I'm an atheist as well. I welcome and hope my children want to learn about religion and that it can be discussed in an organic and healthy way. My dad was a Baptist minister, and the hellfire and brimstone of their religious views have certainly shaped how I feel about church and religion in general. However, that doesn't mean I can't see the value of learning about religion.
I want to do Santa because I remember how much joy it brought me as a kid. And I remember thinking I was in on a big, adult secret when I learned the truth. But I think the Easter bunny and tooth fairy are blown way out of proportion these days. I got a dollar for a tooth. Not 5, not 10. No glitter or toys. And Easter has become like a mini Christmas! I saw Easter baskets on FB this year that had giant toys sticking out of them. I got candy and stickers. It's possible I'm only sensitive to it because I'm spiritual, but it really annoys me that Easter has become a gift grab.
And since we're also talking religion and politics today....
My religious beliefs seem to be unpopular with people on all sides. I'm bisexual but I still believe in God, which tends to be unpopular with my LGBT friends. And I believe, but can do without religion and chose to identify as spiritual, which seems to be unpopular with my religious friends of all denominations.
And I'm not registered with a party, but I believe one of the biggest problems we have is our inability to get along and compromise. The parties are constantly at war we each other and nothing ever gets done. And my friends who follow politics think I'm naive when I say we need to learn to work together. Apparently they just want to convert everyone to their way of thinking and eliminate the other party, which will never happen in their lifetime.
I'm surprised to hear this. A lot of my gay/lesbian friends are part of an LGBT friendly church. I wonder if that's a regional thing?
I live in the northeast and in a very active church that welcomes people of any sexual or gender preference. It gets me really upset when people assume that if someone is Christian they hate others.
@BoyMom44 not trying to group all of Christians together when I say this, but, I haven't had any nasty looks or side eyeing from atheists when with my wife. I get that not all Christians are hypocritical assholes, just like not all atheists are tree hugging science humpers. But more times than not, my encounters with Christians when it comes to who I am in love with = judgement. its a sad truth that you don't realize until you are on the receiving end of it.
ETA: to clarify, I have Christian friends and family. For the most part, they keep their nose out of who I'm spending my life with - but there is always fear of the unknown and I think a lot of times, judgement of what you think is wrong because of a religion, comes from not being educated enough on the fact that it is not a decision that (morally correct) people wake up and make everyday. I know that even as times get easier, nothing would be easier than being with a man and enjoying it. For social standards, anyway.
Ok so this is probably going to be VERY unpopular haha everyone is obviously free to raise their kids how they see fit, and most religious people raise their children to be religious and that's their choice. But you can also educate children in religion without pushing it on them. I'm athiest, but I believe in being knowledgeable, exploring, and questioning. Part of that involves being educated in religion but not being indoctrinated into it. Knowledge is always a positive thing so I would NEVER shut religion out because I'm not religious. It's something that should be talked about, thought about, questioned and I want to encourage my children to do all of those things. Not just with religion, but with everything in the world. Don't just believe something because someone told you so. Explore the world and question it until you find the answers that are satisfactory to you.
YES to all of this!
I'm athiest, raised catholic and when I started to question that, my parents thought I was in crisis. My husband comes from a VERY catholic South American family, but is also athiest. I was so angry when my dad's wife told me that I needed to raise my children with religion because otherwise what is the foundation of the family. I simply told her that the foundation of our family will be love, acceptance, KNOWLEDGE and CULTURE. If my children want to be Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish - that is what THEY believe. We're lucky to live in LA which is a melting pot of religion, so our children will be exposed to a lot and we will encourage them to explore and seek their truth.
I do have to admit though that DH has to bring me back down to earth sometimes because I can get pretty heated when I start seeing all the religious posts on fbook. If I were to post something about being athiest and my beliefs so many people would be on my case so fast, but there are so many god posts and Jesus posts that make me feel like their religion is being pushed in my face. Every time I see a post that claims "1 like = 1 prayer" or "Type amen if you believe" I want to respond by telling the person that the original poster is just Like farming.
