Testing testing 1, 2

Lately I've been really frustrated listening to women who seem to think that their husband shouldn't be allowed an opinion about child rearing, or worse yet that he's entirely unnecessary. I find it really frustrating that men are being denied their rights as fathers as joint decision makers when it comes to the children and family life.

My husband is the head of my family. Does that mean he gets to tell me what to do and how to do it, not really. But I am obligated to discuss all major decisions with him before making them. It's important that we're on the same page about discipline; sleep issues, vaccinations, education, and monetary issues. Does he get to decide when we go to playgroup and what we have for dinner? No.

A husband has stewardship over his family in religious and secular issues. A wife's responsibility is to love and care for the children, establish routine, and create traditions in the home, as well as make sure that the husband is doing and taking his job (both in and out of the home) seriously. As women we're responsible for kicking our husband's butt out the door every morning, dragging him to church, and making sure that he spends appropriate time with the children.

Your husband matters. His opinion counts. This is not to say that yours doesn't and if he's clearly wrong you're obligated to inundate him with appropriate information until he sees your point of view. He is however entitled to know what goes on at home and have an opinion about it. By providing financial support for the family he is providing a way for you to be able to spend time with your children and make sure that they're raised properly. If you didn't have him you would most likely have to work yourself, spend less time with the kids, and put them in daycare.

There is a thing called "Unrighteous Dominion" though. This is when a husband exercises too much control over the family. A wife should feel free to make all non-major or emergency decisions on her own without fear of any sort of bitterness or attitude from her husband. A husband should never raise a hand to his wife or children and should not dole out any sort of punishment to the wife. Men need to remember that they must trust the woman that they've married and understand that she would never intentionally endanger the family. Husbands and wives are partners.

Anyway, I'm frustrated and babbling. I just don't understand people who have this attitude that their husband and his opinion is superfluous to child rearing. I mean you did choose him, and decided to have children together. He can't be so totally inept that you can't reason with him. There was indeed something that you saw in him and wanted to be around. Not to mention the fact that he has just as much right to the children as you do.

I am writing to express my extreme frustration with your company. I have been either nursing or pregnant or both for the past four years and I have only had one descent experience with your company (which was at StoneCrest Mall in Lithonia GA). Other than that from Myrtle Beach to Columbia to Augusta, to the website I have had nothing but bad experiences.



Firstly, I have had very irritating experiences with your staff. At one store an associate had the audacity to rub my pregnant belly without even asking. More recently sales associates at a store refused to sell my husband a nursing bra because he hesitated when they asked him a question. He drove TWO HOURS and used $30 worth of gas to get to a store and was unable to purchase the only thing he knew that I needed for Christmas because some snotty sales girl wouldn't sell him a nursing bra! She had the gall to refer him to Belk or Sears citing their much more liberal return policies. I used to work for Belk, they don't carry nursing bras and Sears doesn't carry them in store.



For the most part your clothes are fine but I bought a pair of size XL capri pants last year that now that I look at them should have been labeled small. I kept wondering why the stupid things wouldn't fit. However, when I was shopping I didn't have the luxury of trying them on because I had my toddler with me and no one to watch him while I did so.



Your bras consistently fall apart after only 6 months of wear. I understand that most people don't nurse past 6 months but for those of us who nurse 1-2 years per child this is unacceptable. I know that I'm not the only one because I've heard plenty of other moms complain about this problem in various social situations and on message boards.



I received a visa gift card earlier this year and was unable to use it on your website. I attempted to resolve the situation and was ultimately unable to purchase the desired items, and instead purchased from Motherwear. Where, when there was a problem with the purchase (I'm assuming the same problem with the card numbers not matching the algorithm used to distinguish legitimate cards from fakes by websites) I was contacted by an actual human being both by phone and e-mail. Your company sent me a form e-mail, and I was never able to obtain assistance with my purchase. Guess who actually wants my business?



Just because you almost have a monopoly on maternity and nursing items doesn't mean that you can treat customers like crap. I am seriously about to totally give up on your company. I've given you numerous chances over a four-year period. So, unless something changes I will be shopping at other stores and recommending that my friends do so as well.



-Emily K. Lewis

This will be our first Christmas at home. I counted us very lucky that Harveys (a local grocer) had turkey breasts on sale recently and my mother in law bought us one. I have a canister of potato pearls (think instant potatoes that actually taste good), some sweet potatoes for pie, a box of stuffing mix, fresh cranberries for sauce, and the ingredients for the famous green bean caserole. We're even planning on making cookies from scratch for Santa.

To be honest the turkey didn't scare me, it just looked a little labor intensive. I mean how different can it be from it's other poultry cousins. However, today a fully cooked turkey arrived from Harry and David's. My dad and stepmom sent it. So, that's less work for me. Which is nice because I wasn't sure how long I needed to thaw the big turkey breast from my freezer.

This now leaves me with only one traditional Christmas item that I've never cooked for myself on the menu... the green bean caserole. My kids don't like canned beans so I'm going to attempt with frozen; we'll see what happens.

I'm starting to get excited. A holiday without angst (hopefully).

We were in the process of putting our Christmas tree up and I was pondering on how this was going to be a really small Christmas this year and how my toddler wants absolutely everything, when I got a wake up call. The people who were putting in our windows were telling me how the season is going for them. Their family is having a rough year. Some family members have passed away and in addition their nephew's house burnt down with all of their things. They have nothing left and three kids to clothe, and try to find some way to have Christmas. At this point my husband and I were considering putting up two trees. We have a nice pretty one that we got for $30 at 90% off (do the math on that one), and the one that I've had since I moved out of my parent's house. The big tree was already up, and I was busily putting lights on it as I thought about those poor kids. I'm making most of our presents this year so I didn't have anything that we could just pass on to them. But we had a spare tree, and we could give up some ornaments.

So, I talked to my husband about it and just before they left he went outside to give them the tree. Now, since we opened the Christmas boxes Rhys had been carrying around his special Clifford Christmas Book. He loves it, we read it ad nauseum all season, that's why it gets packed up with the decorations every year. Well, Rhys watched Daddy walk out the door with a tree and the box of ornaments we were going to give them, and he started to cry. I pulled him into my lap and explained that we still had the big tree and told him what happened to the other little kids' house.

He looked at me and said, "That kid will want my book too."

"No sweetie, we aren't giving her your book." I stroked his hair because he still sounded upset.

"No, that kid will want a book. I want to give him my book!" He insisted.

"Are you sure Rhys? You really love that book."

"Kid needs a book." He insisted again and we ran outide before the people could leave.

He told the lady that he wanted the kids to have his Christmas book so that they could have a good Christmas and I barely kept myself from crying. My beautiful boy has a really beautiful heart.