Newspaper Page Text
February 4,2009
PAGE 5A
Around the Bend
Who put that
T he Forsyth
streetscape com
mittee met again
Monday night but
there is still no
definite timeline on when
we will have smooth side
walks around the square.
We need some new side
walks around here.
I have several
bruises and a few
scars to prove it.
On more than
one occasion I
have found a crack
or an uneven slab
of pavement and
went tum
bling
down.
Fortunately the only real
damage has been to my
pride. It's downright
embarrassing.
I tried to blame it on
Rosemary Walker. The two
most recent times I took a
spill, she has been around.
"You must be bad luck for
me," I told her last week as
I mopped up the blood ooz
ing from my wrist.
She looked concerned.
"Are you OK?" she asked.
Rosemary is sweet to be
concerned, but I am used
to it by now. Truth be told
Rosemary is no jinx. I am
just clumsy. If you look up
the word klutz in the dic
tionary, you will see my
smiling face and if you look
closely you will see a band
age over my left eyebrow. I
still have that scar I got in
1995 after trying
to walk through a
door that wasn't
fully open.
I don't know
why I am so clum
sy, but I sure am.
I fall down a lot. I
trip. I slip. If
there's a
crack in
the pave
ment or
astray stick... I will step on
it and go flying. But, really
nothing has to be in my
way, sometimes I just fall
for no reason. I am so acci
dent prone that Johnson
and Johnson sends me a
Christmas card each year
thanking me for purchas
ing a record number of
Band-Aids®.
Larry refuses to sharpen
the knives in my kitchen
for fear I will slice my
thumb off while peeling
potatoes. It's that bad.
c; Reporter
door there?
My clumsiness has
plagued me my whole life.
When I was a child we had
our own designated park
ing space at the emergency
room.
I’ve broken bones (I even
broke my own elbow with a
camera), cut myself, ran
into doors, fallen down
stairs and fallen off a lad
der . . . twice.
A few years ago, I got the
crazy idea that I could fin
ish out the trim work on
our screen porch. I careful
ly secured the step ladder
and hoisted myself up to
the second rung. But as I
swung the hammer back to
nail in the trim... my feet
slipped off and I landed
smack dab on my right
shoulder. No one was
around to laugh at me,
thankfully.
It hurt like crazy but
nothing was bleeding so I
figured I was OK. I quickly
put the ladder away and
decided the untrimmed
screen didn't look so bad
after all. Later that night,
I discovered I could not
move arm past a certain
point. It hurt very bad if I
even attempted to raise it
beyond my chest. I hesitat
ed to tell Larry what hap
pened. I could not bear the
inevitable taunts and
scolding about how I
should not attempt to
climb things. Instead I
drove myself to the ER. An
x-ray revealed a dislocated
shoulder.
You know what they give
you to put you to sleep
when you have a dislocated
shoulder? Nothing.
Two big bouncer-looking
guys came into the room.
One held me down while
the other one yanked my
arm back into place. I
screamed.
But that wasn’t the first
time I fell off a ladder. In
1990, while pregnant with
Andy, I fell while trying to
hang a “Happy Birthday”
sign. Maybe that's what's
wrong with him. Just kid
ding. But, it may be how
he inherited my clumsi
ness.
Some kids get their
mother’s nose or their
dad’s eyes. But, God bless
him.... Andy is almost as
klutzy as I am. Almost.
Email Gina at
news@mymcr. net.
On the Outside Looking In...
Reporter columnist Don Daniel is handling media relations
for the FEMA recovery effort in snow-slammed Kentucky. He is
expected hack in this spot next week.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Daycare dilemma: A parent’s prison
To the editor:
B efore motherhood I never
imagined how challenging,
stressful and scary it
would be to find depend
able day care for my child.
I never dreamed most of my 8-10
hour workdays would be filled with
worries for my child’s well-being.
For 2 1/2 years I've been trying to
find the perfect place for my child to
learn, grow and be loved. Now, I won
der if such a place exists. My husband
and I have been burned by bad nan
nies. Hesitant, but stuck with no
alternatives, we turned to daycare. As
we researched facilities we became
frustrated. It seemed the places
where teachers seemed to genuinely
care for the kids, spoke intelligently
and provided a clean environment
were limited or only offered half-day
programs.
Our list of options quickly narrowed.
We sucked it up and had to settle. We
were imprisoned. The need for health
care and two salaries eliminated our
option for me to be a stay-at-home
mom. We chose a day care. A few
months later we left after my hus
band witnessed the nursery teacher
endangering our daughter.
The worries, fears, sleepless nights
and knots in my stomach reappeared.
Once again, we relentlessly looked for
that perfect place. We have landed
and left a total of three day care facil
ities.
My daughter isn't eligible for pri
vate school for 2 more years.
Montessori school offers a highly
trained teaching staff, for a high
price. We've considered sharing a
nanny- but who can we trust?
At our current day care, I caught a
teacher mistreating my toddler on
tape. Thank God my motherly instinct
told me to watch the videotape from
the monitor that day. She was “writ
ten up”, not fired.
What else have I missed? A former
teacher told me she was fired because
she accidentally left a one-year-old on
the playground after dark.
