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Policing has been negatively portrayed in the media, particularly over the past 10 months. Like every subject, the ability of the media to pick and choose what incidents to report on really drives public opinion, and public perception. But contrary to the popular quotation, perception is not always reality. Example: In Wheeling, over the past two weeks, the police saved at least two lives in difficult situations. One officer pulled a boy out of 12-feet of water. Another talked a man down from the Suspension Bridge when he might have jumped. These events received only modest local coverage, and no attention from the round-the-clock cable TV channels. It’s unlikely those were the only such incidents in this one city. It’s certain that across the country there were hundreds of dangerous situations, with human life at stake, where police officers, sheriffs, and state troopers intervened to save lives. But those events do not fit into the popular narrative — the stories that someone, somewhere, decided we should be seeing and hearing. Our state and our country should come to grips with what we are asking of law enforcement. For over 30 years, we have asked them to police consensual crime — drug crime — as a top priority. As epidemics of cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, heroin, and today, prescription drugs, have swept across the country, our law enforcement system has repeatedly been asked to save us — from ourselves. As the substances grow more potent and addictive, and the criminal networks grow more sophisticated and ruthless, our police forces are stretched thinner and thinner. We ask more and more from law enforcement, and they respond to a steady drumbeat of domestic violence incidents, shootings, and suicides, often fueled by alcohol and/or drugs. But we give them less and less in the way of resources to do the incredibly difficult job we've assigned them. On top of it all, when the shifts finally end, our LEOs come home and find their profession being tarred and feathered on TV. Instead of hundreds and thousands of positive incidents every week that define their service to our communities, five or six events plucked out of a entire nation are chosen by producers and TV executives to define American policing. This isn’t fair. Of course there are incidents of police misconduct in a nation of our size. They should be investigated and addressed and their causes should be explored to make sure our forces are always improving their techniques and procedures. But the facts need to be fully developed in every case — no more trial by YouTube. Example: Much of the nation was outraged, and virtually everyone cringed, watching the video of Eric Casebolt responding to a Texas pool party with some very aggressive behavior under the circumstances. But the video was not the whole story, as we soon learned. Casebolt had responded to two suicide calls that same day — one of them extremely graphic. Hearing what he had been through at work that day put his language and behavior in a different perspective. Our police forces simply don’t have the manpower they need. In many cases, they are underpaid, given what we are asking them to do for us. Law enforcement doesn’t always get listened to in Charleston, or out in the county seats, even when they need better (or just replacement) equipment. West Virginia has some sparsely-populated rural counties that rely heavily on the State Police to cover all the territory. But with only one Trooper in a vehicle, help could be a long way off if even one thing goes wrong on a call. Our law enforcement agencies statewide deserve our respect and thanks for the job they do. But more than just words and gestures, we need to give them reinforcements. If we want to combat the prescription drug and heroin epidemics, we need a surge of LEOs in the most-affected areas. We need to back them up with specialists who can keep offenders from turning into recidivists. We need expanded and improved drug court structures that make our system work smarter. Respect the police, replenish their equipment, and reinforce their ranks — the lives they save may be your own.

