Can Step families Work? My Little Brother Interview

I was in college when I found I out that I was going to be an older sister for the second time. I felt so many emotions. I had never even thought about the possibility of this happening, but my Father remarried and then came the wonderful news. My little brother P and I have always been very close. We are both emotional and creative and we seemed to bond right away.

My Father and I were lucky enough to get this second chance of having a larger family. My life became much fuller, brighter, warmer and funnier with P in it. So I wanted to share with you some of his thoughts on his life in today's world.

P is a thirteen year old funny, smart, emotional, sports fanatic guy who cannot wait to become a professional basketball player. And I just saw P's Facebook status update and it said 'My big sis is in town. ' Ah P thanx.

Interview

How old are you and where were you born? I am turning 14 and was raised in Woodland Hills, Ca for most of my life.

What grade are you in? I'm in eighth grade going into ninth.

How do you feel about going into high school? I am nervous, but very excited because it’s going to be a much better experience then any of the other school years. Grade wise and social wise. My school will be much bigger and I will have to adapt to the environment. I am also scared to go into high school because I am going from being the big eighth grader to a puny freshman.

How did I get the name Lala? When I was a little boy I couldn’t pronounce Laura. I tried, but the word that came out for Laura was Lala. It has stuck around for my whole life. And many people use my nickname for you, but it’s mine!

Do you know what a recession is? No. Never heard the word before. Can you tell me?

What does the word Economy then mean to you? Economy is like the way the value of money is in our country. How people use money and how the world is right now. The economy is terrible right now due to a former Presidents mistakes. It's not all his fault, but he made some mistakes.

What are your feelings about President Obama? I think he’s a good president so far, but in my eyes he’s a great speaker, with great ideas and great determination. He’s trying as hard as he can to save our society, but one man can only do so much.

What job do want to have when you're older? I want to be a professional basketball player. I know I might sound naive, but I know I’m really good at basketball and if your good at a sport you have a greater advantage to go to colleges for cheaper. If I am not a basketball player then I see myself going to Law School and hopefully becoming a sports agent. If you have a Law degree then more options can open for you.

Do you believe in marriage and having children? Yes, strongly. I believe if two people are in love and they want to be together forever they should get married. It’s a free country. I think gays and lesbians should also be able to marry. They can be seen as differeny, but they only have different beliefs. I do see myself as getting married and having two or three children.

Where will you be in five years? I will be nineteen and I will be in my first year in college. I would like to go to a good college like UCSB or a college of that caliber.

What are your favorite books, artists, movies and TV shows? I like the Caroline B. Cooney books. She has many well known books and I’ve read pretty much all of them. My favorite book so far is The Terrorist. It’s not the kind of book it sounds like. It's about a family who moves to England and the little boy of the family is on the subway and a man hands him a wrapped package and says his friend dropped it. Sadly the little boy dies and his older sister is determined to find the killer and make things right. I strongly recommend this book to anyone of any age.

Artists: I like bands like the All American Rejects to Kanye West. I like all music hip hop to rock to pop. Bench Warmers, Angels on the Outfield and Epic Movie.

TV Shows: ESPN, pretty much anything on VH1 or MTV, I also like George Lopez, Home Improvement and Family Matters.

What is it like to have an older sister that is nineteen years apart from you and to have a father that has been married before? I think it’s pretty cool to have a sister and brother that’s been through what I am about to go through. They are always there to give me advice no matter what my question is. I’m fine with my Dad being married twice. I’m just glad that he gave me two great siblings with another wife and then married my mom who looks at my older sister (you) and brother as her own.

How important are your friends to you? They are the most important thing to me besides family. They are my second family. I can always look to them for advice and to have a good time.

How important are sports to you? They are extremely important if I didn’t have sports I would have a much less exciting life, with less opportunities. My whole life, I’ve been in a variety of sports and it helped me make friends at an early age. 

If you could give advice to adults about raising children what would it be? As a kid, I say that adults should give fewer punishments because many parents see a mistake that children make as something wrong and unacceptable. I think parents should see the mistakes as lessons. Punishing children too much sometimes turns children against adults. I know many children when they get punished think to themselves, I have the worse parents and I will not do this when I become a parent. As I am maturing, I know that you have to punish sometimes to get the lesson across to children. Other kids may see this differently then me.

Thank you P for taking the time to share with us your thoughts. From my experience, I know that Step families can work. You just have to put your heart and time in. Don't you just love P's thoughts on going into high school next year and on punishing children too much? It took me right back. *Below is one of my favorite pictures of P and Alcatraz.

My Coverage of President Obama's Inauguration

I woke up Tuesday January 20th with a huge smile on face. I was excited to watch Barack Obama be sworn in as our 44th President, something that I never thought I would see. I felt so touched to be watching history. I wanted to see with my own eyes that this wasn't a dream and that America was showing the world that we are ready for change and acceptance. I wondered what would it be like to be in Washington for the Inauguration, to bear the bitter cold and to witness the change. This is my coverage of what the inauguration of Barack Obama was like in San Francisco...

The night before the Inauguration, honey and I had heard on the news that there would be viewing parties around the city to watch the ceremony. The news said that in addition to the Civic Center, there would be a large video screens at Yerba Buena Gardens. This seemed so fitting to us as the Yerba Buena Gardens also has the second largest memorial in the nation for Martin Luther King, Jr.