I see nothing wrong with a glass of wine every once in awhile during pregnancy. Not a tervis tumbler or route 44 cup from sonic, but a small glass of wine. It seems that in America, that is very unpopular. Yet we are the only country that feels that way with much lower successes at birthing and pregnancy.
*Lurking from Sept16* Just wanted to say that the US is not the only country that feels that way. In Canada and Germany it is extremely frowned upon as well. Those are the two countries I can speak for but I am positive there are many others.
35 years old, TTC #1 Dec 28, 2011 PCOS, Hypothyroidism.
First IVF cycle June 5th 2015 --- BFP Miscarriage at 8 weeks
FET December 15th 2015--- BFP! First saw at 6w4d It's a boy!
Luciano Alessandro Maximiliano was born on September 3rd 2016
@Julia70286 I also get irrationally angry at those. Thoughts and prayers aren't going to end a traumatic event, especially a natural disaster. Hard work and money is. It bothers me when politicians use that in speeches about hard times. I was also raised Catholic, switched to Presbyterian, and then realized that I'm more of a "if you can't prove it, I don't believe it" kinda woman.
@samijrichards right?! lol, I thought my first part sounded very open and zen, but then I thought about those facebook posts and I got kind of ragey. I can't help it though! I literally just posted something last week about the dangers of liking and sharing those things (stranger danger and phishing) in hopes that it might deter people. It didn't.
I see nothing wrong with a glass of wine every once in awhile during pregnancy. Not a tervis tumbler or route 44 cup from sonic, but a small glass of wine. It seems that in America, that is very unpopular. Yet we are the only country that feels that way with much lower successes at birthing and pregnancy.
*Lurking from Sept16* Just wanted to say that the US is not the only country that feels that way. In Canada and Germany it is extremely frowned upon as well. Those are the two countries I can speak for but I am positive there are many others.
Meh. I had a glass of wine twice last pregnancy. The midwife said it was fine. Once was at my FIL 60th bday celebration and the other was when I hit 40 weeks. My second child is super chill. Was it the wine?!
I don't remember who posted this cause it's too hard to scroll back on mobile. But when I said I would raise my children as Christians, I never said they would be indoctrinated into it. We acknowledge Christian customs and religions in this house, so our child will grow up with that. But I will make it very clear that not everyone believes what we believe and that's ok. Other religions or no religion are perfectly ok ways to live your life. The most important thing to me is that my chips grows up believing that everyone should be treated equally, regardless of religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or cultural background.
I don't know if this will be an UO or a PO but I CANNOT STAND when people enter their kid in a "cutest baby" contest and then harrass people on FB to vote for their kid. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh
Me: 32 & DH: 37
Married: November 2014
TTC #1 Since: October 2015
BFP #1: 11/18/15 - CP BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16 IT'S A BOY!!!! DS Born 10/16/16
I don't know if this will be an UO or a PO but I CANNOT STAND when people enter their kid in a "cutest baby" contest and then harrass people on FB to vote for their kid. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh
OMG I haaaaaate that!!! And they invariably come up with some stupid hashtag like #NoCuterBabyThanOurs and spam everyone on their friends list. GO AWAY.
I don't know if this will be an UO or a PO but I CANNOT STAND when people enter their kid in a "cutest baby" contest and then harrass people on FB to vote for their kid. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh
OMG I haaaaaate that!!! And they invariably come up with some stupid hashtag like #NoCuterBabyThanOurs and spam everyone on their friends list. GO AWAY.
Since you brought up the hashtag thing, I'll add people who have a general hashtag for their kid to my list. I have a friend who posts multiple hashtags with every picture of her kid #charliecuddles #whatchuckwore*, etc. etc. I mean, I'm pretty sure we're not gonna get your kid trending.
*name changed for obvoius reasons.
Me: 32 & DH: 37
Married: November 2014
TTC #1 Since: October 2015
BFP #1: 11/18/15 - CP BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16 IT'S A BOY!!!! DS Born 10/16/16
Speaking of religion... (I'm half Jewish, half Methodist, but most of my beliefs are Buddist)
My UO is I do not like it when someone writes "Have a blessed day" on emails, facebook messages, etc. I know they say it to be nice, I guess, but I just don't like it.
