Safe spaces cuz YOU'RE OFFENDING ME!

What a bunch of garbage! Safe spaces? A place where you will never get hurt? Doesn't exist. I was going to say once a person is in the grave, they can never get hurt, but it seems that some people believe in disparaging those who can't defend themselves.

Everyone is offended by everything now a days. You can't tell a woman she looks nice, that's harassment.  And don't you dare open a door for her, cuz that is implying she isn't capable of doing it herself.  Everyone gets a trophy for participating, because we are all winners. Don't wish someone "Merry Xmas", cuz they might not celebrate it. But don't try and wish them "Happy Holidays" either, because they may celebrate xmas and get upset that you didn't wish them THAT. Don't put up a nativity scene, because it's offense. Don't walk a dog. Don't buy pork products. Don't carry a gun. Don't believe in free speech. Don't think thoughts that the Leftist have deemed hate space, which includes liking our president, loving your country, or wanting to stay safe in your country. Don't be upset with people who break the law, cuz that is racist. Don't follow a religion because it's homophobic, and all the other isms. Unless, of course, your religion is Islam. Because then you can follow it to your hearts content. Rape women, beat your wife, mutilate your daughter, do disgusting unspeakable things to goats and other animals, but hey, it's ISLAM. It's OK to do that.

I say BULL! You can NOT protect yourself or your child from life. They will NOT always win. They may not get the job they apply for. They may not marry the person they hope to. They may be turned down for a raise. Worse things can happen.  I am not saying that I am in favor of bullying, but I do believe that need to know that the world doesn't revolve around them. Yossi a'h was teased in 2nd or 3rd grade by some classmates. He was such a sweet and gentle boy; he didn't know how to handle it. He had been taught "We don't hit". So when things got a little rough, he took it like a punching bag. Then we told him, "When someone starts up with you, you are allowed to finish it".  The next time it happened, Yossi punched the kid, and that was the end of that. Was this whole situation right? No. But kids will be kids. Kids will be cruel. They will form cliques and exclude others and make fun of kids who are different from them. As a parent, it is our job, our responsibility, to teach our kids, THIS IS WRONG. This is NOT acceptable.  This is where people are failing their children. By taking G-d out of their lives, they have no moral ethics, except what they deem is ethical.  The problem with this is that when you decide ethics from society, those ethics can change. It used to be that abortion was considered wrong. Now women brag about killing their babies. I grew up in a time when parents stayed married. I was the only kid with a single mom. Now, having two parents is weird.

This last generation is becoming a generation of fragile, delicate, snowflakes. (Yes, I called them that!)  You can't hurt their feelings in any way. It may damage their self esteem, which is the most important thing in the whole wide world. If you try to say something that is offensive to them, they run to their "safe spaces" where you can't say those hurtful things.

So let me ask you this -- Where was the safe space for my children in 1997 when we had to tell them their brother had leukemia? Where was that space in 2001 when I had the pleasure of telling them that their brother had died. Yes, actually DIED. I'll tell you where it is. It doesn't exist. Where is the safe place for the kids who have been molested? Where is the safe place for kids saw their parents murdered by rabid arabs right before their eyes? And where is the safe place for kids whose parents get divorced, get sick, lose their job, or whatever else life throws at them.

You wanna know where these safe spaces are? They are INSIDE of you. It's that place where you dig deep, pull up your big girl (or boy) pants, and pick yourself back up. It's the inner strength you get from going through a hard time. It's that sensitivity you develop towards other going through a similar painful experience. If you shelter your kids from life, you are actually doing them a disservice. You are turning them into a selfish person who doesn't empathize. You are actually turning this whole world into an UNSAFE space for the rest of us. You are making it so kids can't handle anything they don't agree with. They can't hear conservative speakers. They can't hear different ideas. They feel entitled. They feel that you have to treat them with kid gloves because they are so special.

Well, chickadee, let me tell you. Yes, you are special. But then again, every single person in this world is special. You are not more equal than any of us, despite what your mommy told you. Yes. I just said that. I know, so hurtful. Such hate-speech. So disgusting. Well guess what, I stand by what I said. 

thoughts on fire

As a Yid, we use fire a lot.  I mean, we use fire A LOT! We light candles every Friday night to usher in Shabbos. We use a multi-wick candle to usher it out.  We light Chanukah candles and before Pesach we burn our chometz (leaven).  Sometimes, when you are around something too much, it becomes common, and a person could forget to use proper fire safety.

Years ago, it was second days of Pesach.  I lit candles, and went into my room to go get dressed. Soon my mother in law is screaming "Fire!".  Back then I used to reuse my little foil candle holders, and I used regular shabbos candles.  One of the candles must not have been in well, because it tipped out and fell onto the table. Which, because it was pesach, was covered in several layers of table clothes and one plastic one on top. Within seconds, the entire length of the table went up in flames. The table was pushed against the china cabinet, which was closed off for pesach. With ... you guessed it ... I was lazy and just tossed a sheet over it. So within the span of a few minutes, the entire length of the table went up, as did my china cabinet. Thank G-d we had a fire extinguisher! And because of pesach cleaning, I knew exactly where it was because I had moved it to clean around it.

Years later we had another shabbos candle accident, where a candle tipped over and set the dresser on fire. That happened because some napkins had been left near there. (Not smart!)

Lesson finally learned ... there are no more shabbos candles in my house. I use tea lights, which fit right into the special tea light holder.  The candles are on a base and there is nothing flammable around it.

Last night in Brooklyn, there was a horrible tragedy.  Before the night was out, half a family was wiped out from a horrific fire.  A mom, and her three kids are no longer living, leaving behind a father with three kids.  It is a tragedy beyond words! Such devastation, such horror ... The Baal Shem Tov said that anything we see or hear is for a reason. Who knows why I had to hear about this. (Goodness knows I try so hard to avoid hearing of such things!)  Maybe it is a wake up call to me and all of us that it is time to review fire safety.

As you can see above, the chanukah menorahs are on foil, which rests on a metal tray. This year I was lazy and didn't put foil UNDER the tray, but before we light tomorrow I will.  I try super hard to remember not to leave the pot holder on top of the soup pot that is cooking over night. And now I am questioning if it is smart to leave a flame burning overnight.  I never use dish towels near the stove, and I try very hard to make sure nothing comes close to the open flame.

We also own two fire extinguishers. I was about to post about them, but it turns out there is a HUGE recall on them.
Kiddie Fire Extinguisher Recall info

and info on how to use one, and what to look for when buying it:
Consumer Reports Buying Guide

Yay, turns out mine is unaffected by the recall. Whew.

This one was the top rated one on Consumer Reports.

Next up ... make a real plan what to do chas v'shalom if there is a fire!