I think bachelorette parties/weekends have gotten out of control. The whole destination party/several days/matching shirts... eh, it's not for me. I'm glad my close friends are already married and I seemed to have been able to skate by without having to do that. It just seems like a lot to expect out of your friends who are already going to buy you a shower gift, wedding gift, potentially a bridesmaid dress, hair, makeup, etc.
(By all means if that's what everyone wants to do and the budget is feasible for everyone, knock yourselves out. But I'm cheap. )
@meanjellybean I've not been to one mostly because I'm scared they would ruin my body with being a fake doctor. lol it seems people either love them or hate them!
@stlbuckeye132 ooooh I loved me a good bachelorette trip! But I say "loved" for a reason... at this point the pricetag and the time commitment would stress me out lol.
And yes people go nutso over chiropractors! In my area (and I'm sure everywhere else) there are ones that specialize in babies and kids and people swear by them for fixing EVERYTHING. I see shit people post in these local mom groups and I'm like "I'm highly skeptical that seeing a chiropractor cured your baby's food allergies, but whatever you want to believe I guess..." Same goes for essential oils in my view lol but I know that's another thing people get all militant about
@meanjellybean omg! I totally forgot we took DD to a chiropractor who was going to fix all her BF problems when she was a couple weeks old. I was desperate and willing to try anything (clearly), but that appointment only reinforced my opinion that they were full of bull.
@stlbuckeye132 I'm laughing over here because I also took DD to some kind of person like that for bf/colic issues. I literally just had to google her because I could not remember what it was called: craniosacral fascial therapy. Basically I paid a couple hundred dollars to watch a (very nice) lady jiggle my baby up and down and count her "cycles" or something... I was also willing to try anything at that point but it didn't do anything lol. Only thing I got out of it was getting out of the house and also she had this rainstick-type toy that would quiet DD's crying for a few seconds when you shook it so I went home and ordered that shit on Amazon
@stlbuckeye132 Also on the "loved" bachelorette parties train with @meanjellybean. The money part of it doesn't really stress me out now (though, it used to) but the whole being out, partying in uncomfortable heels instead of at home in my pjs just isn't that exciting for me anymore.
@meanjellybean (double tag lol) I think chiros are a little like essential oil MLM sales people in the "fixes everything" sense. My NB photog for DD SWEARS the chiro cured her son's allergies. Ummmm... okay? I think they probably do relieve some body pain, temporarily. And I think they get the Dr. claim b/c they learn about all the bones and how to crack them without killing you? Who knows.
@meanjellybean a baby with colic is my nightmare. Seriously. I was so terrified DD would end up colicky. Thankfully, she was the exact opposite and slept so much they ran labs and almost sent us to a sleep specialist to make sure nothing was wrong with her
@meanjellybean the things we do when desperate with newborns... That's similar to how I felt after leaving the chiropractor. We drove like an hour to get there b/c it was the only place that had an opening (well... "only" of the three the LC recommended), there was a tornado watch in effect, I was stressed beyond belief, and then before the "doctor" came in, they had their BF specialist come in and watch us attempt BFing and give her two cents which lasted almost an hour and was nothing I'd not heard from the other 10+ LCs/BF specialists I'd already seen. Then finally the chiropractor came in, massaged her jaw a little bit, moved her arms and legs some, and was like, "see those dimples when she closes her mouth tight? That's the problem. We'll schedule you for another adjustment, and it will probably take 3-4 adjustments before you see any improvement." BYE, you already took $100+ of my money, I'm not doing that several more times. It was actually later that night that I offered her a bottle, and that was the first magical and special feeding experience we had, and at that point I said, "ok, we're switching to bottles. I'm done."
The few destination bachelorette parties I've been to have been fun, and I had one myself. My friends/close girls from my family are scattered everywhere so it was so fun to get together with all my favorite girls in 1 place! That being said, they are expensive, and I'm not about the whole matching thing (although my MOH did make us all matching shirts...she wanted to and I was like ok whatever). Now I just hate going out, no matter where it is haha. Mine was in Charleston and we went out one night but then just lazed on the beach and chilled the rest of the time. I also felt slightly better about having a destination bach because my bridesmaids picked their own dresses so they could just spend whatever they wanted...I know my one cousin got hers for like $40. On the other hand, my SIL had us all spend like $300 on the ones for her wedding + expensive bach party + 3 showers I was invited to...that wedding was pricey.
