Middle Child Birth Order Part 2

 

Parenting is not an exact science. There is not a manual handed out in the delivery room. Most of us do what our parents did as parents. While watching a documentary on the cannibal serial killer, Jeffery Daumer, his mother was very agitated at the idea of others blaming her parenting skills for her son's actions. Did I say parenting is difficult? 

    We should never stop trying to improve our parenting skills, we owe it to our children. Every little insight in this endeavor of being mom and dad should be weighed for its value in helping your child to grow up happy and healthy. 

    In my first part of this 3-part series of birth order, I discussed the first-born child, the golden child. The middle child is neither golden nor special like the oldest and baby of the family. The middle child falls in a type of no man's land of description. They are neither precious, able, oldest, nor considered vulnerable like the youngest child of the family. Their strength is they learn to be more flexible and sociable and learn to compromise and build coalitions. Middle children tend to be more relaxed. They become skilled negotiators, social butterflies, fairness-obsessed, and peacemakers. They are Switzerland.

    The MIDDLE CHILD, better described as the "iffy" child, is hard to pin down. It can be said of the middle child that they were either born too late or too early. They fall into that no man's land of not being the first-born, the star of the family, in which mom and dad lavish attention on them over the meagerest of accomplishments and the baby they cherish for just coming in last. Too late to get privileges and special treatment of the first-born and too early to benefit from the relaxed rules of discipline most of the last born enjoy. 

    There is not an easy list of personality traits to attach to the middle child because they are most directly influenced by the first-born child and that pattern continues to roll downhill. The third child will be influenced by the second child and so forth until you reach the last child of the family (who is a different can of worms). 

    The middle child looks above and sizes up the older sibling. If he or she senses he can compete with the older sibling, they may do so. But if the older sibling is stronger, smarter, etc., the second born typically shoots off in another direction, making their known personality traits difficult to nail down; thus, they are "iffy." 

    So, the second born may become a pleaser or an antagonize, a victim or a martyr, or a manipulator or a controller. Any of these options are up for grabs, but one thing you can be sure of is that the second born will play off of the first-born. 

EXAMPLE: the first-born child may be perfectly compliant and the second born will be a handful. It is not unusual for the middle child to have more friends as a substitute family in which they find the attention they feel is lacking within the family structure. Friends become very important to middle children. 

    The middle child is usually the child who leaves home the quickest and is more of a free spirit giving themselves permission to reject the family's do's and don'ts at least in part. They may become mentors or even at times be manipulative. Because they could not have mom and dad all to themselves and get their way, they learn how to negotiate and compromise. 

    The middle child is apt to not be as religious as their parents and siblings and are less likely to be rebellious against their parents. They are trustworthy friends and work well in teams. When looking back to childhood as adults they tend to express negative views about their childhood. They are often the first to move out of the family home and move the furthest away. They are more open to taking risks and being open to new ideas. 

 HOW YOU AS THE MIDDLE CHILD CAN STAND YOUR GROUND

1. Middle children are the most sensitive of all the children and do not confide in many people. This can pose a problem in marriage more so than in everyday life. Learn to share your opinions and ideas with others. 

2. Less likely to seek out services from helping professionals such as psychologists, counselors, or ministers (first-born engineers and doctors lead in seeking out help, followed by last-born). Don't be so tough and independent until you will not seek out what you need.

 3. Running with the "pack" is fine when a choice group of people with values, morals, ethics is the criteria for your group of friends. Don't spread yourself too thin with all of your friends. 

4. Middle children are the kings and queens of monogamy. Enough said. Good for you.

.

 5. You are prone to embarrassment and reluctant to admit it. Everyone makes mistakes and embarrassment is part of life.

    Being a middle child does have benefits. They are emotionally strong and less prone to be diagnosed with disorders like ADHD. There is nothing they can't handle. They are good marriage material. Being in the middle allows them to experience the best of both worlds. They get the wisdom of the first-born and are leaders to their younger siblings. One pulls them up and the other keeps them young. They get away with more than the older or younger children. They don't have 'helicopter parenting' like the older and younger children. They have an official Middle Child Day, August 12th, and 52% of the commanders-in-chiefs have been middle children.

    I am a mother of a middle child and we, as a family, Mom, Dad, and other siblings, put forth effort from day one to ensure that our middle child did not get lost in the shuffle or get ignored. We call her "middle baby" from time to time and joke about how she is invisible and forgotten. We can joke about it because we made sure she was neither invisible nor forgotten. 

    So, does she have any of the "iffy" characteristics of the middle child? You bet! She is the peace maker and negotiator of the family; we call her the 'glue.' She bridges everything between everyone in the house. Did she sum up her big sis? Yes, she did. She picked up her older sister's HOBBY of drawing and became a Graphic Designer while her older sister became a doctor. They bonded (eight years difference) while drawing and it is their special thing, and the student surpassed the teacher in their case. 