On a surprisingly brisk, clear sunny morning, we arrived at the Gardens at 7:15am in the morning. Honey and I started to walk around the grounds. There were two flat screens and speakers set up, a man selling President Obama t-shirts and excitement in the air. We walked over to look at The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. There was a black and white photo of Dr.King giving his "I had a dream" speech. As I was staring at this photo in history, I had goosebumps hearing the details of President Obama's inauguration on the loud speakers in the background. Twelve famous quotations from Dr. King with translations lined the hallway of the memorial. In silence we read each quotation and felt the power of his words. Reading his quotations, I could feel Dr. King's voice, and insight. The memorial was a very beautiful, classic and tranquil place.

We then found our seats in front of the video screen. The crowd was filling up with people from all different backgrounds, races, experiences and hopes. It was hope that connected us all. Hope that change would be coming. I watched a small boy wave at the big screen every time Mr. Obama was shown. A woman in front of us turned and told me her frustration at the channel that the inauguration was set to. Honey said to me 'It doesn't matter what the channel is on. I can't believe that this is happening.'

I couldn't believe my own eyes either.

And then the ceremony began. The crowd cheered as Joe Biden, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter entered for the inauguration. Then the crowed cheered/hissed when they saw Vice President Cheney sitting a wheelchair due to a strained back. The crowd hissed again and a woman pretended to throw her shoe at the screen when President George Bush was shown.

Finally the time came for Barack Obama to be sworn in as our 44th President of the United States. He was asked to protect us and continue to protect the freedom that shapes America. I found myself holding my breath. There was a man taking pictures and approaching people for their names so he can print those photo's in the San Francisco Chronicle. We were strangers, all together and witnessing history in the making. Good luck Mr.President!

Where did you watch the Inauguration? What did it mean to you? Did you ever think you would see this day?

Congratulations to President Obama: To New Beginnings

I wanted to share with you my political experience of helping out as a volunteer for the Barack Obama Campaign for Change over this past weekend. I was called by a volunteer on my cell phone on Halloween eve. The volunteer asked if I would like to come to the phone bank headquarters to call voters in swing states. I found myself saying yes and volunteering honey to come along as well.

It felt just like a scene out of a movie. Saturday, November 1st was a very dark, rainy and stormy day in San Francisco, so we had to cab it over to the headquarters. We pulled up to the building to see Barack Obama campaign signs out front. We walked inside with another gentleman who said out loud, as we escaped from the rain, "That's right, you have true dedication to come out in the rain to help out like this." Then we walked inside to become apart of a headquarters in a campaign that we all believed in. I felt like I was doing something that I believed in, and maybe I could help, in a small way, to bringing about change.

We signed in and went to have an orientation with about 10 other volunteers. In the morning the phone bank was calling Florida, but during our shift we were calling Colorado. We were given a list of about 40 people to call to encourage them to vote on November 4th. Below is the example of the script that we used:

Script Hello, may I speak with _____? My name is _Laura_ and I'm a volunteer with Barack Obama's Campaign for Change. I'm calling to ask you about your plans for voting in this election. Do you plan on voting in person on Tuesday, or have you already voted?

(If They Say They Won't Vote:) Well I hope you change your mind- just imagine how great it will feel to be able to tell people that YOU voted for change by supporting the Barack Obama in 2008! In case you change your mind, you can vote on Tuesday and the polls are open until 7 p.m.

(If Already Voted) Thank you so much for voting in this historic election!
__________________________________________________
Some of the more memorable calls were:

1) A 90 year old, undecided woman who's dog was barking in the background. She kept calling me "honey."

Me: Do you think you'll be able to go out and vote on Tuesday?
Undecided: Yes, but I can't decide who to vote for.
Me: It's great that you are going. Can I ask what is keeping you as undecided?
Undecided: I'm stuck between two candidates.... Ralph Nader and Barack Obama
Me: How will you decide?
Undecided: Well I know Ralph Nader doesn't have a chance in hell of winning, but I thought I would help.

2) An 11 year old boy answered the phone.

Me: Can I talk to your father?
Boy: He is not at home
Me: Do you know if your parents have voted?
Boy: I don't know about that stuff

3) I had a couple of wives question who I was when I asked to talk to their husbands. :)

4) There was a teacher sitting next to us and she got off a call and seemed visibly upset.

Teacher: I just have to talk to someone about this call.
Me: Sure we can talk.
Teacher: Well I just spoke with this 19 year old girl who said she was voting for McCain because she believes in his fiscal policy. This scares me so much as I am a teacher that works my ass off.
Me: You know, people of that age tend to vote the same as their parents. Try to think about the other people on the phone that you did reach.

I found volunteering to be a great experience that I would do again. It's rare in this world to feel apart of something and to feel that you can help make a difference.

Congratulations President Barack Obama!

One Vote

Election Day-2008 Presidential Campaign: Please Get Out There Today & Vote

Please go out and cast your vote today. It is the most important election of our time. Please go out and vote in this historic election.

No matter who is elected to become the next President of the United States, they have an unbelievably challenging job ahead of them to fix our economy, change the world view of us and bring change.

In 2001, I become a U.S citizen. I was so excited to complete the complicated two year process of being finger printed by the FBI, testing and finally I had a swearing in ceremony at the L.A. Staples Center (which was wonderful). I casted my first vote in the 2004 Presidential election. My first poll station was at a dark, seedy, motel/hotel in San Francisco and I voted with all walks of life.

I believed that my vote counted during my first election. I would still like to believe that every vote counts.

All of the world will be watching us today to welcome the change.

Please Vote!



http://www.voteforchange.com/
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/caoffices/