@blaf322 yeah it was tough in the beginning. I'm really hoping for a more "chill" baby this time around. I know that's what DH is most worried about too. He had a really hard time with all the crying and not being able to do anything to help. And yes @stlbuckeye132 the things we do... and the suggestions people give you lol. Gas drops, gripe water, chiropractor, cut out dairy, cut out soy, cut out eggs, cut out broccoli, cut out coffee... there were no medical issues, DD was just not happy to be on the outside (unless she could be attached to my boob at all times). And I would hate when people (sometimes friends or family) would make comments about how their kid was so calm because they were calm... sorry, no, you got lucky with a calm baby. I'm not an anxious person, having a newborn didn't make me super anxious, she was super alert and fussy from the get-go.
I have never been to a destination bachelorette party and specifically asked not to have one when I got married. I didn't want my bridesmaids to spend a ton of $, so we just did a day thing. It seems to be the norm now though. If I did it all over again, I probably still wouldn't do a big thing.
I had a simple Bachelorette party for first wedding but it was very tame. My 87 year old grandma came to it. I've never been invited to a destination one.
Double post, but a funny memory I just had. And yes she was tough, but I still look back at that period fondly. I remember each pediatrician appointment we went to (one month, two month), the doctor would ask how it was going and DH and I would look at each other and be like "she cries all the time, is that normal?" And the doctor would be like yes, this is the worst of it, next time you see me, she will be smiling and things will be better. Then we would go for the next appointment and they would ask how it was going and we would be like "she still cries all the time" and they would be like well next time you see me things will be so much better! It took quite a few appointments until that was actually true
It really depends on the chiropractor. Personally I get perturbed whenever they try and ‘heal’ patients with things they have no business prescribing (in my case orthotics...they aren’t going to heal are your aches and pains and they aren’t custom if they aren’t molded and made to your feet by a licensed orthotist/podiatrist/Orthopod)
I always go with anecdotal does not equal evidence. Yes, some people find relief with a good practitioner who can crack their back, but there are some scary ones (like cracking babies necks....which makes me shudder)
When I was going through all issues with my neck (it's been fused twice) I used a chiropractor for a very targeted treatment. I remember one of them telling me they could cure my asthma and allergies. Didn't go back to that provider.
But I'm very leery of cure claims from any source.
I hate that we feel like we have to apologize for the dumbest things or when we are proud of something but then have to add in a self deprecating comment. Like "We are thrilled to welcome our new dog to the family! Please excuse the mess in the living room." or "Little Danny is so sweet napping on me - ignore that I'm not wearing makeup." Why do we do this to ourselves?? We can't just say something we're happy about without worrying about being "braggy" so we put ourselves down or bring down our happiness with a little dig at ourselves. It makes me sad.
Me: 33 DH: 31 Location: Castle Rock, CO DD: 10.13.18 baby #2 due: 7.14.20
@meanjellybean I've never been to a chiro but my best friend's partner is a chiro. I think they have their place, just like naturopathic doctors and essential oils lol. Like they probably work for some people for some things but like they ain't going to cure cancer. My other best friend is an ND and I go see her for some things and her advice has actually helped, but I'm not going to see her as my primary care physician.
Team no to chiros. And the baby chiros just freak me out. I feel like a big part of therapy treatment is the patient being able to verbalize if that was effective or not, babies cannot do that.
Team I did have a destination bach party, only because my bridesmaids live all across the country. So we met in a central location, stayed in an Airbnb and cooked most of our meals. The one fancy dinner we did, my parents came down and paid for it (I hadn’t seen my dad in almost a year and he really wanted to come). So destination yes, but not in the typical sense. I live in an area that is very popular for over the top destination bach parties and they drive me crazy.
My UO- I don’t think tv should have any part in your kids life until after a year, if not longer.
@sunnyknightsarah agree! It also seems hard for a lot of people (largely women) to just say thank you after receiving a compliment. "Your hair looks great!" "Really? I haven't washed it in days!" "I love your shirt!" "Oh this is like 5 years old!" Just say thank you, people!
@stlbuckeye132 I love bachelorette parties in theory. The idea of getting away for a fun weekend with friends sounds great. But then I hate how these days everyone wants to make it baller (aka expensive lol). It's already so expensive to be in a wedding and then the bachelorette costs start rolling in. All the ones I've been invited to have needed flights to a destination, splitting decorations for the Air BnB or hotel suite, paying for the bride's food and activities while away for the weekend, alcohol while out partying plus alcohol for pregaming in the hotel, etc. It's gotten soooo big.
