Accountability

Heads up: This is not about my family—rather; I end up on my soapbox about the state of our economy. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. --Jennifer

I don’t know how many of you have read this book, or ever even heard of it, but Jack Welch’s “Winning” is the best book on management I’ve ever read. (disclaimer: I’ve only read 4 management/leadership books)

I am in middle management at work, and I strongly agree with many of Welch’s points. I recently pulled this book out to let one of my employees have a read, and before I gave it to him, I opened it up to have a quick glance. Right there on the page are these paragraphs on the relationship between companies, the government, and the economy:

“Obviously, the government is a vital part of society. First and foremost, it does nothing less than protect us all from the insidious and persistent challenges to national security that are with us now and for the foreseeable future. But government provides much more: the justice system, education, police and fire protection, highways and ports, welfare and hospitals. The list could go on and on.

But even with the virtues of government, it is crucial to remember that all of its services come from some form of tax revenues. Government makes no money of its own. And in that way, government is the support for the engine of the economy, is it not the engine itself.

Winning companies and the people who work for them are the engine of a healthy economy, and in providing the revenues for government, they are the foundation of a free and domestic society.”

I wonder what he would have to say about the government’s gargantuan bailout of the banks and automakers? I am dangerously close to stepping on my soapbox, so I’ll just say a few things: I don’t think it’s a bailout at all—I think it’s postponing the inevitable. And where is the accountability for the stupid decisions these companies have made over the years? What about the irresponsible people to agreed to ludicrous loans to live way beyond their means? Nobody is holding anyone accountable, and we are feeding the monster with more money—delaying the inevitable. And that’s all I’ll say about that…I don’t want to come across as one of those weird conspiracy-theory, gloom & doom, anti-government and anti-media people. I just thought it was strange to open a book written well before we were aware of today’s economic crisis and see that written on the page. Oh, and I did get on my box and preach to some poor unsuspecting folks about this at work yesterday. Sorry, guys…

Precious Moments

We all have little bonding moments with our kids, but in our hectic lives how often do we really reflect on them? Bryan called me on his way home from work today for our usual how-was-your-day chat, and he went out of his way to tell me about a father-son moment he had with Tyler last night. Tyler has an infectious smile and laugh—he is a major flirt and clown. Anyhow, he and Bryan have a night-time ritual of reading a book snuggled in our bed, while Brandon practices his reading with me in another room. Apparently last night the book slipped out of Bryan’s hand and smacked him in the nose. They both started laughing, and that just got the ball of laughter rolling. It was sweet because they were genuinely laughing together hysterically at something funny--nothing staged, nothing fake, just pure enjoyment of the situation at hand. Bryan and Tyler already share a special bond, just like Brandon and I do (Nick is the evil conqueror of the world, kind of like Stewie from Family Guy). I don’t recall many stories like this even though I know we've had many of them, so I thought it was worth noting here.

SAHM

So me, forever having blonde moments, could not figure out what SAHM stood for. Several of my friends are SAHMs and I am no stranger to acronyms, since I work for the U.S. Navy. After thinking about this and reading several related blogs, I finally figured out that it stands for "Stay At Home Mom". OMG--DUH!

I have some real respect for SAHMs--I can barely keep up with my kids first for a few hours of the day, let alone the weekends. My husband and I both have full-time jobs, so our kids go to daycare. The oldest is in first grade, but catches & returns on his school bus to daycare because we commute 40 minutes to work. I sometimes have "mommy guilt"--guilt about not being able to spend all day with my little ones, but I think they learn a lot about relationships and social skills at daycare. However, since reluctantly returning to work after the holiday break, I have done a lot of thinking about becoming a SAHM. (Don't worry, Bryan--the Ferarri is too appealing for me to quit my job this instant!) But because my two older boys are in school (if preschool counts), would that really make me a true SAHM? Would that be considered cheating? Maybe I should just have a part-time job (think: Starbucks), then I could take the boys to Water Country & Busch Gardens, just like all their friends.

I think I'm just jealous of all you moms out there who have the luxury of scooping your kids up and doing anything without worrying about taking time off work. Yes, I know there's an awful lot of work involved, but I'm sure it's worth it!