Speaking of religion... (I'm half Jewish, half Methodist, but most of my beliefs are Buddist)
My UO is I do not like it when someone writes "Have a blessed day" on emails, facebook messages, etc. I know they say it to be nice, I guess, but I just don't like it.
I work for a charter school where a lot of our families come from strong faith based backgrounds. If I had a dollar for every time a parent "blessed" me or something similar, I'm pretty sure I'd be a millionaire by now.
I don't know if this will be an UO or a PO but I CANNOT STAND when people enter their kid in a "cutest baby" contest and then harrass people on FB to vote for their kid. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh
OMG I haaaaaate that!!! And they invariably come up with some stupid hashtag like #NoCuterBabyThanOurs and spam everyone on their friends list. GO AWAY.
Since you brought up the hashtag thing, I'll add people who have a general hashtag for their kid to my list. I have a friend who posts multiple hashtags with every picture of her kid #charliecuddles #whatchuckwore*, etc. etc. I mean, I'm pretty sure we're not gonna get your kid trending.
*name changed for obvoius reasons.
Hahahaha. Yes! I hate the multiple hashtags too! Especially the workout ones, where they're at the gym with their makeup and then these hashtags: #noexcuses #beastmode #buildingstrength #sweatissexy #gottamaketime #sweatingglitter #musclesmakemehappy #motivation
Shut up already! We get it, we are stuffing pizza in our faces and we are supposed to feel bad because you're at the gym. STOP with the hashtags. It doesn't prove you're better than me. lol. #bitter
I don't know if this will be an UO or a PO but I CANNOT STAND when people enter their kid in a "cutest baby" contest and then harrass people on FB to vote for their kid. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh
OMG I haaaaaate that!!! And they invariably come up with some stupid hashtag like #NoCuterBabyThanOurs and spam everyone on their friends list. GO AWAY.
Since you brought up the hashtag thing, I'll add people who have a general hashtag for their kid to my list. I have a friend who posts multiple hashtags with every picture of her kid #charliecuddles #whatchuckwore*, etc. etc. I mean, I'm pretty sure we're not gonna get your kid trending.
*name changed for obvoius reasons.
Hahahaha. Yes! I hate the multiple hashtags too! Especially the workout ones, where they're at the gym with their makeup and then these hashtags: #noexcuses #beastmode #buildingstrength #sweatissexy #gottamaketime #sweatingglitter #musclesmakemehappy #motivation
Shut up already! We get it, we are stuffing pizza in our faces and we are supposed to feel bad because you're at the gym. STOP with the hashtags. It doesn't prove you're better than me. lol. #bitter
#fatandpregnant #suckit
Me: 32 & DH: 37
Married: November 2014
TTC #1 Since: October 2015
BFP #1: 11/18/15 - CP BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16 IT'S A BOY!!!! DS Born 10/16/16
I uh, I kind of can't wait to lie to my kid. Within reason. Like telling them offhandedly, "That lighthouse housed monkeys during the war. And these streets were built on an angle on purpose to make it more difficult for rival businessmen to come to town."
Stuff that when they're 20 and in college they'll repeat and realize...wait a minute! There's no way!
I find it hilarious, like my father did before me, and I don't feel bad about it.
(One of those statements above is true about the place we live.)
On a similar note to cutest baby comps...why is it that the most annoying kids have parents who think the sun shines out of their ass? It's great that you love your kid. It's great that you show them and appreciate them. Can we be real though, your kid is NOT that great. That expression that you find so cute? Your kid looks like they are about to throw puppies in the river. Evil little buggers.
I don't know if this will be an UO or a PO but I CANNOT STAND when people enter their kid in a "cutest baby" contest and then harrass people on FB to vote for their kid. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh
OMG I haaaaaate that!!! And they invariably come up with some stupid hashtag like #NoCuterBabyThanOurs and spam everyone on their friends list. GO AWAY.
