My son was recently in a youtube video that has made many of my family members and friends uncomfortable. The video was made by a youtube sensation guy that has almost three million followers. This sensation guy is also a very nice young man with a very creative streak. In this particular video he had my son starring as a younger version of himself and being put in some very awkward situations. The video is called "The One That Turned You Gay" and includes male strippers, penis shaped cookies and cross-dressing as Britney Spears. Yep, you read that right, my son was dressed up as Britney Spears and ate penis shaped cookies.
Half of the viewer comments on the video were things like "Now that kid is going to turn gay!" and "How could his parents let him do that?!". But the other half of the comments were "That kid is a good actor." and "He must be really funny to get the jokes in that video!". Well...doing a video spoof will not turn you gay, either you are or you're not, end of that story. And yes, he is a good actor, with a really great sense of humor, and totally gets all the jokes in the video.
What most people don't know about this video is that the youtube sensation guy made it as a response to his sadness over teenagers committing suicide because they are being bullied for being gay. The message in the video is that no matter how you were raised, you are what you are. And if you happen to be gay, that's totally okay.
I can't make my friends and family feel any better about the video by explaining that this will not ruin his chances of becoming president of the United States someday, or turn him into some gay prostitute on Venice Beach. All I can say is that he's fine, no harm done. And if you knew my kid the way I know my kid, you would know that this is not a big deal. In fact, he's proud to spread a message of "it's okay to be gay" to almost three million followers. Even if that means he had to do it dressed up as Britney Spears and eat penis shaped cookies.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Going all granola
Ever since I moved to California, many of my friends have accused me of "Going all granola". I like argue that they're wrong. I was a fairly healthy eater back when I lived in Chicago. I had steel cut oatmeal for breakfast, tried not to eat fried foods and kept a semi-vegetarian diet. Except when I craved a really juicy burger; then I was a carnivore all the way.
After I moved to California, I found it was easier to live a healthier lifestyle. I upped the ante on my steel cut oats, creating my own meusli, full of oat bran and flax and wheat germ. The sorts of grains that will clear a person's colon in a matter of minutes. Then I added some sulfate-free dried fruits and mixed it with unsweetened almond milk. I would wash my grainy concoction down with a fresh fruit smoothie or organic veggie juice. Lunch would be organic Greek yogurt mixed with some raw wildflower honey made by happy local bees and a bowl of fresh fruit. Dinner might be fresh made sushi (with brown rice of course) or perhaps a big spinach salad with avocado and steamed salmon.
I swore up and down that this was not at all out of the ordinary, and by no means "going all granola", but the truth was I didn't eat fresh, organic, raw foods back when I lived in the Mid-West. Partly because I didn't have access to fresh picked local fruit and veggies all year long. But mostly because I ate like a mid-westerner...happy to eat pizzas thick with cheese and burgers every week. Yeah! But somehow, after moving to the land of thin and healthy, eating like that seemed less tasty. And homemade meusli looked better than ever.
I'm still going to argue that I haven't "gone all granola". After all, I don't have hairy armpits or smoke pot. I just eat well and exercise. Oh, and I wear my Uggs in the summer, but whatever.
After I moved to California, I found it was easier to live a healthier lifestyle. I upped the ante on my steel cut oats, creating my own meusli, full of oat bran and flax and wheat germ. The sorts of grains that will clear a person's colon in a matter of minutes. Then I added some sulfate-free dried fruits and mixed it with unsweetened almond milk. I would wash my grainy concoction down with a fresh fruit smoothie or organic veggie juice. Lunch would be organic Greek yogurt mixed with some raw wildflower honey made by happy local bees and a bowl of fresh fruit. Dinner might be fresh made sushi (with brown rice of course) or perhaps a big spinach salad with avocado and steamed salmon.
I swore up and down that this was not at all out of the ordinary, and by no means "going all granola", but the truth was I didn't eat fresh, organic, raw foods back when I lived in the Mid-West. Partly because I didn't have access to fresh picked local fruit and veggies all year long. But mostly because I ate like a mid-westerner...happy to eat pizzas thick with cheese and burgers every week. Yeah! But somehow, after moving to the land of thin and healthy, eating like that seemed less tasty. And homemade meusli looked better than ever.
I'm still going to argue that I haven't "gone all granola". After all, I don't have hairy armpits or smoke pot. I just eat well and exercise. Oh, and I wear my Uggs in the summer, but whatever.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Childless parenting and other easy jobs
Overheard - a young childless couple saying "I would never let my kids do that." Really? How would you know?!
I want childless people to stop thinking they know what's best for other people's children. I want parents of young children to stop thinking they know what's best for teenagers. And I want parents of teenagers to stop thinking they know what's best for young adult children. I want parents of one child to stop thinking they know how to parent multiple children. I want parents of only girls to stop thinking they know how to parent boys. And vise versa. Seeing a trend here?
I once caught myself thinking that I wouldn't do something that my friend with five kids was doing. But I only have two kids. Totally different. Maybe if I had five kids I would do the same. How would I know!? My kids are so different from each other, and so different from other kids, that I can't even comment on other families with the "same" set-up: two kids/a boy and a girl/teenagers. I also remember, before I had my own children, commenting on the parenting abilities of a friend's kids. I knew I was right. In fact, I knew everything back then. And then I had kids of my own. Game changer! I remember hearing a friend say "I hate when parents talk to their kids when they are on the phone with me. When I have kids I'll never do that." And then they do. And worse, deny that they ever said that. Sheesh.
What I'm saying is that every family dynamic is different. And no one should be thinking "Hey, I would do it better if I were in your shoes." Because you have no idea what it's like to be in those shoes. You are too busy strutting your own shoes to know any better.
I want childless people to stop thinking they know what's best for other people's children. I want parents of young children to stop thinking they know what's best for teenagers. And I want parents of teenagers to stop thinking they know what's best for young adult children. I want parents of one child to stop thinking they know how to parent multiple children. I want parents of only girls to stop thinking they know how to parent boys. And vise versa. Seeing a trend here?
I once caught myself thinking that I wouldn't do something that my friend with five kids was doing. But I only have two kids. Totally different. Maybe if I had five kids I would do the same. How would I know!? My kids are so different from each other, and so different from other kids, that I can't even comment on other families with the "same" set-up: two kids/a boy and a girl/teenagers. I also remember, before I had my own children, commenting on the parenting abilities of a friend's kids. I knew I was right. In fact, I knew everything back then. And then I had kids of my own. Game changer! I remember hearing a friend say "I hate when parents talk to their kids when they are on the phone with me. When I have kids I'll never do that." And then they do. And worse, deny that they ever said that. Sheesh.
What I'm saying is that every family dynamic is different. And no one should be thinking "Hey, I would do it better if I were in your shoes." Because you have no idea what it's like to be in those shoes. You are too busy strutting your own shoes to know any better.
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