I’ve been so blessed to work for Bordas & Bordas. When I moved to Wheeling years ago, I came to the friendly city with my husband whose job brought us, along with our two boys, (ages 10 and 6, now 29 and 25)  and my grandmother, who suffered from dementia (RIP).  I didn’t work for the first year. I stayed home so I could get everyone situated into our new lives.  When I wanted to re-enter the workforce, I just wanted to work part time to get out and be around people again, so I went back to doing what I thought I knew best, waitressing. I didn’t want to go back to working a full-time job at a bank or a car dealership like I’d worked previously. I just wanted part time. I wasn’t at my waitressing job very long when I waited on Linda Bordas. We talked a lot and one day when she came in, she asked me if I would like to work for her office.  Being from out of state, I had no clue about Bordas & Bordas, so I went home and told my husband about what had be offered to me, and then I asked him, “Do you know anything about Bordas & Bordas?”  He said, “Why yes. They are one of the best law firms in West Virginia.” Now we have two offices in West Virginia, one in Ohio and one in Pennsylvania.   I also knew Scott Blass, one of the partners at the firm, from our boys playing WAHA hockey, so I thought to myself, “Why not give it a try?”  Over the years, Scott has been a great help to me with my boys; I can never thank him enough. (If I told you all he has done for my family I would need to write a book, not a blog.)  Thank you Scott for all you’ve done. You rock. It was just going to be a better job right?  Who knew it would turn into a job of a lifetime! Well, I’ve been with the firm for 16 years. I have traveled all around the tri-state area with our clients, picking up experts and just every day running for the firm. (I do much more, but you get the picture.)  Over the years, I’ve been blessed to have met judges, clerks, court reporters, animal people, doctors and other attorneys, who are now my friends.   Taking care of the office dogs is one of the best parts of my job,(RIP, Daisy, Ivy and Otis the Dog)  and never once has Bordas & Bordas tried to make me change who I am. The best thing is they’ve helped make me a better person in and out of the office. I’m a jokester. I truly believe that laughter is good for our souls, and man, over the years at the office have we laughed. I have been caught in the acts of singing, dancing and acting silly. I’ve gotten head shakes from one of the attorneys who just happens to walk in my area, just as I am trying to make someone laugh.  I know they are laughing at me on the inside as they walk away, but when it comes down to getting the job done for our clients, no office works harder for you. Whether it be getting ready for a trial or trying to get out a big balk mailing out, it’s a team effort and everyone pitches in to help. We are truly blessed at Bordas & Bordas. We not only call this a job, we also call it our Bordas family. I can never thank Linda (Jim, too) for offering me the job. It was one of the best opportunities I’ve ever had and having you as our friends is priceless. Thank you for bringing your sons, Jamie and Ben, into our lives. Because of them, I’ve met some awesome people over the years. Getting to know the other attorneys and the wonderful girls who work in the office with me has been a wonderful experience.  I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else even though things have changed over the years. Rock on People, Rock on.

I probably should be ashamed to admit this here in my blog, but…I am what I am. I have a plaque hanging, of all places, on my refrigerator that proudly professes: “If God would have wanted me to touch my toes he would have put them on my knees.” Yep.  That is pretty much how I feel about exercise!  I didn’t always feel that way.  I was not blessed with a high metabolism, so I have always had to watch my weight.  When I was younger, I have to admit, though my diet was very poor and I had to starve myself to lose weight, exercising came easy to me.  I was always joining this or that aerobic class, Jazzercise class or walking for miles and miles all over the place with my friends…anything that would keep me slender and fit.  I didn’t really care too much about being “healthy,” I just wanted to make sure I could keep the inches off my waist and thighs and look good in bathing suits and jeans. I also would like to share this observation with you: have you ever seen a man or woman over the age of 40 in any of the many diet and exercise commercials?  No.  Why?  Probably because there are very few men or women over 40 that would look good enough to sell their product! So fast forward 30 years and here I sit, now watching meticulously what I eat, worrying about my health and yet I am constantly battling the notorious bulge.  And, ironically, I struggle with even the idea of taking a 30 minute walk every day, let alone going to any kind of exercise class!  Why is it when we age and need that strong determination to stay fit our bodies seem to shift into low gear, causing a slow metabolism to be an almost non-existent metabolism, which then affects our brains into convincing us to just “take it easy.” Exercise is so wasted on youth.