Since you brought up the hashtag thing, I'll add people who have a general hashtag for their kid to my list. I have a friend who posts multiple hashtags with every picture of her kid #charliecuddles #whatchuckwore*, etc. etc. I mean, I'm pretty sure we're not gonna get your kid trending.
*name changed for obvoius reasons.
Hahahaha. Yes! I hate the multiple hashtags too! Especially the workout ones, where they're at the gym with their makeup and then these hashtags: #noexcuses #beastmode #buildingstrength #sweatissexy #gottamaketime #sweatingglitter #musclesmakemehappy #motivation
Shut up already! We get it, we are stuffing pizza in our faces and we are supposed to feel bad because you're at the gym. STOP with the hashtags. It doesn't prove you're better than me. lol. #bitter
bahahaha! Had a girl I knew from HS or college that literally posted so many hashtags every time she posted a picture of her daughter that FB stopped linking the ones towards the end. I finally had to block her posts from showing up because I was losing the will power that stopped me from posting #toomanyhashtags
Just another random probably UO...DH. I've been so irritated with DH lately I'm finding myself rolling my eyes every time I write DH. Lately it's been FH or TGIM.
So far I only have two other ladies I know who are pregnant right now, but there were 10 weddings this past July '15 through January '16 (10 includes my own) for me. There were two girls who were super duper outrageously annoying with all the wedding posts and hashtags. Then they were really active for about a month after their weddings, and now their FB accounts are like ghost towns. I guess all the fun vibes finally wore off.
Speaking of religion... (I'm half Jewish, half Methodist, but most of my beliefs are Buddist)
My UO is I do not like it when someone writes "Have a blessed day" on emails, facebook messages, etc. I know they say it to be nice, I guess, but I just don't like it.
Heehee.
I used to work for someone relatively famous. I once had to point out to him that signing a business email to the Jewish CEO of a major media company with "God Bless" probably wasn't a good idea.
I am SO happy to see so many atheists! I live in Texas and... nope. Probably there but hiding out of self-preservation like me.
Not necessarily a UO but I'm thinking about telling my kids the Santa story and then inviting them to question and investigate and consider. Like they ask, How does Santa know if I'm good or bad? and I let them think up an answer. If they want to stay up and watch for Santa, they can try and possibly catch me. Then they can help me play Santa. That seems more fun than just not saying anything, but I too was HURT about the lie. I believed for a long, long time because my parents rationalized everything ("he won't come while you're awake" etc.) and I just didn't think they would like to me even though it didn't make sense.
Since I probably need a UO out there... I don't mind spoilers at all. Like, the entire prequel Star Wars trilogy (which yes had its own problems) was already spoiled. We knew the outcome. That was not one of its problems. Seeing how something works out is enough. I don't need to be surprised by what happens, and often take it better with preparation.
@RainMira9e I'm the same way with spoilers. Don't care about spoilers! I didn't follow what was going on with the force awakens and had no idea what to expect as far as plot went. I didn't even watch the movie trailers. I was geeking out and practically squealing throughout the movie. when I saw that Rey had force powers....I was done. My SHEro! I really enjoyed the movie and going into it without any ideas made it more exciting to watch. I guess i understand why spoilers piss people off.
I love love love the characters and story. I'm certain that Rey is Luke's daughter. I'm going to cosplay Rey for the next Denver comic con that I'm not pregnant. Any other fans out there? I have a feeling #captainphasma is a fan.
@jillianpardo me! I loved The Force Awakens! Unfortunately some delta bravo spoilered me on Facebook I was so so glad that it didn't happen to DH though- he loves and is passionate about Star Wars in a way that I just pale in comparison to.
@SuperNerd42 my husband is the same way. He was really upset that they didn't go with the Timothy Zahn (sp?) Storyline and basically boycotted it. I used my (wife) force powers and made him go see it in theaters. He loved it. Haha.