    She hates being embarrassed on an almost psychotic level. We had to keep an eye on her when she was young because she would be too embarrassed to tell us if she fell and hurt herself. We have been working on the embarrassment issue for years. She is not a social butterfly though; her two sisters are her best friends as she gets older her circle may expand, who knows. 

    All in all, I believe I had a stereotypical middle child, if anything the family overcompensated for our middle baby, which I'm sure there are some ramifications for. So, I have discussed the first-born and the middle child. 

The group I belong to will be discussed next: THE LAST CHILD, the bab

Rachel Maddow Poem

WHEN RACHEL IS ON HIATIS OR ON A VACATION

I FEEL SADNESS, ANXIETY, DEFINITLY NOT ELATION

I MISS HER EXPRESSIVE CHIPPER SMILING FACE

AND HER ALWAYS SAYING EACH SEGMENT WATCH THIS SPACE

HER INTRO STARTS OFF AS A TEASER A MYSTERY

 FILLED WITH FACTS AND OFTEN SELDOM KNOWN HISTORY

SHE TELLS US WHO ALL THE VILLAINS UNSUSPECTED ARE

AND HER DELIVERY IS SHARP NEVER SUB-PAR

SHE TREATS HER GUESTS WITH TRUE HONOR AND RESPECT

WITH HARD HITTING QUESTIONS WE'VE COME TO EXPECT

I CAN NEVER COMFORTABLY END MY BUSY FRANTIC DAY

WITHOUT RACHEL'S DECIPHERING, PROFOUND, PAVING, NEWS WAY 

IT IS FROM HER I CHOOSE TO GET MY CURRENT EVENT NEWS

BECAUSE SHE DEALS WITH FACTS, NOT OPININIONS, NOR HER OWN PERSONAL VIEWS

NO ONE ELSE CAN DO WHAT SHE CAN DO

CONNECTING TOGETHER EVENTS USING FACTS AS THE GLUE

SHE DESERVES ALL OF THE PRAISE I CAN EVER GIVE HER

BECAUSE RACHEL IS THE ONE, SHE DOES IT, SHE CAN DELIVER

HER PERSONALITY IS HUMBLE, GENUINE, MAKE NO ERROR OR MISTAKE

WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET. SHE IS REAL NEVER FAKE

YOU BETTER BELIEVE, SHE DOES NOT DECEIVE

THE WHOLE HONEST TRUTH YOU WILL ALWAYS RECEIVE

TUNE IN EACH WEEKNIGHT TO THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW

IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE, THANKS TO ME NOW YOU TRULY KNOW

    Okay, I won't go down in history for my poetic genius, but I do love The Rachel Maddow Show. Along with thousands of Rachel Maddow fans no one satisfied me with their coverage the morning of Russia invading Ukraine February 24, 2022, while she was on hiatus. I didn't feel as though I was fully updated on what was happening. I just felt like something was missing knowing Rachel would not be reporting on the event that night. There was something missing RACHEL MADDOW.

    To the delight of her fans Rachel returned to us. Via Twitter she tweeted those glorious words "I'll be on MSNBC starting at 8pm ET tonight." The Twitterverse went berserk with delight. Rachel Maddow trended. People were tweeting they had tears in their eyes during her in-depth coverage we all knew we were going to receive in one way or the other. And as usual, she was a rock star in her 2-hour show from beginning to end.

    People in the public domain have groupies for a number of reasons. Some people become groupies because of a public figure's good looks or fashion sense. Rachel has groupies because of her honesty, intellect, and integrity.

    She is humble, but not apologetic for her intelligence. She is courageous in the topics she covers and how she covers them, but not cocky. She is factual without being boring. She is the perfect mix of journalist and citizen making her totally relatable to her audience.

Have I made it clear how I feel about Rachel Maddow?

    I have a confession. I also watch Rachel in the evening because I know the next day Morning News will be reporting on a discovery Rachel Maddow revealed on her show the night before. I get the chance to sleep in knowing I already know what the Morning News shows will be covering.

    When my adult middle daughter comes home for a visit, one of the highlights of her visit is just me and her sitting together watching The Rachel Maddow Show. She takes pride in saying it is "Our thing." And she adores the Rachel coffee mug I bought her for Christmas.

    Okay. I must stop this gushing over Rachel for now. I wish her the greatest success in all her endeavors. And a big thank you Rachel, if for some miracle you read this, for returning to us when we needed you.

  

INTERVIEWS NEEDED

Hello and welcome to my blog.