I'm in a wedding in Oct and the bachelorette party is in Sept. I'm so thankful the bride chose a location near where we live BUT I still can't agree to go for a Thurs - Mon bach party when I'll have a (hopefully) breastfeeding newborn at home plus a 21 month old. I can't do that to my husband or kids, nor do I want to be away from my 2-month old baby for 5 days even if I could. I know the bride will understand me just coming for a day but I'm definitely going to catch some flack from the other girls who don't have kids.
Me: 33 DH: 31 Location: Castle Rock, CO DD: 10.13.18 baby #2 due: 7.14.20
@stlbuckeye132 ugh yes, I'm guilty of this. Need to work on it! My boss came in my office the other day and she was like you look so pretty pregnant and I immediately was like oh you mean with these red splotches all over my face?? I could have just said aw thanks lol.
@stlbuckeye132 exactly! I am totally guilty of falling back into those habits on occasion but have been actively working for a few years now on just saying the phrase "thank you" without any argument or feelings of guilt! It's hard but we are allowed to feel good without bringing ourselves down!
Me: 33 DH: 31 Location: Castle Rock, CO DD: 10.13.18 baby #2 due: 7.14.20
@meanjellybean so naturopaths focus on more natural remedies for the body healing. There's a whole division that's called like homeopathic medicine which is a little more out there which not all naturopaths practice (like my best friend said she couldn't even take the classes seriously), but they focus a lot on nutrition, vitamins, acupuncture, and stuff like that. In some provinces they're allowed to prescribe medicine. My benefits cover naturopathic interventions, I don't know if I would ever pay out of pocket for it (sorry besty) lol. They're considered doctors as well, but I imagine they'd fall into the same category of doctor as chiros for you haha.
@mrsdrez maybe this is a dumb follow up question, but did they go to medical school? Or is there a special natural version they go to (similar to chiropractor school)? And yes my next question was about insurance - that's nice that your benefits cover it. I'm also glad you mentioned what you did about homeopathic medicine... when I was little my mom got really into homeopathic medicine (this is the same mom who quit her job to do Amway full time, so draw your own conclusions lol). It was very annoying. I had very bad eczema growing up and being toted around to all these bullshit "doctors" was its own form of torture when in reality the only thing that was going to help was my steroid cream. Still the case today. But that's obviously my own personal bias.
@meanjellybean It's similar to chiropractic school, in fact I think in Toronto it's actually the same school. I think there are differences in practitioners too. Like my friend who is an ND is very logical, and scientific (a lot of people were shocked by her career choice), so I don't think she would push patients down a natural path that wasn't working for them (like if the steroid cream worked, and she didn't find you an alternative she would tell you to go back on the steroid cream). Slippery slopes though for sure.
Laughing because since my head has been hurting for days I was considering a chiropractor to see it’s like an issue from sleeping incorrectly. My friend goes to one that’s like $40 out of pocket. And she loves them. I’m also low key worried they’ll paralyze me. So probably won’t end up going 😂 but thinking about it.
My UO. I generally don’t care About the whole gender vs. sex thing. If someone specifically has problems with certain terms or phrases then I will be compassionate towards that. But I really don’t care if someone asks me “are you going to find out the gender” vs “are you going to find out the sex” yes. But also, then if one day he or she prefers something else. Or feels like the opposite sex or whatever then yes, we will be supportive of preferred terms for that as well.
Don't kill me but...I'm gonna go political. Not sure if this is an UO or not but: I think school choice is a load of crap. Instead of applauding Trump for handing a little girl a scholarship to escape her failing public school and attend a private school, we should be asking why we aren't doing more to actually fix those failing public schools so the other kids left behind can actually get a fair shot at a decent education. This just goes against everything this country is supposed to stand for.
Re chiropractors - some are quacks and some are legit in my opinion, which can be the case in many fields of healing. I believe it can help depending on the circumstances and the practitioner. I also believe in accupuncture. Chiropractors do not actually crack a baby's back though, it is far gentler than that and when we took my son as a baby he slept through every session. And I believe a combo of chiropractic and cranialsacral therapy following tongue tie revision helped my son breastfeed, yes it's anecdotal and not scientific but was my experience. Also, last year I attempted to treat horrible chronic back pain with a physical therapist and after 6 sessions my insurance company decided to cut me off because they did not think it would help me. At that point I could continue living in pain, try something more invasive, or go to a chiropractor. My insurance company seems to have no problem covering chiro treatments but refuses to let me treat with a PT. So, chiro it is. Glad insurance companies get to make these medical decisions instead of, you know, actual doctors.
