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From a child's perspective, I see the idea of not wanting a child. They are a lot of hard work to keep them in line, and very expensive at times. They also take up a lot of time, and you lose endless nights of sleep over them, because maybe they are sick or out and you are worrying about them. to have a child is a commitment though, you have to know you are capable to handle these things, and you have to be willing to want to have these things happen to you. Even though children are had to handle at times, i will always want to have one. I want to be able to see myself part of someone. I want to be able to share my families history to someone, teach them my ways and how to live. I want to bring someone into this world that I love more than anything and help them find their place in this world. I know it will be difficult and take away a lot from me, but that is a risk I would be willing to take. At some point you have to weigh the goods and the bads, find where you stand on the situation of having a child. I understand some will not want to, they want to live every moment as they are young and not have anything stop them. Such as a sick or young child needing attention, or a child needing a ride to a sports event or friends house. Others want more of a peaceful life, a life of just themselves and maybe a partner, to sit around and read, or work on something a love with out constant distractions. To me though, those do not matter as much as to having a child, some one I can care for, and eventually they can care for me when I need it. I can give up a little hard money i worked for to someone else, because that new car is not the most important thing to me, I don't need to go on vacations as much, I rather save and go on one with my family, so we can all be happy together. That's what matters to me, everyone happy, and happiness usually starts with someone and spreads onto others.

Interview

DYLAN LEARY, HOST:

Debbie is a mother of two. She grew up in a small town called Dedham, with her mother, father, and her older brother. She went to a community college and eventually met her husband, and had her sons, Daniel and Dylan....So Debbie, why did you want to have kids?

DEBBIE:

Well, I have always loved kids, I used to babysit them when I was younger.

DYLAN:

What exactly did you like about them?

DEBBIE:

I liked the interaction with them, just how they were always playful and the simplest things kept them happy.

DYLAN:

Anything else motivate you to have kids?

DEBBIE:

Yes, I always thought it would be interesting to see....to see a part of me and their dad.

DYLAN:

So the idea of family is very important to you, I presume?

DEBBIE:

Very, I wanted to pass down the value to them too, to show our family's history.

DYLAN:

How exactly did you make the choices for them growing up, such as where?

DEBBIE:

Well, a lot of it came from personal experience. I grew up in a small town and so did their father so that is how we chose the place of Mansfield.

DYLAN:

How about other choices, such as the school?

DEBBIE:

Well, other than liking this town, we realized the school system here was really good, which was a bonus.

DYLAN:

Was it difficult to choose between a private school or a public school?

DEBBIE:

Not really, personally I went to a private school, but I wanted my children to go to a public school for the sense of community.

DYLAN:

So obviously, having children is difficult at times. Fights happen and cause a lot of stress; how did you deal with those?

DEBBIE:

Well I depended on friends and family a lot. I used them when I didn't know where else to go, but another key part was following my faith.

DYLAN:

Would you also go onto personal experiences?

DEBBIE:

Yes I would, it would help me relate to their position a lot, but not help me find the answer.

DYLAN:

With your children, did you have to give anything up, like friends?

DEBBIE:

I didn't give up too much on the side of friends. I'm still in contact with most of my friends from when I grew up, and having children made me meet new ones.

DYLAN:

How about time, do you lose a lot of it?

DEBBIE:

I wouldn't call it so much as losing it, it was more of a choice to share my time with them.

DYLAN:

How about the price? Kids are pretty expensive as we all know.

DEBBIE:

Yes they take up a lot of the money, which means you might not get that brand new car you wanted, or get to go out to dinner as much, but that wasn't as important as having kids to me.

DYLAN:

Did this experience change you as a person all together?

DEBBIE:

I feel as if having kids made me a stronger person, more patient too. It also helped me realize that you never knew you could love so much, until you had a child.

DYLAN:

Going back over the years, and reflecting, would you change anything?

DEBBIE:

One of the things I would change is I would have more patience.

DYLAN:

Why is that?

DEBBIE:

So, that way I could enjoy every moment as it came. Kids grow up so fast and you want to remember every moment you spent with them. You want to remember the simple things that made them happy and what brought you closer.

DYLAN:

That wraps up my questions for tonight Thank you for your input, it really helps on our perspective of love.

DEBBIE:

Thanks for letting me be a part.

Daily Exposures

    "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" by Toby Keith gives a positive tone to being American and having pride. The chorus hits basically every major point that resembles being American, such as the Statue of Liberty, and Uncle Sam. Toby reminisces on his past and growing up as a child; he talks about how his dad fought in the army, and hung a flag high in his yard for everyone to see. This brings the sense of being proud of where you are from because you are willing to fight for it and show off the flag of where you came from. There is a specific reference to his dad losing an eye at war, showing how his father would do anything for his country, even get hurt for it. The connotation of being an American is to be free, and have the rights to do what you want, for example to own guns, which is stated in the second amendment. Overall this song overcomes the listener with pride to be an American, or makes others want to be American.

Difficult Conversations

        The scene opens up, a mother and son in the kitchen, a familiar place to both, but a new scenario this time. the boy is at the table, eating his breakfast before school while the mother prepares for work. the night before their dog did not arrive home, but the kid was already asleep so they decided not to wake him.when the father headed off for work this morning he found the dog laying dead in the rode, he told the wife and left the weight on her shoulders to tell the son. She ponders around trying to think how to tell the son his dog had died. The wife finally finds the right moment, feeling the tension in the air when she lets the son know his dog had died. you can see the tears in the boys eyes as he hears the news.