Headed outside and got the sunscreen? Don’t forget the bug spray! Bugs can carry diseases that make you very sick. As a matter of fact, the older I get the more diseases I am finding out these bugs carry and it’s making me really nervous, so trying to stay a step ahead of them is essential, not just for you, but your pets, too. This isn’t about the pretty bugs.  You know the kind - the ladybugs, grasshoppers and butterflies.  This is about the serious bug predators; the ones that don’t play fair and even double team us when darkness falls knowing we are tired and our defenses are down. Some insects tend to pick on some more than others.  I always said, “When a mosquito chose me, it was because I was sweeter.”  Perhaps it’s not true, but what I do know is that these things can be quite dangerous. Mosquitoes can carry malaria and West Nile virus.  They can even cause heartworm in your cats and dogs. Ticks carry diseases like Lyme disease. Spiders can live much longer than you would expect and grow to be very large.  The venom can be deadly. Bees, wasps, hornets, honeybees, whatever they are…I do not like bees.  One stung me just a couple years ago and although never before in my life had I had a reaction, my entire hand swelled for days. Creepy spiders.  Daddy long-legs or tarantulas – stay away from me.  I was known to once use aerosol hairspray to freeze what I believed to be a tarantula type spider.  Smashing it was never an option.   There are so many different insects out there that bite or sting.  Although usually painful or itchy, it’s the diseases they carry and spread that are more of a concern for me and I am sure as years go by we will find out they carry even more. Should you experience a suspicious looking bite that doesn’t seem to heal, a rash or perhaps you develop a fever or achy body, don’t assume it’s a flu-bug.  It could be the beginning of something far more serious.  Be sure to get it checked out.  The earlier you seek medical attention, the better.

My father and my driver’s education instructor advised me when I was learning to drive that I needed to place my hands on the steering wheel at “10 and two” positions, like on a clock face. I have been driving with my hands at the 10 and two location for a long time now. NOW that hand position has changed.  There are articles that state that since the driver side airbags are located in the automobile steering wheel, it would behoove the driver to adjust their hand location to “nine and three” on that imaginary clock face to escape hand/finger/arm injuries. The 10 and two position was taught for so long because the higher grip enables a driver to keep the car running smoothly without needing to jerk the wheel suddenly if he or she is cut off or if there is a hazard in the road, according to SmartMotorist.com. But doing it the old way could risk serious injuries to a driver's hands or fingers if the airbag activates, as MSNBC recently reported: “That means the higher up the wheel your hands are, the more likely they are to be directly over the plastic cover when it opens — that is, when superhot nitrogen gas flashes and inflates the bag at 150 to 250 mph. Among the injuries the NHTSA reports from improper placement of the hands when an airbag deploys are amputations of fingers or entire hands, traumatic fractures and a particularly stomach-churning injury called "degloving," which — trust us — you definitely don't want to look up.” AAA also recommends the nine and three position, explaining in the guidelines for senior drivers that it enables "180-degree steering input without removing your hands from the steering wheel, a high level of arm leverage and vehicle control and an awareness of where the wheels are pointing and how to straighten them." Now, I must tell you that I have attempted, and am still attempting to give it that “old college try,” to drive with my hands positioned at nine and three. However, I keep returning to the OLD 10 and two position.  So don’t be discouraged, just keep trying to correct your hand position on your steering wheel to nine and three to keep your hands safe. GOOD LUCK AND DRIVE SAFE!