It really creeps me out to see people put their really young girls in cheerleading. Now, I'm not dissing the sport of cheerleading, it's the over sexualization of these little girls that creeps me out. An old high school acquaintance on fb is always posting these pics of her 6 year old daughter in her midriff cheerleading costume, in a full face of pageant makeup, and hair all done up. People even go so far as to talk about her abs. She's six. So gross.
@emmaaa mine is similar to yours... I'm so sick of Adele. She was good for a bit, but now, no. If I have to hear 'Hellooo, it's me" one more time, I'll lose it! Admittedly, this is directly because the woman in the cubicle next to me puts one song on repeat all day long, and lately it's been that one. Literally, all day, even when she leaves the office. Before Adele it was that "love me like you do" song because she was obsessed with 50 Shades of Grey. Makes me want to throw things.
@JaJuanY God I hated that song. Actually I hate anything and everything related to 50 Shades of Grey. Just thinking about that book (or that author) makes me see about a thousand shades of red.
Such serious UOs today. I missed it all since I was mostly lounging and feeling like complete shit.
On the topic of religion, I was sent to Catholic schools from 1st-12th grades, which pretty much put me off religion for a long time. My parents are actually Buddhists, but very open to other spiritual ideas. I was a cynic for a long time, but when my dad passed away suddenly three years ago, I had to believe there was something for him at the end. He found out he had cancer and in three weeks' time he was gone. I couldn't deal with his death at all except by rationalizing that my dad was somewhere else; that he was okay in some other kind of life. So, my husband and I aren't planning to raise our kids in any sort of specific religion, but I'll tell them grandpa is watching over them and taking care of them.
@emmaaa Im so with you on Beyoncé, she makes me cringe and so does Mariah Carey which makes sad because I idolized her while I was younger. The only song of hers I'm crazy about is All I Want For Christmas is You, obsessed with that song during the holidays.
Yeah, I could totally get with serving the Time Lords too. RAWR.
The Lord of the Rings, on the other hand.....that doesn't seem to work out so well. And while the verdict is still out on the Lord of Light, Melisandre scares me.
Re: UO Thursday (April 7th)
ETA: to clarify, I have Christian friends and family. For the most part, they keep their nose out of who I'm spending my life with - but there is always fear of the unknown and I think a lot of times, judgement of what you think is wrong because of a religion, comes from not being educated enough on the fact that it is not a decision that (morally correct) people wake up and make everyday. I know that even as times get easier, nothing would be easier than being with a man and enjoying it. For social standards, anyway.
I'm athiest, raised catholic and when I started to question that, my parents thought I was in crisis. My husband comes from a VERY catholic South American family, but is also athiest. I was so angry when my dad's wife told me that I needed to raise my children with religion because otherwise what is the foundation of the family. I simply told her that the foundation of our family will be love, acceptance, KNOWLEDGE and CULTURE. If my children want to be Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish - that is what THEY believe. We're lucky to live in LA which is a melting pot of religion, so our children will be exposed to a lot and we will encourage them to explore and seek their truth.
I do have to admit though that DH has to bring me back down to earth sometimes because I can get pretty heated when I start seeing all the religious posts on fbook. If I were to post something about being athiest and my beliefs so many people would be on my case so fast, but there are so many god posts and Jesus posts that make me feel like their religion is being pushed in my face. Every time I see a post that claims "1 like = 1 prayer" or "Type amen if you believe" I want to respond by telling the person that the original poster is just Like farming.
BFP #1: 7/15/15, SB: 11/14/15
Rainbow baby DS born 9/29/16!!
BFP #3 3/26/18 | Due 12/3/18
PCOS, Hypothyroidism.
Miscarriage at 8 weeks
First saw
It's a boy!
BFP #1: 7/15/15, SB: 11/14/15
Rainbow baby DS born 9/29/16!!
BFP #3 3/26/18 | Due 12/3/18
O16 April Siggy
Me: 32 & DH: 37
BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16
IT'S A BOY!!!!
DS Born 10/16/16
*name changed for obvoius reasons.
Me: 32 & DH: 37
BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16
IT'S A BOY!!!!