I hate the essential oil thing, and if I see one more person in a mommy group say to flush the tamiflu down the toilet and give elderberry syrup instead I might lose it. Maybe another UO but elderberry syrup is not a substitute for real medicine.
@stlbuckeye132 I'm sooo guilty of tearing myself down after receiving a compliment. I'm terrible at receiving them. I recognize it, but can't seem to stop myself.
@zande2016 yes! We need to seriously look at our public schools. It isn’t fair that kids who live in poorer towns or inner cities get a much different education than the kids in higher economic towns. The city I work in a few years back was going to mix up their elementary schools instead of having it be based on where in the city you live. Parents were so mad because the middle class parents knew the downtown schools did not have the same caliber of education
@kc0711 I'm always amazed at kids under 1 actually watching TV. DS couldn't have cared less about TV until this past summer, and he was almost 2. Now, we watch Sesame street allll the time.
@zande2016 Agree with you on the school thing. I'm a public school teacher, so I'm never going to be down with school choice. When that happens, schools that are not doing great will absolutely never improve. One of our main problems is that no one wants to be in the teaching profession. Well guess what, if we don't have qualified trained people teaching in our schools they won't be as good. My county started the year off with a TON of unfilled positions. My county also doesn't seem to every want to fully fund our schools so we can attract good people to work there and have programs that would improve things. So many problems. Lots of solutions. No one seems to be interested in trying them...at least around here. I could go on forever. I will stop now. haha
@zande2016 preach it! My mom is a college professor (teaching undergrad education) and she literally could go on for hours about it. She sent all of us to public school because she believes in it (as do I). Why are we not helping our failing schools...whyyyyy. This doesn’t help the public school system. We can do so much better.
I know a lot of people who swear by chiropractors, but my only experience with one who was recommended to me for some neck pain really creeped me out. He was on the the board of the school I worked at, and seemed nice enough, but then he had me change into a gown (which, ok) but then slid my bra strap down and he wasn't even doing anything to my shoulders. It was creepy AF and I never went back. The whole experience gave me the heebie-jeebies.
I pass on all essential oils. Just give me the real meds or nothing at all.
I'd rather go to a destination/entire weekend bachelorette party than a party bus, which has been common around here. When we got married, my DH went on a weekend in the Dells for golfing and I was supposed to go to Minneapolis for a girls weekend, but I really didnt want to go through the effort of getting dressed up and going out, so I asked them to please not do that. We went out for Mexican food, had a ton of tequila and spent the night laughing in comfy clothes. It was the best.
On essential oils, Eucalyptus oil is one of the only ones I actually use. It's been helpful for pregnancy stuffiness. I used to use one for migraines that sometimes helped a smidge. When those are bad I'd be perfectly happy to drill a hole in my forehead if I thought it might help. However, folks who don't take tamiflu or believe that all things can be cured by oil do get on my nerves.
@zande2016 As I've mentioned before I'm married to a public school teacher. She teaches high school math. There are so many things broken in the system but I don't know any solutions that come from pulling out more funding and people. The talent pipeline is going to only get worse. I could have a whole soapbox on education.
@zande2016 agree that pushing school choice as the solution is bullshit. We hear that a lot in my state because the public school funding system is so royally fucked and no one has the balls to do anything about it. Actually, we are now being sued so there's a chance that the courts will dictate what needs to happen, which has been what it took in other states. Just a shame. We have the added layer of local school districts having to go to a referendum in order to increase spending at the local level, which basically leaves the decision up to a bunch of grumpy old people who vote no because they don't have kids attending school anymore and won't sacrifice a couple cents a year increase in order to better their community schools.
I actually grew up going to private school and I would have loved to send my kids there because it was a wonderful experience. It was a Quaker school and a lot of the values have stuck with me through my life. BUT the tuition has gone the way of most college tuition and has inflated to an astronomical level, we would never be able to afford it for one kid, let alone two. And yet, the school still sends me things asking for money to help support their "scholarship programs" to increase diversity. GTFO with that. They have an insane endowment plus annual donors plus insane tuition payments... I think you can fund some scholarships on your own without crying poor through the mail to alumni... ok rant over lol.