By now, some of you may be wondering, “Who is the new girl in the Moundsville office?” Let me introduce myself and give everyone a little background information. I’m Tricia Pennell (known previously as Tricia Wilson) and I am divorced. I will start by introducing and telling you a little about the two most precious and important people in my life – my sons:  Ryan and Gage. My oldest son, Ryan Wilson, is 23 years old and a Senior Airman for the United States Air Force.  I am one very PROUD mom! I could not be prouder of him for stepping up and joining our military to protect the lives of our fellow Americans.  He is stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.  Ryan is a certified EMT and works in the hospital’s physicians’ clinic treating patients daily.  He is in his third year of a six-year contract and is engaged to a wonderful young lady, Emily, whom he met during one of his phases of training.  She works in the critical care unit of the hospital on base.  Ryan is my “rock.”  He keeps me intact, reminds me of the goodness in others and never fails to be there for me.  He is my “duderbug.”  It’s funny how as parents some of us give our children nicknames.  And, I’m really not sure how or why I picked the nicknames I did for either of my sons, but when Ryan was graduating from the Air Force basic training, his dad, brother and I flew to San Antonio, Texas to attend the ceremony.  Before we got there, I was able to talk with him on the phone.  He explained the process of what would occur during the ceremony and that the first time we would see him would be during the “Airmen’s Run.”  This is where all those graduating line up in their “flights” and jog along the highway singing their “Jody calls.”   There were approximately 750 airmen graduating, so, you can just imagine how many of those airmen were named “Ryan” or “Wilson!”  If I yelled that, several boys would be looking to see if their mama was in the crowds!  So, I asked if I could yell “Duderbug” when I saw him and he said “YOU BETTER!!!”  See, as they grow older, they don’t mind those goofy nicknames as much. My youngest son, Gage Wilson, will be 16 next week.  He attends Bishop Donahue High School and will be a junior in the fall. Gage’s sport at heart has always been hockey, which he started when he was four.  He’s been a member of the Southpointe Rink Rats (Canonsburg, Penn.) travel team since he was eight or nine, and plays for John Marshall’s high school team, so, I do a lot of traveling!  He also plays baseball for Bishop.  He is my little “boo boo” and constantly makes me laugh.  He’s very athletic, has a wonderful singing voice, has crazy dance moves and can do just about anything he sets his mind to. I was born and raised in New Martinsville and graduated from Magnolia High School (the year is not important! LOL!)  My parents ran a small farm with milk cattle, chickens, goats and a horse here and there.  I have three older brothers, so you could say I lived in a “testosterone nightmare” growing up.  Unfortunately, that nightmare continued when I had two sons!  (Just kidding – but partially true.) I guess that’s why I know so much about tools and sports. I really didn’t have a choice.  Hahaha. I love the outdoors, riding four wheelers, camping and picking berries.  I own a 12-year-old registered Quarter Horse mare.  Her registered name is Keo San Sky, but we call her “Sky” for short.  She is an absolute blast!  I took her on a road trip two years ago to Myrtle Beach for the American Heart Association Beach Ride.  It was a lot of hard work, but well worth it.  A friend and I hauled our horses in a stock trailer (and for those of you who aren’t aware of what that is:  it’s basically a steel box trailer with window openings on the sides and NO amenities.  It’s just to transport horses.)  So, everything was packed into the trailer, the back seat of a truck and truck bed and off we went.  And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING from saddles, to enough hay and water for the week, clothing, fans, heaters, feed, buckets, cots, rope, electric fence, and the list goes on and on.  Twelve hours later, we were putting up an electric fence, cloroxing the stock trailer and making it our home sweet home for the next five days.  Yep – we slept in the stock trailer on cots and strung Dollar Store plastic shower curtains over the windows.  It was actually a pretty good set up and very comfortable.  This was a trip of a lifetime for me and I’d love to be able to do it again.  Not only did it benefit a great cause, but the sheer fun of galloping my own horse on an open beach for five days was the most exhilarating feeling! I am pretty much a jack of all trades. There’s not much I can’t do or won’t attempt.  I knit in the winter months, weave baskets, sew and do pretty much any craft imaginable if it’s put in front of me.  Although I love having my nails done, doing my hair and make-up and dressing nice (all those girlie things), I am not opposed to dirt or hard work.  You might find me working on a faucet or repairing a weed wacker.  It’s a challenge to me when something is broken or not working right to figure out why.  I was always taught not to be afraid to tackle anything.  If you can’t fix it or figure it out, ask a friend.  If they can’t, then as a last resort, call a professional.   So, I’m a girl who can go from high heels to cowboy boots in a heartbeat! A lot of people tease me that I’m a little OCD when it comes to organization.  Some have called me the “organizational queen.”  This is pretty much truth.  I like having things in order, planning ahead and keeping chaos at a minimum no matter the situation.  My oldest son just said to me recently that I ruined his Saturdays for the rest of his life!  I didn’t quite understand and was a little hurt, until he explained that because of my “organizational” ethics while he was growing up, he now wakes up on Saturdays and begins cleaning and organizing his apartment because that’s what he learned from me.  I thought that was pretty hilarious since I basically had to threaten him with an inch of his life to clean his room every weekend!  And my youngest son is absolutely amazed when he asks me, “Do you know where my baseball glove is mom?” or “Do you remember that wallet I used to carry a few years ago? Do you know where it is?”, and I reply, “Your glove is….” Or “That wallet is….”  He says he doesn’t understand how I can remember such trivial things.  I really don’t understand it either considering I can’t remember sometimes when I walk in to a room what exactly I went in there for in the first place! I was born in October, so I’m a Libra.  I love to laugh and joke around and make those around me feel comfortable.  I have a pretty huge heart and will help anyone in need. There I am---in a pretty small nutshell!

