Riley and Avery

So here it is, the story about Courtney and Caitlynn's birthday party. Another neighbor, Candace, was there with her one-year-old son, and two daughters about seven and eleven, or so. So, this woman who I barely know, starts telling me that I should beat my children. I kid you not. She said that she sympathizes with me about what I'm going through with Riley (what? I don't know this woman!). She proceeds to tell me that she beats her children with belts, and the one time she left a mark, someone at her daughter's school called child protective services on her. She maintains that she does not abuse her children, but it's her house, her rules, and they better follow the rules and behave or else. I'm thinking, what if her children grow up to be stay-at-home moms and their husbands decide to beat them because it's their house, their money, their rules? I don't want my children to get used to being beaten "because they deserve it." I'm sitting here being told that I need to lock them in their rooms (like they have one) and let them scream. I want my children to be able to (respectfully) question authority, toe the line, test the limits, and stand up to people acting unjustly (including myself). Yeah, sure, beat your children into submission and they'll behave for you, but they'll grow up to be nobodies. Just another member of the masses, a minion, a yes-man (or woman)...

Oh, and this is rich...A few months ago (in open-window weather) Avery was waking up during the night with really painful gas, screaming and screaming, and I could do nothing but try to massage her tummy and hold her. It was literally the middle of the night, and happened over and over, and if my mind had been functioning, I would have realized that the window was open and would have closed it. So yesterday Candace tells me that Avery woke her up that night, and she was concerned so she went out to find out what was going on and she told me that she was about to call child protective services (this was before she "knew" me). She's telling me this and I'm standing there flabbergasted, not believing that a woman who beats her children with a belt was going to call CPS on a gassy child!