Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Hannah update and stuff

I took Hannah to be seen today for the recommended follow-up and met with the woman who will be our primary care provider.  She is absolutely enchanted with Hannah and adored her playful and active personality.  She looked at the burn and said that we have been doing a wonderful job.  Just keep doing what we are doing.  Hannah told her what had happened and she in turn shared with me a "bad parenting moment" that she experienced with her then five year old, a knife, and the resulting stitches.
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That out of the way, I told her how I got assigned to her.  (Or her to me.)  I told her how I had gone in and told the receptionist that I will need to conduct interviews with the medical professionals so I can choose a provider for my family and that I do not want a pediatrician.  I want all of us to have the same person.  I also said that "I am a homebirth mom.  Homebirthing is a legitimate choice and not a reckless decision.  Pregnancy and childbirth are not medical events, but a part of life."  (She said I sounded like her OB director.)  I also said that I homeschool and homeschooling is a valid educational choice.  I also don't vaccinate.  I have done my research and have spoken at length with our previous family physician about each illness and vaccine and made the best choices for my family.  I also shared about Charlie, titers for diphtheria and whooping cough, and the fact that he did have whooping cough last year.  She shared her experience with HepB, the fact that she had three shots, a titers after each one, and it showing nothing so she has no problem with my decision.  I also made the comment that should I get pregnant again and choose to nurse my child through the age of 5 (not something I would personally choose, but know moms who have and I have no problem with it) it is still a valid family decision.  Also, if anyone gives me formula, I will dump it over their heads.  She is laughing at all of this and really enjoying this appointment.  I also mentioned that herbal medicine is as valid as pharmaceutical medicine and choosing herbal before pharmaceutical is still a valid medical decision.  "Oh, and by the way, I fired three different doctors before finding the physician we had in Indiana."
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Then I told her that the receptionist said "Oh!  You will love ____!  She's into all that natural stuff!"
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At that, she completely and totally lost is and was laughing hysterically.  So, I think for right now, this is a good fit for us for a medical professional.
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I was going back and forth in my mind about whether or not to address "Anonymous" and her "clean up your act" comment from my previous blog entry.

Your disclaimer is great and grand.  However, if you claim to believe in something like LLL and the way they suggest to parent, hitting is not part of it, period.



You can not have it both ways. Life does not work like that.


Firearms, I completely agree you have the right to have firearms. The issue is not about the right to own or use them. It is about PARENTING and keeping your children SAFE! Allowing children to have FREE access to firearms is just asking for something terrible horrible to happen.


I would think children's services would not be all that happy with the idea of a minor with free access to firearms and children who are being burned, and hit.


Clean up your life. Take a long hard look at the choices you are making. Keep your children safe and educate them for Gods sake.
 
Spanking and loving guidance:  Yes, they go hand-in-hand.  I could point to many, many people who have been spanked and have said "Thank you" to their parents as adults because of the loving guidance that they received.  Including spanking.  I could also point to prisoners who have said "You know, if my parents had loved me enough to spank me...."  Knowing quite a few people who work in prisons, this is something that they hear a lot.  And I am not talking one or two people who work at one prison.  I am talking multiple people who work at multiple prisons who I know, but don't know each other and have all heard the same thing.  My children do not doubt my love for them.  They do not fear me.  They love me and know that I love them.  We laugh, joke, play, interact, and enjoy each other.  They also know that when they make dangerous decisions, that they will get spanked.  If they run into a street, they get a swat on the butt.  "Natural consequences" would be they get hit by a car.  That is not acceptable to me.  Having a daughter who is a bolter, just saying "hold my skirt and don't let go" doesn't work like it did with my other two.
 
Firearms:  My children do NOT have free access to firearms.  Where you got that idea from, I have no idea.  The bb gun is not gotten out except by parental permission.  As in the parent has to get it out.  My son was also not the one who did the shooting at the other child.  My child was the one who was hit by the bb.  Yes, he had a bb gun out as did the other child, but it was with parental permission and I was there.  I was hanging clothes and watching them.  That is how I know what had happened.  Otherwise with the laughing that Charlie did at being hit with the ricochet and knowing where he was, I would have never known. 
 
Education of firearms:  There are four main rules of firearm safety.  Before Charlie was even allowed to touch a bb gun, he had to be able to recite them WITH UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT EACH RULE MEANT.  Not just blindly recite them.  Next comes the bb gun.  It teaches aim, accuracy, and a hands on concept of the rules without being deadly.  Once he was able to show that, he got the air gun.  Still a not deadly gun (unless you are a squirrel) but slightly more powerful than a bb gun.  This is all part of firearms education.  Gun ownership is not only our right under the Constitution, but I feel part of our responsibility as American citizens.  For practical purposes, it is also a part of our daily life here.  Not from robbers, rapists, etc.  (Although for that too since there is no dial a prayer here.  (911)  But we have coyotes and bears.  Do you think a bear is going to understand "Please don't hurt me?"  Do you think a coyote is going to listen when I say "please don't eat our food?"
 
