Anyone who has, or should I say "used to," since my suspension, on Twitter, knows I often comment on how transparent Donald Trump is on the social media app. Many initially question this, but it's quite simple to explain and it's one of those rare things in life that is always true. When Donald Trump attacks someone's weaknesses, corruption, or actual crimes, it's usually a preemptive strike relating to a news story that is about to break regarding him or one of his staff. He has done this, almost, since day one. The interesting thing is not that he does it, but that he's not called out on it more. I often wonder why, but it's a telling omission by journalists, which leads me to believe that it's human nature to do this and, even journalists, worry about this happening to them. Social and other kinds of media aside, I've seen this most often working with kids and being around people who have pets.
Parents are probably the worst, because they create behaviors that aren't only unnecessary, but potentially dangerous. One of the most important lessons any parent or teacher can learn (and must adhere to) is that children can be told anything over and over, but if the actions don't mimic the voice, they will follow the actions. That being said, they also evolve by seeing what we do and create an internal list of likes, dislikes, and often quirks based on our behaviors. While I do not deny the existence of nut and gluten allergies, I do find it fascinating how often these allergies appear in kids whose parents simply don't want them eating too much fat, bread, or pasta. Not only do they create the allergy, but then they comment heavily on how the alternatives are not very tasty. In doing so, they have created the child's dislike for the idea of these items, which makes them dislike anything similar. While there are health benefits to avoiding starchy foods, what it also creates is an aversion to healthy eating, because anything the child dislikes, immediately becomes "bad" for them. As someone who is vegan, it's always quite comical to find out how many kids are vegetarian. At first, I think it's all about healthy choices, but then I realize it's simply laziness on the parents part. Inspecting their lunches, it's filled with fruit bars, individually packaged cheese, yogurt, milk, and possibly some vegetable, such as baby carrots or fruit like grapes. Sounds healthy, if you listen to mass marketing done by the dairy industry, but the reality is, a package of Oreos is probably a healthier choice.
Then there are the pet owners. Seeing how clean, well-fed, and well-groomed an animal is, can tell you more about the humans than the animals. People who neglect the hygiene of their pets generally aren't the cleanest people themselves. Those who feed their pets slightly higher grade food also tend to treat their own nutritional needs a little better. When it comes to appearance, well that's a matter of choice, but I do notice that extroverted people tend to have enthusiastic, charming pets, and those who are introverted tend to have pets who follow suit. I think the biggest impact we humans have on animals is their health. We rarely speak about the mental health of animals, but if you're usually upbeat and have a bad day, watch your pets. They will not only comfort you, but if the misery continues, they will adopt similar behaviors. We tend to forget, animals are not meant to be left indoors twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, each month, for every year. It's not natural and in believing it is, we create, much like parents create the children they want, the pets we want, never once thinking about what the pet would do with a little freedom.
This brings me to the single most transparent act that we project on the children and animals we love: Illness. Obviously, this is more noticeable with children than with pets, but parents, teachers, instructors, or childcare providers who are sick or miss time with children often will find that these children start to miss more time too. Pet "owners" who tend to spend lots of hours in doctors offices or home sick from work, also tend to spend lots of time at the vet or out buying this or that medication to alleviate their dog or cat's maladies. Children and animals are often looked at as stress relievers, but they are also sponges for what we put out. If we can remember that we're always being watched, we may help them tremendously, and in doing so, possibly help ourselves.
Parents are probably the worst, because they create behaviors that aren't only unnecessary, but potentially dangerous. One of the most important lessons any parent or teacher can learn (and must adhere to) is that children can be told anything over and over, but if the actions don't mimic the voice, they will follow the actions. That being said, they also evolve by seeing what we do and create an internal list of likes, dislikes, and often quirks based on our behaviors. While I do not deny the existence of nut and gluten allergies, I do find it fascinating how often these allergies appear in kids whose parents simply don't want them eating too much fat, bread, or pasta. Not only do they create the allergy, but then they comment heavily on how the alternatives are not very tasty. In doing so, they have created the child's dislike for the idea of these items, which makes them dislike anything similar. While there are health benefits to avoiding starchy foods, what it also creates is an aversion to healthy eating, because anything the child dislikes, immediately becomes "bad" for them. As someone who is vegan, it's always quite comical to find out how many kids are vegetarian. At first, I think it's all about healthy choices, but then I realize it's simply laziness on the parents part. Inspecting their lunches, it's filled with fruit bars, individually packaged cheese, yogurt, milk, and possibly some vegetable, such as baby carrots or fruit like grapes. Sounds healthy, if you listen to mass marketing done by the dairy industry, but the reality is, a package of Oreos is probably a healthier choice.
Then there are the pet owners. Seeing how clean, well-fed, and well-groomed an animal is, can tell you more about the humans than the animals. People who neglect the hygiene of their pets generally aren't the cleanest people themselves. Those who feed their pets slightly higher grade food also tend to treat their own nutritional needs a little better. When it comes to appearance, well that's a matter of choice, but I do notice that extroverted people tend to have enthusiastic, charming pets, and those who are introverted tend to have pets who follow suit. I think the biggest impact we humans have on animals is their health. We rarely speak about the mental health of animals, but if you're usually upbeat and have a bad day, watch your pets. They will not only comfort you, but if the misery continues, they will adopt similar behaviors. We tend to forget, animals are not meant to be left indoors twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, each month, for every year. It's not natural and in believing it is, we create, much like parents create the children they want, the pets we want, never once thinking about what the pet would do with a little freedom.
This brings me to the single most transparent act that we project on the children and animals we love: Illness. Obviously, this is more noticeable with children than with pets, but parents, teachers, instructors, or childcare providers who are sick or miss time with children often will find that these children start to miss more time too. Pet "owners" who tend to spend lots of hours in doctors offices or home sick from work, also tend to spend lots of time at the vet or out buying this or that medication to alleviate their dog or cat's maladies. Children and animals are often looked at as stress relievers, but they are also sponges for what we put out. If we can remember that we're always being watched, we may help them tremendously, and in doing so, possibly help ourselves.
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