I have found the best way to get the truth on a subject is to let the PEOPLE speak.

As a woman, do you want your voice heard as an author, minister, dreadlock wearer, what womanhood means, or anti-Red Pill believer? 

Then you have found the right space to address these issues and other womanhood issues. 

You and your thoughts/opinions/philosophies can impact thousands who read my daily posts helping to shape future minds. It will also be a place where men can come and be assured, they are truly reading to understand women and womanhood.

It's simple. I have formulated questions that will give insight to each of the 5 categories mentioned above. Just contact me rizerfall@yahoo.com and let me know whether you are an author, minister, dreadlock/loc wearer, want to address womanhood, or anti-Red Pill and I will e-mail you the easy questions for you to answer and e-mail back (you can share your links, business, web presence, books, and any other contact info if you desire).

I have such a love for all women, and I want to support, encourage, and empower every woman to live her best life.

Please share this opportunity with your family, friends, and social media audience to encourage and empower them also.

Thanks for stopping by and please follow this page. 

Are You A First Born Child?

 

     Most people will try anything to get an upper hand on life. Some resort to astrology to find out how they can better be in control of an unknowable day. Control has been the issue for man throughout history; trying to figure out how to live in a chaotic world.

     Man perfected the invention of gods that could be coaxed by spells and rituals into doing favorable deeds for him, making him feel more secure and in control. To this unobtainable goal of gaining control of life comes one more tool: understanding one's BIRTH ORDER. 

    In the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, birth order was significant because it was the first-born male child who received the family inheritance and responsibility for carrying on the family name. 

    I happen to be the "baby" of the family and find the attributes given to "babies" of the family suit me perfectly. I want to share what the scientists have to say (enven though it is considered pop psychology) about the first born, middle, and baby child of families in three installments. Today I will unearth the thoughts behind being born as the first child. I will cover the middle child next and finish with the last child born to a family. Stay with me on this enlightening journey.

    OLDEST CHILD: The two factors that owe personality traits to first-born children are: Mom and Dad. Brand new parents tend to be overprotective, anxious, tentative, and inconsistent on one side and strict in discipline, demanding, always pushing and encouraging more and better performance on the other side. 

    The "first" child is the guinea pig as Mom and Dad try to learn the fine art of parenting. For the first-born, life is real, and life is earnest. He or she is not for surprises, they prefer to know what's happening and when it is going to happen. They tend to get more attention and notoriety than any other sibling. Can you say ENTITLED?

     Anything a first-born child does is a big deal as far as Mom and Dad and other members of the family are concerned. They are usually showered with attention and identify strongly with power. Because they didn't originally have to share their parents with younger siblings, once another child is born into the family they could/would become anxious, emotionally intense, and/or prone to jealous rages. Little darlings huh?

    A common characteristic of a first-born child person is his confidence in being taken seriously by those around him. They are known for their strong powers of concentration, tolerance, and patience, and being organized and conscientious. The list also includes perfectionistic, reliable, list makers, critical, serious, scholarly, goal-oriented, achiever, self-sacrificing, people pleasers, conservative, supporters of law-and-order, believer in authority, and ritual, legalistic, loyal, self-reliant. Hey! Just CHILL already.

    The legal profession is filled with first born as well as world leaders. Another trait of first born is that they are cautious and have risk aversion, so they are less likely to be physically daring but I have found them intellectually daring and ambitious.

    Birth order affect jobs/roles one takes on in a family such as helper and confidant. The most responsibility is given to the oldest and then chronologically disperses after that. If the oldest child is a daughter, she is often viewed prematurely by her mother as a little grown up. I HATE when children are robbed of their childhood having to forego play for adult duties and responsibilities. Duties and chores are two different things.

    Firstborns are reprimanded and punished earlier and more severely than their younger siblings. Right now, first borns are nodding their heads in agreement knowing their younger sisters and brothers did not get into trouble in the same way for doing the same bad things they had done. I bet you punched them for it because your parents didn't😅

    Historically speaking, first born children were less likely to die during infancy, were less susceptible to diseases, and as adults more likely to reproduce. Alright. I have to admit that you first born do sound pretty impressive. But my time (baby) in the spotlight is coming so don't get too full of yourself.

 TIPS FOR MAKING BIRTH ORDER WORK FOR YOU THE FIRST-BORN

1. Take smaller bites of life. Do not get involved in too many activities at once. Leave time for yourself. 2. Work on saying no. Know your limits. You can't do everything and please everyone.

3. Remember, your parents may have had higher expectations for you than other siblings. It's fine to do a little less and enjoy life a little more.

4. You are known to ask a lot of questions and want all the details, this is fine, don't apologize for this trait. 

5. You are a cautious, careful person. Don't let people pressure you into jumping into things/situations when you would prefer to take your time to make a decision. 