Children's services:  Once again, I have a lot of mandated reporters in my life.  At church Sunday, the sheriff was there (the same sheriff who we asked about firearm ownership around here and he said "everybody here has guns" and randomly walked up to several different cars and pointed in the windows to the guns laying out) and saw Hannah's bandaged hand and while he felt bad for her (as we all do) he was not concerned about her welfare.
The preacher, a mandated reporter, again is fully aware of how we live (guns and all) and prayed about Hannah's hand, but again is not concerned about her welfare.
The medical professionals at the ER:  Mandated reporters.  The charge nurse filling in as triage nurse shared about his sister who lives much like we do, but even more "hard core" backwoods was not concerned about Hannah's welfare. 
The doctor's office today:  I was told that Hannah is doing great and we are doing everything right and to keep it up.  And this was not only after a discussion about what had happened, but also the fact that we are not vaxing, we are using an *gasp* outhouse, our electricity comes from solar panels, we spank, and we shoot.
 
So, my children are being exposed to mandated reports, not hidden from society, taught responsible firearm ownership and handling of firearms, live in the backwoods, and are healthy, happy, and active.  What needs to be cleaned up?  (Besides the dirt from behind their ears which will be taken care of tonight when they have baths before bed.  Oh, wait.  We're too irresponsible for baths.  Maybe I'll just have the dogs lick them clean.)
 
As a friend of mine said to me earlier today "Since when did you ever care what anyone else thought?"  The answer is never.  And I still don't.  But I also know that while some "Anonymous" like to stir the pot (and I love when my real life friends hand their butts back to them) it raises questions in other peoples minds about the safety of what we are doing.  So I like to take the time to address some of the valid concerns that people may have while sticking my tongue out at people who I don't give a rip about who spend their time trying to create cyber chaos.

6 comments:

Tara said...

I'm interested to hear how the other family leaving will affect your day-to-day existence on the property. Will you need to change plans/goals at all?

oregonmom said...

You are full of crap if you think those who are in prison wish their parents hit them.
Do a bit of research. Learn how hitting children leads to prison. It is well documented.
Quit hitting your children.
Pay more attention so harm does not come to them.
You have had a child burned and hit by a bb. What comes next?

The fact you do not have access to 911 is a bigger worry. What are your plans when something does happen where immediate help is needed?
Your poor decisions will come back and bite your kids on the butt.

Michelle in Illinois said...

I think anonymous is confused about the difference between spanking and hitting. I was spanked as a child and I can't say I am any worse for it. There is a difference between spanking for discipline and hitting for abuse.

Mrs. Hoppes said...

Tara - Amazingly enough, with them gone things are going faster and much more smoothly. The plans and goals have not changed. Live off grid while still enoying the comforts of modern life.

Oregonmom - There are many things documented about criminals of which I won't go into. Suffice it to say there is a difference between spanking and hitting and people who do not realize that I feel sorry for.
As for the lack of 911, there are plenty enough people who live on this peninsula shoudl something serious happen. If I were to move into "town" where there is 911, it still won't do me any good. There is only one ambulance for the ENTIRE COUNTY. Having the sheriff's home and cell number, being registered with air evac, and having first responders living less than five miles from me gives me much more comfort and security than any city living and "dial-a-prayer" ever could. Plus, I am sure of a response with these people. There is no guarantee of a response with a call to 911. Just ask my SIL. Or be a regular blog reader and you can see how she called 911 for help and none came.

Michelle - I think anonymous, along with a lot of other people, are confused about the two as well.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you and I can give you my example: I have 2 cousins who were never spanked, now in their 20s they are using drugs and one of them was in jail for 6 months. They did not finish school too. On the other hand I am a boy 14 and my parents are strict, I get the belt usually every week. And I am very good in school and never taken any drugs. After the spankings I have to say Thanks parents, but I also believe it, even if it really hurts.
EUKid 13

Anonymous said...

While what you and your family are doing is something I wouldn't consider in my worst nightmare, I think "oregonmom" needs to go hug a few more trees and mind her own business.

I would be more concerned if you *weren't* blogging and being !transparent! with your daily doings.

Bah. Some people just aren't happy unless they are criticizing others and stirring the pot. MIL, is that you???