One of my daughter’s teachers was
fired because she said she
was so mad she could blow
up the day care.
Recently, my girlfriend at
our same school learned
teachers were feeding her
infant table food, without her
knowledge or permission.
When my friend spoke to the
director about her concerns
she was basically told the
day care staff was tired of
“bending over backwards” for
her! When did proper care
and communication become
a favor?
My daughter spends more
time with her day care
teachers than with her own
parents. My ability to trust
others, who have a hand in
raising her the way we see fit, is dis
appearing. Are my expectations too
high?
Ideally, my daughter would spend
the majority of her day learning,
exploring and socializing; after all
experts say a child’s brain is fully
formed by the time he or she is 5 to 6-
years-old.
Most importantly, my husband and I
want our daughter to be safe. I’ve
spent two years constantly trying to
keep an eye on those who care for our
little girl. I’ve raised concerns and
voiced my opinion- but at some point
along the way I started
to filter my thoughts in fear my
daughter would be the one to pay the
price for my outspoken nature.
Today, Jan. 27,1 discovered our day
care will be permanently closed
tomorrow. A 24-hour notice for nearly
100 parents to find immediate, quali
ty care for their children. Staff mem
bers are now scrambling trying to
find a new job, many with children of
their own at home to feed.
The kicker is we will not be refund
ed for the services we have paid for
and will not receive. How is that ok?
Where are the standards and account
ability? Clearly, not where we’ve been
looking.
I write this out of frustration, anger
and fear. I’m still desperate to find
that perfect place.
Kandace Raymond
Pritchett
Forsyth
The playground at Bright Beginnings went
silent last week leaving parents with even fewer
local childcare options.
Thanks for your encouraging column
To the editor:
I s there any way to get a copy or
internet address to read your On the
Porch column entitled "Pain: the
unwelcome grace" from the Nov. 26
Reporter? We too are going through
adversity with our 22 year old daughter
who has cancer, Ewings Sarcoma, and I
am keeping up with Kylie Seitz's
carepages as so many are on the prayer
list. Her mom Gini wrote how wonderful
your column was and so I'd like to read it
as well. Thanks for sharing your wonder
ful words. Stories like these comfort those
who need it most!
Miracles happen. We first need the faith
to offer our prayers, giving it all to the
Heavenly Father above. He is the Master
with the plan for the entire world. Then
after we pray we should "prepare the
fields" for the prayers to be answered!
Sometimes adversity and pain run too
deep for words. And in the end the things
that really matter most is what our expe
riences teach us about ourselves and
about our faith in God! I have learned that
the Gospel of Jesus Christ and living a
Christian life is not insurance against
adversity or pain in our lives. But it serves
as a resource of great blessed assurance in
the event of life's trials, adversity and
pain.
This is our prescription of how we get
through each and every day of our person
al pain. And we pray for many as the list
seems to get longer with each new day. All
the best Will and keep up the great work!
Elisa and Loren Later
Springfield, Oregon
KYLIE SEITZ at her birthday
party last month.
How to- contact your
representative#...
IN WASHINGTON
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R)
120 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
o - (202) 224-3521
Saxby.chambliss@mail.senate.gov
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R)
120 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
o - (202) 224-3643
Johnny.lsakson@mail.senate.gov
Rep. Jim Marshall (D)
504 Cannon House Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515
o-(202)225-6531
Jim.Marshall@mail.house.gov
IN ATLANTA
State Sen. Cecil Staton (R)
303 Coverdell Office Building
18 Capitol Square, SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
o - (404) 656-5039
h-(478) 757-0983
cecil.staton@senate.state.gov
State Sen. Ronnie Chance (R)
109 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
o- (404)651 - 7738
h - (770) 969-9155
ronnie.chance@senate.ga.gov
State Rep. Jim Cole (R)
Room 401
Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg.
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
o - (404) 656-0152
h- (478)994-8674
jim.cole@house.ga.gov
State Rep. Tony Sellier (R)
604 Coverdell Legislative Office
Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
o - 404.656.0265
h - 478.825.2888
reptonysellierl 36@msn.com
COMMISSIONERS
Chairman James Vaughn (D)
236 Vaughn Rd
Forsyth, GA31029
o - 994-3830
h - 994-5543
chairman@monroecountygeorgia.com
Commissioner Larry Evans (I)
District 1
31 Marshall Road
Forsyth, GA 31029
h - 994-9791
districtl @monroecountygeorgia.com
Commissioner Jim Ham (D)
”1%,. District 2
805 Reedy Creek Raod
Forsyth, GA 31029
■ ■ h-994-0589
* district2@monroecountygeorgia.com
Commissioner Mike Bilderback (R)
District 3
251 Sleepy Creek Road
Macon, GA31210
h - 476-8681
d istri ct3@monroecountygeorgia.com
Commissioner Jim Peters (R)
District 4
475 Blue Ridge School Road
Forsyth, GA31029
h - 994-9689
district4@monroecountygeorgia.com
The Monroe County commissioners meet at 6 p.m.
on the first and third Tuesday of the month at the
county offices at 38 West Main Street.
NEXT WEEK: CITY COUNCIL AND SCHOOL BOARD