At Bordas & Bordas, we take giving back to the communities in which we both work and live very seriously. We are happy to call this region our home and continually strive for its improvement. Listed below are just a few of the many recent philanthropic sponsorships we are honored to be a part of. Easter Seals has been helping individuals with special needs and disabilities and their families for nearly 100 years. The organization offers a variety of services that aid people young and old as they navigate life’s challenges. The annual Easter Seals Telethon recently took place on April 19 and raised a tremendous amount of money for the organization and its extremely honorable mission. Bordas & Bordas contributed to the cause with both a donation and participation during the event. Bordas & Bordas is a proud sponsor of the Don L. Seamon Memorial Golf Tournament, an annual event founded in its late namesake’s memory.  This year’s installment was held on April 24 at the Moundsville Country Club and saw participants enjoying a day on the links on behalf of a very good and noble cause. Funds raised benefit local students pursuing a career in nursing. A local event that people look forward to each and every year is West Liberty University’s Great Gala. A whole host of guests flooded into Oglebay’s Glessner Auditorium on April 25 to celebrate the university, “Night At The Oscars” style. Proceeds from the event will support West Liberty’s David T. Javersak Liberal Arts Scholarship. We were honored to be a sponsor of this event. Bordas & Bordas has again teamed up with Ogden Newspapers as a major sponsor of the 39th Annual Half Marathon Classic held on May 22-23 in Downtown Wheeling. As a community partner, we feel it is important for the firm to support one of the premier annual events in the Ohio Valley. The proceeds from this year's Half Marathon benefit Ohio Valley Breast Cancer Awareness, Inc., an organization founded by Partner Scott Blass and his wife, Kathy, to better the lives of local breast cancer patients and survivors. “Three teams, eight coaches, 37 players, one family.” This is how the Wheeling American Legion Post 1 Baseball Program describes itself and its longstanding history here in the Ohio Valley. The organization recently held its second annual comedy show, aptly named “A Night of Laughs,” at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack on May 28. Fundraisers such as this aid Post 1 in its efforts toward being the premier program of its kind in West Virginia. With its many deep-seated ties to the organization, Bordas & Bordas was a proud sponsor of the show. Bordas & Bordas is honored to be involved with such exceptional groups and events. We will continue to reach out to community partners who are passionate about making a difference. As always, we encourage everyone to support these very worthy causes.

It’s an exciting time of the year where people seem much more carefree and there’s a lot of talk about where people are going on vacation. For many, a beach getaway or a jaunt off to the Caribbean isn’t in the budget this year, next year, maybe for many years or ever. To be blessed to be able to do these things is absolutely wonderful, but for those who can’t, it’s not about where you go, it’s about taking the time. Summertime brings much more opportunity for family and friends to go out and about and get together.  There are so many simple things that end up as cherished memories and sometimes it’s the silliest experiences of all. Bonfires and S’mores in the late night summer air.  Running through a sprinkler.  Water gun battles.  Sleeping out on the porch or pitching a tent.  A lot of cornhole and cooking out.  One of my favorite things to do is to sit on a glider having long talks or maybe listening to a summer thunderstorm. I’ve done all these things and to this day, the now grown adults I know still talk about the memories from our childhood when we see each other. So do not be discouraged if it doesn’t fit the budget.  So many spend the money when they shouldn’t just to find themselves miserable and worried about how they are going to pay for it after the fact.  When the time is right, it will be your turn. In the meantime, take in every long walk, play games, have cookouts, go on bike rides and just spend the time together.  That’s where memories are made.  Whether it’s in your own backyard or on the sands of a beach, it’s the people you share it with and how you share it that’s going to matter. Have a fun summer!

