Siblings.

This one goes out to all the oldest siblings in the family.

I have one little sister and she is currently a freshman. Now, being the good person that i am, i often volunteer to take her places or be her ride, or pick her up from a friends house, or even be her friends ride home. When i have nothing going on, i dont mind whatsoever. I mean what is fifteen minutes of my life? All i would be doing is watching netflix anyway. But when i do have plans, say going to a friends house, i dont think that i should be expected to drop them or change them in order to get her from point a to point b at the drop of a hat. The amount of waiting i did as a freshman outside of school for a ride added up to a solid chunk of my freshman year. So here are a few of my arguments on this subject.

1. When the younger sibling is ungreatful or unappreciative of the car service being provided by the older, the older should have the right to refuse service. Why? Because the older does not deserve to be treated in such a way for doing a kind service for the younger.

2. When the parents become demanding, and expect the older to provide the car service rather than asking first, the older should have every right to vocalize their opinion. Why? Because chances are that the older siblings plans are plans made according to the work schedules of multiple people. Older siblings almost all have jobs, as do their friends. If the older sibling wants to go hang out with friends for a couple hours between school and work, they should be able to. Being a freshman and even sophomore means that you have all the time in the world to do sports and school work because you arent yet able to have a job. The older you get, the less time you have in more ways than one.

3. The older sibling should not be responsible for knowing the youngers schedule. Why? Because the older has their own stuff to worry about! It is not their job! If the younger needs a ride somewhere, it is their responsibility to notify the older sibling at least one full day before the ride is needed.

Bottom line for parents of older siblings: stop with the unrealistic expectations! Your oldest child is not your youngest's cab driver! Understand that the oldest has a social life too!

Bottom line for younger siblings: a little respect would be nice! Remember, the oldest was a freshman at one point too. And just because you need something, that doesnt mean that your older sibling should have to drop everything for you.

Bottom line for the oldest sibling: let your parents know that you're sick if playing cab driver. But most importantly, good luck and hang in there!

Use Your Words People!

    So for the sake of this post, I'm gonna call the people in it by different names so i don't get annihilated for putting this on the Internet. My friends who i shall refer to as Carla and Kimberly are fighting.
     Well, i think they're fighting. Its hard to tell because Carla wont talk to Kimberly. I mean, i know why but as most of you know, its never a good idea to get between two friends with information that you cant share. Anyway what I'm getting at is that there is a really simple solution to this problem. If Carla would just reply to the multiple texts that Kimberly has sent her, they would have this talked out by now. Carla is sick of getting text messages from Kimberly, but won't ever reply. They are both sick of the drama, and lord knows i am too.
     So now to the empowering and enlightening part of this post that i try to add so that i don't just bore you with my life story.
     Something that RYLA taught me was that words are the most powerful tool that anyone can possibly posses. And i don't mean via text. I mean the spoken word. I mean having a genuine conversation with someone face to face or even over the phone.
     Different words have different connotations depending on what mood a person is in when they hear or read them. in order to properly convey the message you want your words to have, you have to physically use your vocal chords and say each word with the proper tone. For example a text saying "omigod i hate you" could be intended to be joking and sarcastic, but when arguing with a person they're gonna think you actually hate them and don't ever want to talk to them.
     So please use your words. Use them wisely, and in person. Whatever God you believe in gave you vocal chords for a reason. It was so we didn't need a screen and keyboard in front of us to communicate, but more importantly it was so we could USE THEM to talk out our differences.
     Now I'm not saying that we should all sit down and talk about our feelings and the world would be rainbows and butterflies. I'm not that naive. While it would be nice, its unrealistic. People have their differences. And that's totally ok! But whether you like the person you aren't talking to, or you have no desire to be their friend anymore, talking it out for a bit at least allows both sides to know where they stand with each other.
   
Summary: Communication makes the world a better place.

Goodnight, and be kind to one another.

