Stress Eaters Unite!

It’s been a rough week.

Not necessarily this calendar week (it is only Wednesday), but I could have done without the last seven days.

I stay fairly involved in my children’s schools and activities; mostly, to give back and help out when I can, but also (selfishly) to keep tabs on what might be going on.  Let’s face it: if you are involved in an organization, you’re bound to keep more on top of things than if you were just hanging on the edge of the action.  Volunteering is also a great way to meet new people, have adult conversations, and feel as though your world might revolve around something more than laundry and grocery shopping while the kids are off at school.  Whatever the motive, I find myself working with other adults, in various different circumstances.  Overall, it’s an enjoyable experience, which is why I continue to do it.

Lately, though, it’s been far from enjoyable.

I’m a realist; I know that not everything will be all sunshine and unicorns, all the time.  I understand that differences in opinion will arise.  However, I guess I just expect that when a difficult situation comes up, grown ups will act as grown ups, everything will get worked out, and we’ll move on until we hit the next bump in the road.

And when that doesn’t happen, I’ll deal with the stress…apparently, by eating.  I’ll eat chocolate.  Or donuts.  Or ice cream (I mean, seriously, have you tried the Magnum ice cream bars??  Don’t bother with the minis, you’ll only eat twice as many…).

I can always gauge my level of stress by the amount of crap I’ve eaten throughout the day…and let me tell you, the stress is off the charts right now.  When I stop to ponder it, it’s embarrassing to think of what I’ve thrown down my gullet in the last week.  I can’t even admit to it on my own blog.

Everyone has a vice, though, right?  Glass of wine, new shoes, manicure; all great ways to deal with stress.  But, those all take a little more effort than pulling through a drive through and snagging a donut after a particularly stressful phone call or email.  Ugh, no wonder my pants don’t fit.

So, I guess I need some help…I need a better way to handle the stress in my life.  Unlike the cupcake sitting on my kitchen counter right now, the stress is not going to disappear anytime soon.

How do you deal with stress?  Any tips?  Want to hold me accountable for the better eating habits that I promise myself I’ll keep every day when I get out of bed?

I’m listening…but speak up, because these potato chips are pretty crunchy.

Why I won’t be watching the Oscars this year…

I love award shows.  The glamour, the glitz, the incessant “Who are you wearing??” to the “…and the Golden Globe/Grammy/Oscar goes to…” moments, clear to the follow up issue of People a few days later which rehashes the whole event.  It’s a fun, mindless, guilty pleasure for me.  Now that my daughter is old enough to have an interest, she watches with me for a bit (although she gets bored and begins designing her own dresses, as she is quite certain she can do a better job than most of the designs she sees on the red carpet).  It’s fun.  It’s drama-free for me, because I’m not in any way involved, nor do the outcomes have any impact on my reality.

This year, though, it’s a little different.

Several months ago, a friend of mine posted on my Facebook page that Seth MacFarlane would be hosting this year’s Oscars.  My mind immediately started working (ok, I did pause for a HUGE eye roll…seriously, one of these days they’re just gonna get stuck back in my head…); first of all, what a seemingly odd choice for a host (compared to past hosts, anyway), and secondly, UGH!!  This guy is relentless when it comes to abusing other people for laughs.  Having a child with Down syndrome, I am acutely aware of those who poke fun at individuals like my son to generate obnoxious humor.  This guy is a pro at it.

His weekly animated show has taken several hits at people with Down syndrome.  It’s not even the use of the word “retarded”, it’s a blatant attack on those with Ds.  What kind of mind do you have to have to come up with “humor” like that?  I don’t get it.  I never will.

After one of my frequent proclamations from my virtual soapbox (Facebook, in this case), a friend commented that although Mr MacFarlane does indeed make fun of people with Ds, he also makes fun of everyone else.  He went on to say that at least he makes fun of everybody.

I wanted to bang my head on the table after reading that.

Sure, I understand (and appreciate!) my friend’s point.  I shouldn’t take this type of thing so personally, because nobody is safe when it comes to the realms of this guy’s “humor”.  But, what gets me is WHY we allow this guy to continue to make a living making fun of anyone, regardless of the reason why he chooses to make them his next victim?