Barley and Guinness are very excited to hear that the Wheeling Dog Park, located down by Tunnel Green, will be opening in the near future. The boys have been waiting a long time to get together with their furry friends in Wheeling. The excitement is building and we, as dog parents, are also very excited for the Wheeling Dog Park to open.  Barley and Guinness want to thank all of you who have worked so hard to bring this to the Friendly City. So, if you are out and about this summer, keep your eyes open for all the dog activity in the Wheeling area. We can’t wait to see all of our furry friends when the dog park opens. Also, please remember to make sure your animals have shelter from the heat this summer and have plenty of cold drinking water at their disposal if they are outside for any length of time. I can’t stress enough to never leave your dog in the car during the summer months. It can kill them within a matter of minutes. Bark on, Bordas Dog Nation, Bark on.

We all look forward to our summer vacations every year, whether it is taking a trip to visit out-of-town relatives, going to the beach or just hanging out and relaxing at home. If you are taking a long trip, you may dread the ride there and the ride back, especially if you have kids in the car with you. A few summers ago, my family and I took a trip to Myrtle Beach and spent 11 hours in the car.  It wasn’t so bad going down mostly because my son and I slept most of the way.  When we finally pulled up to the resort we were staying at and saw the waves of the ocean, I knew that the hours my husband had just driven were the furthest thing from his mind. Time sure does fly when you are away from home, your job and your responsibilities. Before we knew it seven days had flown right by and it was time to get back in that car for 11 hours.  This time we were driving in the daytime, so my son and I would most likely be awake for the majority of the ride home.  Needless to say, the car ride was not idyllic.  We were cramped and starting to get on each other’s nerves after only two hours.  But once I started to see the hills of West Virginia I knew I was getting close to my home.  It was wonderful to get away from reality for a week and sit on the beach, but there really is no place like home.

In 2000, we took our first cruise vacation…. a little four-day trip to the Bahamas aboard Royal Caribbean’s Sovereign of the Seas—we were hooked. Since then, we have completed six other cruises, and have just booked cruise number eight for October 2016.  We have cruised on Royal Caribbean and Carnival, and our preferred cruise line is Royal Caribbean.  My husband and I have cruised alone, and have gone in a group as large as 59 people.  We have sailed in February, June, September, October and November, with most of our cruises being in the month of October.  We have had smooth sailing on all of our cruises except the return trip home from a cruise to Bermuda, when we hit some pretty rough seas.  Despite that rough sailing, we booked another one, and have pretty much covered most of the Caribbean Islands.  Cruises are a wonderful, inexpensive way to see other parts of the world.   Because we have done several cruises, I have learned a few things along the way to both save money and make things easier.  These are things I have learned based on my experience cruising with Royal Caribbean: 1.    Book your cruise directly from the cruise line and not a travel agent.  You will save hundreds of dollars, and booking directly from the cruise line will also entitle you to and/or increase any onboard credit you may receive due to any special promotions. 2.    Sign up to receive notices of any promotions your cruise line is offering.  Any time there is a sale, give them a call and ask them if you can get a better rate according to what is being offered as a promotion.  They will honor the sale price and adjust your rate accordingly. 3.    If you are going in a group and book at least eight staterooms, you will be entitled to a group discount which is the equivalent of one free fare per group.  We received this for the most recent cruise we booked and split the refund for the free room among all cruisers for a nice little onboard credit.  Traveling in a group also entitled us to an additional onboard credit of $50.00 per stateroom. 4.    If your cruise line has a rewards program, join it.  Royal Caribbean offers their Crown & Anchor program with different levels of membership.  Being a member of Crown & Anchor will get you discounts on several things aboard ship in addition to offering such things as early boarding, and a discount on your state room. 5.    If you love those fruity, frosty drinks, consider buying a beverage package.  We were able to take advantage of a buy one get one special on the beverage package for the cruise we recently booked which is going to be a huge money saver.  In addition, most cruise lines will allow you to bring two bottles of wine onboard with you. 6.    Take plenty of sunscreen with you.  I know it seems like a no-brainer but a can of sunscreen with cost you $15.00 in the ship’s general store. 7.    Pack light.  You will spend most of your time in casual clothes and swimwear.  You won’t need a ton of shoes either. 8.    Don’t feel as if you have to book shore excursions from the cruise line.  Be a little adventurous and go out on your own when in port, and get a taxi or bus from the locals.  You will save a lot of money by letting the locals get you to where you want to go, and will be boosting their economy at the same time.  I have felt safe in every single port we have ever been to with the exception of Jamaica. 9.    Take advantage of duty free shopping both onboard and in port, and if you want great deals on jewelry visit St. Thomas. These are just a few things I can think of to make a cruise vacation more enjoyable and economical.

