Firstly football, apart from the Melbourne player kicking the ball in the head of the other Melbourne player (how bad are we going?), there was the racist name calling from the Collingwood supporter. Sadly this was a 13 year old who called Adam Goodes an Ape. To me this is a ridiculous and abhorrent thing to do on so many levels, Adam Goodes is such a role model for footballers, and he treats people with respect and deserves the same.
If that wasn’t bad enough, it was compounded by the media circus that followed, somehow making the young lady an instant celebrity. I hope that her 1 minute of fame is fleeting, both for the poor behaviour it may encourage from attention seekers and importantly so she can reflect and learn about what she did wrong. I think this cemented in my mind how important my behaviour is at the football. I have always said footballers must try and be fantastic role models for our kids but in fact what’s more important is being a great role model for your own kids.
Then later that weekend I was moved, no rocked when I saw the plight of the little baby affected by whooping cough and the struggle the poor little bub had to breathe.
The breathing machine and all the tubes took me back to those horrifying last days of my dad’s battle with lung cancer. My stomach churned and I felt sweaty and nauseous. My feelings were compounded by the fact that I have a 10 month old and a strange phenomenon effecting parents is this stress response caused when you see any kid sick or hurting. I wonder if it’s just me, I suspect not.
I shuddered when the doctor explained that sometimes babies cough so hard that they break ribs and in extreme cases bleed in their eyes. I grabbed the remote took a deep breath and turned off the TV.
The show was all about vaccination and it was clear from the first 5 minutes that it wasn’t going to hold back either way. To be honest I have never thought that much about vaccination, it’s something I have done and have had done to my children. I have always had the information about the pros and cons sitting somewhere in my brain but I have never seen what one of these diseases can do to a baby. It’s hard to argue against vaccination. I think that image of the baby will long remain at the front of my mind every time a vaccination is due.
We are really interested in your thoughts on both of these issues?
