Happy 4th of July America!

Happy Independence Day!

It has been way too long since last I wrote, I apologize for this. Have been extremely busy with life in general!

Came on here with lots of great ideas to write about but then my younger cat jumped into my lap, began to lick my hand (awww) and all those ideas went out the window...ADHD for you. Yep I have ADHD which stands for attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, but I like to call it a "disease"; disorder sounds so wrong. I've learned to deal with it but forget about distracting me...whenever my husband or two cats do this, I totally forget the task that needs to be done. So in this case instead I'll write about an article I recently read in a magazine and my opinion of it...

The article was writing about Tom Cruise, his girlfriend Katie Holmes and their baby daughter Suri. In this article, the writer was wondering "where's Suri? and why has she not been seen in public when all new parents' can't wait to show off their newborn???" I sure do not want to be sued for writing my personal opinion of what I think could be the reason why, but their actions remind me of a couple I knew about 22 yrs ago... This couple never, ever showed their newborn baby girl to any of their friends; people who had shared in their joy & happiness on their wedding day two years prior to her giving birth. Nor did she show off their baby to any of the women who attended her baby shower! Leading me to conclude something was very wrong with their child, and they were ashamed of whatever their baby's problem was. I say this because they would also hide behind their screened door when friends came to visit, never letting friends inside and so on.

Never did find out why they behaved this way...unhappy and secretive about anyone seeing their newborn daughter; no joy or happiness nor showing her off to the world as all new parents do!

It saddens me that this couple and I lost touch with one another once I moved out of upstate New York (Westchester county, to be precise) after my divorce, and they never knew how my heart went out to them. Instead of reaching out to their friends, they isolated themselves and held in their heartache at the sadness surrounding their daughter's birth. I'm sure that their families knew why but they never said a thing to 'friends'...

Why is it that some people become so secretive if something goes wrong and their baby is born with a problem?! This is extremely tragic. It should be brought out in the open, talked about to lessen the parent's sorrow and the stigma attached to being hid away as if she were a pariah, which will follow the child around for the rest of their life! Bringing awareness of whatever the child's problem is would have been a better alternative for that couple.

Too bad they didn't follow another couple I knew and their example. This other couple handled their baby girl's disability so much better... the couple's daughter was born with a type of Palsy yet they showed their newborn off to the world, their friends and family. And treated their little girl like you would a normal child, except the mother would acknowledge that her daughter was a "special needs" child and therefore needed more attention than her older son. I thought it was wonderful that this little girl wasn't hid away from the world due to her medical diagnosis of Palsy, and wish the other couple I once knew had done the same.

I often wonder what happened with that one couple and their child... questions that will never be answered since we all lost touch. Whether a child is born with Autism, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy, Mental Retardation, or any number of diseases & birth defects the child should never, ever be hid away from the world! I sure hope I am wrong about why I think Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have not been showing Suri off to the entire world -- for their sakes! -- but if it is the reason, they should not be ashamed of the problem because their celebrity status could even bring further awareness to whatever the problem may be.

Now I've got to get to my in-laws' house for their 4th of July barbecue! Will write more at a later date...

Have a wonderful 4th of July! Stay tuned for more of my writing...