My Opinion on Opinions

     So I recently got into an argument with dad about politics, sexual orientation, and all sorts of other controversial issues that our world today faces. My dad seems to think that he is very informed and knowledgeable about, well, everything. So our heated argument helped me come to this conclusion: there is a difference between having an opinion and being a prick.
     Having an opinion means that you have done at least a little looking into the facts of the issue. Now I'm not saying that if you think a yo yo is cool, you meed to look up the consumer reports and see if you're opinion is indeed shared by the masses. What i am saying is that if you think abortion is wrong in every circumstance, or you think that people who like the same sex choose to live that way because they want attention, or you treat someone differently based on the color of their skin, your opinion is most likely deluded. I invite you to open up your mind, read a few UNBIASED news articles, look at some cold hard facts, or talk to experts in the field of study. And then if your opinion is still what it was, you now have facts to back up your opinion and you are no longer a prick. 
     Another thing that separates those that are opinionated from pricks is that opinionated people are 98% of the time willing to listen to other peoples opinions without shoving their own down any throats, or immediately denouncing the opinions of others as stupid, ridiculous, or wrong just because its a different way of seeing the issue. 
    So its time for a life lesson to come out of this. Here are my words of wisdom for the night: listen to each other, because you never know what someone has to offer until you truly and wholeheartedly listen to what they have to say. Maybe, just maybe, that person is the missing piece to your puzzle.

Goodnight, and as one of my idols, Ellen DeGeneres always says, 

be kind to one another!

First Post! - What i learned from RYLA

First I'd like to tell you all about this camp that i went to this month. It was the most eye opening experience of my life. Everything the counselors talked about or gave advice about really made me a better person. I came back happier, and so much more prepared to take on the world. Or at least i feel like i am. This camp was called RYLA and im gonna do my best to do it justice.

The most important thing i learned is that everyone has a story. Ya know those bad days where you think no one could possinly underatand what your going through and that you have such an awful life and you end up having a pity party for one? Everyone has those days. Everyone goes through some kind of hardship that makes them feel like their world is crumbling in on them. So i learned to stop feeling so bad for myself, and i learned to start doing something about it. If there is something going wrong, do what you can do make the hard times just a little easier. And encourage others to do the same. Being proactivw will not only improve the ending of this chapter in your life, but it will distract you and give you something else to focus your brain on.

Also, i expanded my vocabulary. i learned the word "moxy". Or, "to have an attitude of fearlessness in everyday circumstances". It means that instead of thinking that your world is over and there is nothing you can do anymore, reach into yourself and be the fearless human being that you've always wanted to be. As sarah bareilles says in her song "brave", "Say what you wanna say And let the words fall out" because being honest, brave, and confident is the best thing you can be. Find your inner moxy.

Lastly, i thought that i had accepted who i was, what i looked like, and how i was living my life before i went to ryla. Turns out i was wrong. I had a very false sense of security with myself. I wasnt truly happy, nor did i wholy and honestly love myself. But then i went to ryla. I made friends with people in less than a week. No one cared what i looked like, and no one judged eachother. Everything i had to say was respectex, and taken into consideration. Sure it was a leadership camp, but what it taught me was that i am truly valuable and so is everyone else in the world. You dont have to be best friends with everyone, but you do have to respect everyone else and take their opinions into consideration. If you look in the mirror and say "i dont care what anyone thinks of me", you're lying to yourself. Because everyone cares what other people have to say. What you can look in the mirror and say is "i love myself, and thats all that matters."

So with that thought, i'll sign out for the night. Just remember, if you learn to love yourself, others will soon learn to love you just as much. Also, you are beautiful, amazing, and most importantly you are you. No one, not even your worst enemy, can take that away from you.

Goodnight!

Intro to my blog!

So i guess introduction is in order here. Hi, my name is christine and I have this problem. I want to help EVERYONE. So this blog is a place for me to post advice, share my opinions, and tell my stories that will hopefully help anyone reading them. Enjoy!