to hear them berate celebrities for not being good role models to their kids. Yet here they are steadfast in their support for Donald Trump, a man who: - Has been married three times - Has cheated on all three of his wives - Has a history of making lewd comments toward women - Has allegedly sexually harassed/assaulted 20+ women - According to Pulitzer Prize-winning site Politifact , lies approximately 69% of the time, while telling the truth just 17% of the time - Has a history of making discriminatory remarks against minorities of all stripes - Has a tendency to get angry - Has trouble taking responsibility for his own actions, often casting blame elsewhere - Seems to believe t...

As is typical for me around this time of year, I've been spending a lot of time with family around the holidays. My brother, sister-in-law, and niece will be flying this way around Christmas, and as always, I'm incredibly excited to see them. While I love my niece dearly, however, I was quite thankful she wasn't with my family and I on Thanksgiving. When it comes to family, I consider myself very lucky. Sure, there always appears to be some unnecessary drama, not to mention a couple of individuals whom have all been alienated themselves from the rest of the family. What family isn't a little dysfunctional, though? When we're together, chances are we're talking, laughing, eating, drinking, and having a good time. While we find a way to make the diverse mix of constants work together, however, the wild cards are always the cousins' boyfriends/girlfriends, and last month, one such individual prompted me to say thanks for my niece to not be potentially placed ...

It kind of cracks me up to hear so many far-right conservatives say something along the following lines in the run up to the midterm elections: "We just want to leave a better life for our kids and future generations than we were left with, and we'll do everything in our power to achieve that." Say what? The GOP seriously wants us to believe they care about future generations? Based on their voting records and talking points, this is how such ads should probably run: "We just want to leave a better life for our kids and future generations than we were left with, and we'll do everything in our power to achieve that. From not taking action on global warming and leaving future generations more apt to being victims of severe flooding and other disastrous weather, to not passing more gun restrictions to lessen the chance of firearms getting into the hands of dangerous individuals, it's really all about keeping the kids safe in their future. From decreasing fu...

It's common for unhealthy cycles to bound in people's lives. Whether that be alcohol abuse during difficult times, finding oneself in abusive relationships, or becoming promiscuous after break-ups, even if we know deep down the cycles aren't healthy for us, it's often times very difficult to break these very cycles. As difficult as it might be to do this, however, if we don't eventually break these unhealthy cycles, it becomes increasingly likely that these unhealthy cycles will take control of and ultimately destroy our lives. Unfortunately, Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson and his children find themselves in a similar situation. Based on friends' and family's testimonies, it seems about as likely that Adrian Peterson's father beat him as a child as it does that the earth revolves around the sun. Since Adrian feels this harsh form of discipline helped him become the person he is today and he is ignorant of any alternatives, he...

Often times, I think of government as the parents of citizens. They're the ones looking out for us, trying to keep us safe, but at the end of the day, knowing full well they can only do so much, and at some point, they're going to have to let us make our own mistakes. In fact, they tend to be more sophisticated parents (well, so long as they're not members of the Tea Party). If a child does something the parent disapproves of and he or she says, "Stop that!" and the child responds with, "Why?" the parent will often times reply with, "Because I said so!" That's not the case for government officials. They'll pass laws, refer to studies and the like, to inform citizens of what they should and shouldn't do. Sure, some of these rules and laws may seem silly to most common-sense individuals. However, in hindsight, many of our parents' rules seem pretty silly as well, and most of us implemented similar rules with our kids. In other wor...

In the book of Matthew, chapter 25, verses 34-36, it says: "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." When Republican North Dakota Representative Kevin Cramer was confronted about the Republican House's recent bill which would cut spending in the federal food stamp program, Cramer decided to respond with a different scripture: "2 Thessalonians 3:10 English Standard Version (ESV) For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat." Reports show that 55% of food stamp recipients are either children or elders an...