Re: bachelorette parties, same as some, I had a "slightly destination" one (close to where I grew up but not where I was living) and my people came in from all over the country. It was also one night so we saved a good amount on all the meals, another hotel night, etc.
That said, I moved to Nashville for a while (someone else in here is from Nash, I think?) And it was insane. It's one of the top bachelorette destinations in the country right now and there's a whole insane industry built up around it, much to the chagrin of the locals. What bugged me the most is how much of it seemed (both around town and in my Facebook feed) to be about one-upsmanship rather than a celebration of the bride and your friendship. It's about we're having more fun, this is the BEST trip, we have the cutest pictures, etc......so obnoxious
Re: education......I work in the field so I have a lot of thoughts but I think the biggest is that there is no one solution. Even throwing money at it, though it would help, wouldn't do it. It's interconnected with so many other issues (housing, poverty, taxes, infrastructure, food access, health care.....the list goes on). This isn't to say we can't solve it - we can. We just need to take a very nuanced, preferably educator- and family-led approach. Whenever Congress says there isn't money for it, remember that when they boost spending for the military (there always seems to be money for that). Also we should look more to our statehouses and city halls for answers and funding because public education is a creature of state and local government, not federal. And @JessDG YES!!!! more teachers and more pathways to (and incentives to) become teachers!! It's the most important job in the world and all we've done is make it harder to become one, paid them non-competitively, and asked them to do more every day. It's insane.
@nursejenn5 I did feel more ambivalent about sex vs gender, but in the past year have become a good friend with a non-binary person from my running group. It’s a big deal to them, and no huge effort on my part to remember the right words to say (at least in comparison to what they’ve had to deal with), so I try hard to get it right. And I’ve become more inclined to correct people when they get it wrong, though there are a lot of times that I just don’t feel like disrupting the conversation to correct them and just let it be. So I get what you’re saying.
stlbuckeye132
member
Re: UO Thursday - 2/6
(By all means if that's what everyone wants to do and the budget is feasible for everyone, knock yourselves out. But I'm cheap.
And yes people go nutso over chiropractors! In my area (and I'm sure everywhere else) there are ones that specialize in babies and kids and people swear by them for fixing EVERYTHING. I see shit people post in these local mom groups and I'm like "I'm highly skeptical that seeing a chiropractor cured your baby's food allergies, but whatever you want to believe I guess..." Same goes for essential oils in my view lol but I know that's another thing people get all militant about
@meanjellybean (double tag lol) I think chiros are a little like essential oil MLM sales people in the "fixes everything" sense. My NB photog for DD SWEARS the chiro cured her son's allergies. Ummmm... okay?
I think they probably do relieve some body pain, temporarily. And I think they get the Dr. claim b/c they learn about all the bones and how to crack them without killing you? Who knows.
licensed orthotist/podiatrist/Orthopod)
I always go with anecdotal does not equal evidence. Yes, some people find relief with a good practitioner who can crack their back, but there are some scary ones (like cracking babies necks....which makes me shudder)
Me: 33 DH: 31
Location: Castle Rock, CO
DD: 10.13.18
baby #2 due: 7.14.20
@mrsdrez I agree there can be a balance, but I still don't think they are "doctors." Honest question - what is a naturopathic doctor?
@stlbuckeye132 I love bachelorette parties in theory. The idea of getting away for a fun weekend with friends sounds great. But then I hate how these days everyone wants to make it baller (aka expensive lol). It's already so expensive to be in a wedding and then the bachelorette costs start rolling in. All the ones I've been invited to have needed flights to a destination, splitting decorations for the Air BnB or hotel suite, paying for the bride's food and activities while away for the weekend, alcohol while out partying plus alcohol for pregaming in the hotel, etc. It's gotten soooo big.
I'm in a wedding in Oct and the bachelorette party is in Sept. I'm so thankful the bride chose a location near where we live BUT I still can't agree to go for a Thurs - Mon bach party when I'll have a (hopefully) breastfeeding newborn at home plus a 21 month old. I can't do that to my husband or kids, nor do I want to be away from my 2-month old baby for 5 days even if I could. I know the bride will understand me just coming for a day but I'm definitely going to catch some flack from the other girls who don't have kids.