We are all aware of the bullying epidemic among our youth; we have seminars to teach us how to handle a bully, we assign a particular color to wear to symbolize our stance against bullying, we try to teach our kids to be kind to one another.  We cry at the violence and abuse that occurs when someone is bullied.  We pray that it doesn’t happen to our own children, family, friends.  But then, apparently, some of us sit down to watch some TV, and flip on one of Mr MacFarlane’s television shows or movies, and laugh as he shamelessly makes fun of the portrayals of innocent people.  Does that make sense to anyone?  Anyone??

What kind of message are we sending here, Mr MacFarlane?  Are you so perfect that you can make millions by treating others so poorly?  Wow, it must be nice to have that kind of perfection; however, if that’s the attitude that comes from it, I will gladly revel in my imperfections.

So, here I am, up on my soapbox yet again, feeling pretty lonely because so many people are gearing up to watch the Oscars.  I refuse to do it.  I won’t watch him.  Until we can all agree that this type of insensitive humor is not funny, but so very hurtful, then people like Mr MacFarlane will continue to do it.

Think about a misbehaving toddler.  Sure, it might be funny to see them tackle their older brother, but if we laugh at them, it only encourages that negative behavior, and somebody gets hurt.  This is the exact same thing.  This overgrown toddler has a bunch of people sitting around, watching and laughing at him, so he continues to do it, but at the expense of so many people.

And we reward him by putting him in the spotlight at the Oscars.  Fantastic.

“Who cares?”, you might ask after reading this.  “One person isn’t watching, but so many other people are.”  Hopefully, some will read this and stop to think before watching the rest of the ceremony (you’ll find out who wins tomorrow in the news, and by now, we’ve all seen the gowns and diamonds).  Maybe some will quit watching Mr MacFarlane’s lame attempt at humor every week.  Maybe even some will join me on my soapbox and help shed some light on issues like this.

We can not expect bullying to go away, or awareness to rise, if we continue to reward “entertainers” like Seth MacFarlane.  Shame on you, ABC, for choosing this host.  Shame on all the advertisers that moved forward with their campaigns for the show.  My kid will never stop being a target for cheap entertainment when we can’t be strong enough to take a stand.

Hey, it’s gotta start somewhere…

You never know what will come out of his…

My youngest son is just too funny.  He has been blessed with a dry, witty, unintentional sense of humor; this will probably get him in trouble at some point, but it should serve him well as an adult.  He can also be super funny without even trying, and those are probably some of my most favorite moments.

Some of his antics are somewhat peculiar; naming his peepee (as I call it…we’re very technical around here!) William, for example.  It’s not unusual, I’ve been told, for men to name their genitalia.  But, to do it at only three years old?  It made me raise an eyebrow, for sure.  I’ve decided that it just shows how creative his little mind is.

William doesn’t get mentioned too often, but when he does, it’s definitely a memorable moment.

My little guy just started a new school this past week, and was already invited to a birthday party.  He was very excited; he easily makes new friends, and what child doesn’t want to go celebrate a birthday?  I was happy to see him bouncing around the party, talking with all the kids.  Inevitably, he needed a drink of water, so I tailed him out to the water fountain.  He’s four now, and I want him to have a sense of independence, so I hung back a bit while he stood in line behind another boy at the fountain.  I overheard a cheerful exchange, started by my kiddo with a simple introduction, then a “What’s your name?”  The other child answered: “William”.  My ears perked up a bit.  “OH!  William?!?  That’s my peepee’s name!”

Faaaaaaaaaaaaantastic.

I hurried down the short hallway to the water fountain and immediately broke up the conversation before it could progress into a more descriptive explanation, swiftly changed the subject, and before too long we had returned to the birthday party…where I proceeded to text my husband, mom, and sister with the story and laugh to myself for the next hour.

It’s not the first awkward moment, and it won’t be the last.  I can’t wait to tell him this story…maybe on his graduation day, or perhaps his wedding.  😉