Have you ever known of a husband and a wife whom never cheated on one another, never abused one another, yet after a while, couldn't stand each other, to the point of divorcing? Republican Iowa State Representative Ted Grassman wants to make that illegal. Unless a person could prove his or her spouse had committed some kind of a crime, had committed adultery, or had abandoned the family, it'd be illegal for that person to successfully file for divorce. With regard to wanting to make "no-fault divorce" illegal, Grassman said the following: "This basically is an attempt on my part to keep fathers in the home. I sincerely believe that the family is the foundation of this nation and this nation will go the direction of our families. If our families break up, so will this nation." He then got personal when he talked about his daughter and son-in-law recently divorcing and the effect it will have on his granddaughter, saying: "There's a 16-year ol...

The conservative evangelical group American Family Association is at it again - "it" meaning being completely nuts. Yes, they are speaking out against a school program called "Mix It Up at Lunch Day" and asking parents to boycott it by keeping their children home from school that day - October 30th. This is the 11th year that this day has taken place. It was started by the Southern Poverty Law Center 11 years ago, with the intent being to break kids from their social cliques for lunch that afternoon - to sit and talk to someone or a group of kids they normally wouldn't to hopefully decrease the level of bullying that was taking place. I know - this sounds like a very controversial event, doesn't it? According to the American Family Association, it is. The AFA sees far beyond what I'm seeing as the actual intent of "Mix It Up at Lunch Day," for according to them, it's about "a nationwide push to promote homosexual lifestyle in publi...

It seems increasingly clear that 98.29996% of Republicans running for Congress are completely insane. Missouri Senatorial candidate Todd Akin said not too terribly long ago that women have magical vaginas that can close off unwanted sperm from rapists. Now we have Charlie Fuqua - an Arkansas House of Representatives candidate. Fuqua released a book this year, entitled "God's Law," where he wrote the following: "The maintenance of civil order in society rests on the foundation of family discipline. Therefore, a child who disrespects his parents must be permanently removed from society in a way that gives an example to all other children of the importance of respect for parents. The death penalty for rebellious children is not something to be taken lightly. The guidelines for administering the death penalty to rebellious children are given in Deut 21:18-21: This passage does not give parents blanket authority to kill their children. They must follow the proper pr...

I can't say I understand love, relationships, marriage, etc. I've never been in love. I've been single for a very long time. I've never been married. So, whatever one wants to do with their lives in the world of "love," so be it. Whatever makes them happy, as the saying goes. However, as I haven't a firm grasp on the concept of love, neither do I understand some people's decisions when they claim to be in love. Over the past 6-12 months, I've heard of three such stories which have perplexed me to no end: 1) A woman who was beaten by her boyfriend (multiple times) kept running back to him before she finally realized it was best for she and her daughter (yes, a child was involved) to go elsewhere. 2) A woman whom was raped by her husband (they have two children) kept pondering on if she should go back to him or not. She went back and forth on it for a while, until she decided to leave him. 3) A woman (with two kids) was witness to her boyfrie...

So, I talked to an old buddy of mine on the phone last week. He came out of the closet to his closest friends about 10 years ago and we were all fine with it. None of us were surprised. In fact, when he came out to me, I didn't even realize at first he had just come out, because rightly or wrongly, I kind of assumed it. When he came out to his parents, unfortunately, they weren't as accepting. His mother seemed disappointed, but could live with it. His father was a different beast entirely and wanted nothing to do with him. So, my friend, I'll call him Bill, was disowned by his own parents. Ever since that point, he's battled problems with alcohol and drugs, has moved around a bunch and has come back home wanting his parents' acceptance. They'd take him back for a short while, thinking they could "cure" him of this obvious illness and when that didn't happen, they'd kick him out again. Just last week, Bill told me he had recently spoken t...

Why is it that most people are fine with the idea of putting a pet to sleep, but they find it immoral and unacceptable to do something similar with people? I have a theory as to why this is. Many of us see our pets like little kids. They're sweet, innocent and uncorrupted by the world in which they live. You can have the best or worst day of your life and they'll run up to you and sit on your lap or give you a kiss, with their tail wagging perhaps. It doesn't even matter what you say to them. It all depends on the tone of your voice. You could speak to them in four different languages in a two-minute span and they wouldn't know the difference. They'd continue to love you. There's no obligation to go out and buy them a bouquet of flowers on Valentine's Day or to get them something expensive for their birthday. All they want is some food, water and attention and they'll be happy. Due to all this, I think it pains most people to see pets suffer, because w...