Me: 33 DH: 31
Location: Castle Rock, CO
DD: 10.13.18
baby #2 due: 7.14.20
Me: 33 DH: 31
Location: Castle Rock, CO
DD: 10.13.18
baby #2 due: 7.14.20
Re chiropractors - some are quacks and some are legit in my opinion, which can be the case in many fields of healing. I believe it can help depending on the circumstances and the practitioner. I also believe in accupuncture. Chiropractors do not actually crack a baby's back though, it is far gentler than that and when we took my son as a baby he slept through every session. And I believe a combo of chiropractic and cranialsacral therapy following tongue tie revision helped my son breastfeed, yes it's anecdotal and not scientific but was my experience. Also, last year I attempted to treat horrible chronic back pain with a physical therapist and after 6 sessions my insurance company decided to cut me off because they did not think it would help me. At that point I could continue living in pain, try something more invasive, or go to a chiropractor. My insurance company seems to have no problem covering chiro treatments but refuses to let me treat with a PT. So, chiro it is. Glad insurance companies get to make these medical decisions instead of, you know, actual doctors.
I hate the essential oil thing, and if I see one more person in a mommy group say to flush the tamiflu down the toilet and give elderberry syrup instead I might lose it. Maybe another UO but elderberry syrup is not a substitute for real medicine.
@zande2016 Agree with you on the school thing. I'm a public school teacher, so I'm never going to be down with school choice. When that happens, schools that are not doing great will absolutely never improve. One of our main problems is that no one wants to be in the teaching profession. Well guess what, if we don't have qualified trained people teaching in our schools they won't be as good. My county started the year off with a TON of unfilled positions. My county also doesn't seem to every want to fully fund our schools so we can attract good people to work there and have programs that would improve things. So many problems. Lots of solutions. No one seems to be interested in trying them...at least around here. I could go on forever. I will stop now. haha
I pass on all essential oils. Just give me the real meds or nothing at all.
I'd rather go to a destination/entire weekend bachelorette party than a party bus, which has been common around here. When we got married, my DH went on a weekend in the Dells for golfing and I was supposed to go to Minneapolis for a girls weekend, but I really didnt want to go through the effort of getting dressed up and going out, so I asked them to please not do that. We went out for Mexican food, had a ton of tequila and spent the night laughing in comfy clothes. It was the best.
@zande2016 agree that pushing school choice as the solution is bullshit. We hear that a lot in my state because the public school funding system is so royally fucked and no one has the balls to do anything about it. Actually, we are now being sued so there's a chance that the courts will dictate what needs to happen, which has been what it took in other states. Just a shame. We have the added layer of local school districts having to go to a referendum in order to increase spending at the local level, which basically leaves the decision up to a bunch of grumpy old people who vote no because they don't have kids attending school anymore and won't sacrifice a couple cents a year increase in order to better their community schools.
I actually grew up going to private school and I would have loved to send my kids there because it was a wonderful experience. It was a Quaker school and a lot of the values have stuck with me through my life. BUT the tuition has gone the way of most college tuition and has inflated to an astronomical level, we would never be able to afford it for one kid, let alone two. And yet, the school still sends me things asking for money to help support their "scholarship programs" to increase diversity. GTFO with that. They have an insane endowment plus annual donors plus insane tuition payments... I think you can fund some scholarships on your own without crying poor through the mail to alumni... ok rant over lol.
That said, I moved to Nashville for a while (someone else in here is from Nash, I think?) And it was insane. It's one of the top bachelorette destinations in the country right now and there's a whole insane industry built up around it, much to the chagrin of the locals. What bugged me the most is how much of it seemed (both around town and in my Facebook feed) to be about one-upsmanship rather than a celebration of the bride and your friendship. It's about we're having more fun, this is the BEST trip, we have the cutest pictures, etc......so obnoxious
Re: education......I work in the field so I have a lot of thoughts but I think the biggest is that there is no one solution. Even throwing money at it, though it would help, wouldn't do it. It's interconnected with so many other issues (housing, poverty, taxes, infrastructure, food access, health care.....the list goes on). This isn't to say we can't solve it - we can. We just need to take a very nuanced, preferably educator- and family-led approach. Whenever Congress says there isn't money for it, remember that when they boost spending for the military (there always seems to be money for that). Also we should look more to our statehouses and city halls for answers and funding because public education is a creature of state and local government, not federal. And @JessDG YES!!!! more teachers and more pathways to (and incentives to) become teachers!! It's the most important job in the world and all we've done is make it harder to become one, paid them non-competitively, and asked them to do more every day. It's insane.