Being a parent can be one of the most rewarding jobs of a lifetime. We get the joys of teaching them right from wrong, instill respect for themselves and others, good morals and manners and self worth.  This of course is all in addition to the “normal” responsibilities of a parent such as keeping them safe, providing for them, loving and nurturing them.  Getting to see all of life’s milestones for your children such as their first step, their first word, their first day of school, and graduation to name a few, is almost bittersweet.  It’s such a joy to see what smart, loving and independent little individuals they are becoming but at the same time so hard to see them grow so fast. When our children are little it’s so easy for us to get wrapped up in the day to day and we take for granted they are still little and we have years of time to teach them, play with them, and watch them grow.  However, I know I have been told a time or two that I needed to enjoy all the time I have with my daughter because before I know it she will be all grown up and on her own.  Which is true, it seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital after she was born and now she is this beautiful smart little girl who plays with her baby dolls and takes care of them much like I did when she was an infant.  Sometimes I scratch my head and say where did the time go and when did she learn how to do that? However, being a parent also has its less rewarding times.  Some of life’s lessons come from some of the hardest situations.  We’ve all heard the saying, “sometimes you have to let them fall so they can learn to get back up.”  As a parent, we never want to see our children hurt, physically or emotionally.  We want to protect them from all evils in life and try to keep them as safe and innocent as long as possible.  But that simply just can’t be done.   As hard as it is we must let our children learn and grow by any means necessary so that when they reach adulthood they are fully capable of living on their own and supporting themselves.  However, this is not always evident, in any given situation this might be an opportunity where mom and dad have to step back their role in being the protectors and help them learn all the necessary lessons in the particular situation.  For example: bullying.  Your child comes home from school and informs you that another child is making fun of them.  As a parent it is your immediate instinct to march into the school and take it up with the principal or call the bullying child’s parent, which is all acceptable to do, but I firmly believe not before you try and teach your child to handle the situation and resolve it on their own.  After all, mom and dad are not going to be around forever and there are bullies in all walks of life; childhood and adulthood and if they do not learn how to handle these situations on their own then they could possibly spend a lifetime of allowing others to treat them poorly.  Teaching them how to handle such a situation isn’t just showing them how to handle the immediate issue, but in the long term it’s also teaching them how to stand up and protect themselves, problem solve, and instill a sense of independence and confidence.  Like I said, these opportunities are not always so clear, so as a parent you need to learn to step back in a situation and evaluate before reacting, after all isn’t that what we want to teach our kids as well? At the end of the day, looking back there is always something good that comes out of any situation/lesson even if at the time it isn’t evident.  The important thing is that we can look back and see the valuable lesson we gained from it and be able to use what we learned in our everyday lives.  I think we can all agree that we want what’s best for our children and while there are obviously different ways to raise and teach a child, generally speaking we want them to all be loving, caring, strong and independent people of the world.