DS Born 10/16/16
My UO is I do not like it when someone writes "Have a blessed day" on emails, facebook messages, etc. I know they say it to be nice, I guess, but I just don't like it.
TTC #1 - Nov '14
DS born 10/18
Shut up already! We get it, we are stuffing pizza in our faces and we are supposed to feel bad because you're at the gym. STOP with the hashtags. It doesn't prove you're better than me. lol.
#bitter
Me: 32 & DH: 37
BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16
IT'S A BOY!!!!
DS Born 10/16/16
Stuff that when they're 20 and in college they'll repeat and realize...wait a minute! There's no way!
I find it hilarious, like my father did before me, and I don't feel bad about it.
(One of those statements above is true about the place we live.)
Edit: gramma
O16 April Siggy
Had a girl I knew from HS or college that literally posted so many hashtags every time she posted a picture of her daughter that FB stopped linking the ones towards the end. I finally had to block her posts from showing up because I was losing the will power that stopped me from posting #toomanyhashtags
O16 April Siggy
I don't like Beyonce. Not even a little.
Dating: 10/3/08 | Married: 12/27/14
TTC #1: August 2015 | BFP: 2/3/16 | EDD: 10/7/16
DD: 10/5/16
TTC #2: September 2017 | BFP: 4/28/18 | EDD: 1/7/19
DS: 1/9/19
So far I only have two other ladies I know who are pregnant right now, but there were 10 weddings this past July '15 through January '16 (10 includes my own) for me. There were two girls who were super duper outrageously annoying with all the wedding posts and hashtags. Then they were really active for about a month after their weddings, and now their FB accounts are like ghost towns. I guess all the fun vibes finally wore off.
I used to work for someone relatively famous. I once had to point out to him that signing a business email to the Jewish CEO of a major media company with "God Bless" probably wasn't a good idea.
Not necessarily a UO but I'm thinking about telling my kids the Santa story and then inviting them to question and investigate and consider. Like they ask, How does Santa know if I'm good or bad? and I let them think up an answer. If they want to stay up and watch for Santa, they can try and possibly catch me. Then they can help me play Santa. That seems more fun than just not saying anything, but I too was HURT about the lie. I believed for a long, long time because my parents rationalized everything ("he won't come while you're awake" etc.) and I just didn't think they would like to me even though it didn't make sense.
Since I probably need a UO out there... I don't mind spoilers at all. Like, the entire prequel Star Wars trilogy (which yes had its own problems) was already spoiled. We knew the outcome. That was not one of its problems. Seeing how something works out is enough. I don't need to be surprised by what happens, and often take it better with preparation.
I love love love the characters and story. I'm certain that Rey is Luke's daughter. I'm going to cosplay Rey for the next Denver comic con that I'm not pregnant. Any other fans out there? I have a feeling #captainphasma is a fan.
O16 April Siggy
O16 April Siggy
I'm so sick of Adele. She was good for a bit, but now, no. If I have to hear 'Hellooo, it's me" one more time, I'll lose it! Admittedly, this is directly because the woman in the cubicle next to me puts one song on repeat all day long, and lately it's been that one. Literally, all day, even when she leaves the office. Before Adele it was that "love me like you do" song because she was obsessed with 50 Shades of Grey. Makes me want to throw things.
Married: 10/11/15
Baby girl Addie born 10/12/16
O16 April Siggy
but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
On the topic of religion, I was sent to Catholic schools from 1st-12th grades, which pretty much put me off religion for a long time. My
parents are actually Buddhists, but very open to other spiritual ideas. I was a cynic for a long time, but when my dad passed away suddenly three years ago, I had to believe there was something for him at the end. He found out he had cancer and in three weeks' time he was gone. I couldn't deal with his death at all except by rationalizing that my dad was somewhere else; that he was okay in some other kind of life. So, my husband and I aren't planning to raise our kids in any sort of specific religion, but I'll tell them grandpa is watching over them and taking care of them.
The Lord of the Rings, on the other hand.....that doesn't seem to work out so well. And while the verdict is still out on the Lord of Light, Melisandre scares me.