STOP SPREADING HATEFUL BULLSHIT!!!!

Fair warning: Explicit language throughout.

First of all, I do NOT under any circumstances endorse the picture above. But I AM sick and fucking tired of ignorant, misinformed bullshit such as this being passed around social media as fact. Since when do Canadian kids not sing the national anthem at school? My kids do every day! Sometimes even on weekends! Besides, Oh! Canada is not a prayer! So you're comparing apples and oranges anyway! If we want to make the world a better place, this kind of bigoted misinformation needs to stop. Attitudes need to change. TOLERANCE, ACCEPTANCE, LOVE and CO-OPERATION are the keys to opening up a better society. Hate, ignorance, bigotry and discrimination are the locks standing in the way.

STOP OPPRESSING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM THROUGH HATE!!! THAT'S NOT WHAT CANADA IS ABOUT!!!

Branching also into the general hate on Muslims that comes in the wake of events like Orlando...Do you ever consider the heartbreak “regular” Muslims must feel when the extremists (and those claiming to be extremists) commit these atrocities? How would you feel if a bunch of wackos started killing people in the name of your “God”? Started a Holy War against the unbelievers? (Uh, the Crusades anyone?) “In the name of Jesus Christ, DIE MOTHERFUCKERS!!!” and then all the “every day Christians” get painted with same extremist brush? Wouldn't like that, would you! That's not fair, is it?! Well...

What is you Christians say? “Love one another as I have loved you.” There's no fine print, no qualifiers, no exceptions to the rule. If you truly believe in this most basic of Jesus' teachings and continue to spread hate and intolerance, you're no better than the extremists. Don't hate. But if you're going to hate someone, hate them because they're an ASSHOLE not because they're different than you. That makes YOU the asshole. Don't be a righteous fucking hypocrite sitting on your high horse. FYI, according to Dante hypocrites end up in the 8^th Circle of Hell. There's only one worse. Hypocrites are doomed to suffer by plodding around the circle eternally wearing heavy robes covered in gold. A fitting punishment for the sin of appearing holy on the outside but bearing the heavy weight of deceit on the inside. You're weighing down the advancement of the human race, man!

Hey, if this offends you go ahead an unfriend me, block me, delete me. I don't fucking care! It's fucking Facebook or Twitter or whatever. I don't care. And I've got no time, patience or place in my soul for shit like this. We're all made of the same space dust. We all breathe the same air. We all bleed red. We're all human beings. Know your facts. Stop spreading hate, lies and motherfucking BULLSHIT.

“Turn the other cheek” doesn't exactly work. Murderers need to be held accountable no matter what their motivations. But labelling the many on the actions of the few and spreading hate and intolerance is misguided, sad, and doesn't make you a better person. It does the opposite. The world is vast and the people are different. If you don't like that, deal with it. If you don't like me, deal with it. If you don't like what I have to say, deal with it. You may be able to clear your conscience, but you'll never cleanse your soul. Not with hate.

Rant done. Day ruined. Oh well. To quote another Christian, “Onward and upward!”

They Can Only Get Older From Here

I'm not embarrassed. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I got a vasectomy this week. There, I said it. I'm 35. We have three beautiful children. Getting "fixed" doesn't seem like an outrageous thing to do at this point in ours lives. Becky was constantly bringing it up to me. It wasn't that she was pushing me. Not at all. I just don't remember to make phone calls. One of my many flaws. Once I made the call to meet with my doctor about it, it was kind of a non-issue. Becky and I were more than content with our girls. Even though we both would like to have had a boy the odds weren't really in our favour. Besides, I would never want the girls to think that having a boy would somehow diminish how we feel about them. Our girls are strong, smart, independent and can tackle anything they put their minds to. Why would we want anything more?
The girls themselves said they want(ed) a brother and it was hard to tell them that it wasn't going to happen. As bad as it sounds, we just can't afford it. That does sound bad and it's not what I mean exactly. Sure we could makes end meet but it's more fiscally responsible I suppose. I mean, as parents, in the collective sense, we always want to do better for our children, right? So at what point do we decide that what we have is enough. Not having enough bedrooms was a good start. But it just made sense at three. We want to be able to provide everything we can for our girls. It breaks our heart when have to keep the purse strings closed. So as much as it pains me to say it, this decision was partially financially motivated. We want to be able to take the girls to dance and piano lessons, and out to the movies without even thinking about it. And not have to sacrifice those things to pay for diapers or all the other baby stuff. We want to make the girls feel as important as they are. Plus, they're girls so at some point they're gonna want to go shopping. ALL THE TIME. I can see it coming. Then college/university. Then marriage. Oh, don't say that!
Really, before I had the procedure I never really thought about it. It wasn't a hard decision to make so I didn't stew over it. But now that it's over and done, and I can't go back, I'm thinking about it a lot. I don't regret the decision in the slightest, it's still the right choice, but the permanence of it has started to sink in. For 10 years, almost our entire married life, we've had a little kid or a baby around. Ruby isn't a baby anymore. So now it's just little kids. Then they'll be big kids. Teenagers. Adults. They can only get older from here. The thought of never holding a tiny little baby all your own again is pretty heavy. Never again will a newborn child be fully dependant on Becky and I. As a parent it's a hard thing to grip because that's our job. Our job is to take care of our children. And now, with every day that passes our three girls grow one day closer to taking care of themselves. I'm sure that's why some families just keep having kids. They need to take care of something.
But as big a pill as never having more children can be to swallow, it has sharpened my appreciation for Grace, Amelia and Ruby. It's clear now that these are my only children so I need to cherish that fact. Focus on it. I need to commit myself to doing the best I can raising them because I won't get another chance. There are plenty more lessons to learn but the situations they apply to will continue to evolve. Instead of potty-training it'll be boyfriends. (Not that going potty and dating involve the same lessons. You know what I mean!) Instead of riding a bike, it'll be driving a car. Instead of playing "house", they'll be moving out of the house.
Ya sure, before long unprotected sex will be a no-brainer but the real benefit of unloading the gun (hehehe) has been that increased feeling of love for my three girls and that drive to be the best dad I can be for them. I don't know if the girls have noticed, or if Becky has noticed, but I've noticed a change in me. I hug them more. Kiss their little heads more. I pay more attention. I'm looking at a picture of Grace and Amelia eating ice cream as Ruby sits behind me picking her nose and my heart is just bursting. I still have work to do but these are my girls and now I can love them with everything I have. And Becky too, of course. That's a different kind of love ;)
Can someone pass me some more Tylenol?

On Being Normal

I often think about being normal. But what is normal really? There is always someone out there that feels the same as you, does the same things, is the same kind of person. Maybe you're the ones who are normal. Just as normal as anybody else. Who's to say? Maybe all the people you consider normal are really the ones who are messed up, subconsciously (or not) playing a game, acting a part so society views them as normal. Presenting a facade. Upholding a reputation or expectation. But aren't we all just acting? No one is ever 100% who they want to be all the time. There is always a little part of us that holds back, or something we keep behind. The world is still too judgmental for everyone to be free. To be totally, uninhibitedly who they are. Someday maybe.