6. If you are the serious type, try to develop a sense of humor. 

7. Never apologize for being conscientious and over organized.    To all of the first-born children whose parents tied all of their hopes and dreams in, we are sorry for using you as the benchmark for whether or not we were good parents. But, if we failed with the first child, no one could have convinced us that we would have done better with the rest of the children. Parents have a strong need to "get it right" and we do not get practice children. 

    The positive of this parenting experiment is the fact that the first born have leadership skills that can take them a long way in life. Having high expectations are good but should be framed within healthy obtainable goals. Hopefully, parents don't dream the impossible dream for their kids, but give them the encouragement to dream for themselves.

What Power Does Your Name Have?

 

   There is a spiritual movement saying you can speak wealth or happiness into existence by the words you say and use. You say it and proclaim it. If you ask these people "How are you?" their response will be "I'm blessed." because they want to receive blessings. They are using words as power for manifestation.

    When raising my children, I told them to never say anything negative about themselves to people, because how you talk/speak about yourself, others will do also. Words matter.

    People (mothers) take great pain trying to select new and clever names for their newborn babies. They try to spell those names in unique ways. Looking to the Bible as an example, the names of people within the Bible all had DESTINY meanings. New mothers don't necessarily select destiny names for their babies, but names that are cute. But when you say any word it echos in the universe with power. 

    During slavery, it was understood yet not understood the power of a person's name. Slaves were never addressed as sir/maam or Mr./Mrs. because that would elevate them in stature and position. In the South many black people insist on children addressing people as sir or maam still as a show of respect. Sadly, I must say, black people address white people as sir or maam, but white people do not address black people as sir or maam. 

    Slaves were given their master's last name as in ownership. Slaves established a practice of calling nonrelatives auntie and uncle due to the fact that their blood family relatives were sold breaking family ties so substitute family members were created. This is a practice still in the black community as to claiming God mothers and such. So, the names we use and give ourselves matter. They are spoken powerful words.

     I don't know how many years it has been exactly, but there was a time when women were addressed by the name of their husband e.g. Mrs. Tom Jones and not as Mrs. Mary Jones. This also was to show ownership in that time period when women did not have any rights. 

    I began to think more about "What does a name say about us as women?" Does taking our husband's name make any dramatic statement one way or the other? I have often posted that one of the biggest signs that a man truly loves you is when he wants/does give you and your future children his last name; he is willing to proclaim to the world 'I love HER enough for her to be a complete part of me by sharing my name.' Lovely sentiment when viewed through my rose-colored glasses. I guess there are those who will hold to the old truth of the surname being a moniker of ownership and possession.

    Let's move from surnames to first names. I read the credits for movies and televisions shows and I can barely pronounce the names. The more difficult the name is to spell or say, the prouder the mother seems to be. In my family, my girls and I agreed we wanted the world to know our names and thus wanted our names to be easy to spell and pronounce. I guess vanity has its place.

WHAT DOES YOUR NAME SAY ABOUT YOU?

    I think I have said in prior posts how proud I am of my name: DOROTHY. In my youth I dreamed of the day when I would become an adult and petition the court to change my name. Somewhere along the way, I gained respect for the name I was coronated with at the day of my birth. Somewhere along the line I became DOROTHY.

    Let's look at what you speak when you say the name of person. If you are a married mother, then your name is CALLED at least a hundred times a day. So, the universe is bombarded by your name 700 times in a week at least. That's a lot of energy going out on your behalf. Let's use my name as an example.

Dorothy \d(o)-ro-thy\ as a girl's name its pronounced DOR-a-thee. It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Dorothy is "gift of God". This is how the Greek phrase Δώρων Θεός meaning "Gift of God looks. Theodora is the synonym of Dorothy. Literary: the heroine of Frank Baum's "The Wonderful World of Oz", published in 1900. Writers Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Sayers; actresses Dorothy Gish, Dorothy Lamour are a few famous Dorothys.

    Dorothy has 40 variant forms: Dasha, Dasya, Dodie, Dody, Doe, Doll, Dolley, Dolli, Dollie, Dolly, Doortje, Dora, Doretta, Dori, Dorika, Dorinda, Dorit, Dorita, Doritha, Dorlisa, Doro, Doronit, Dorota, Dorotea, Dorotha, Dorothea, Dorothee, Dortha, Dorrit, Dorthea, Dorthy, Dory, Dosha, Dosya, Dot, Dottey, Dottie, Dotty, Tea and Thea.

    Dorothy is a very popular first name for women (#10 out of 4276) and also a very popular surname or last name for all people (#19719 out of 88799). (1990 U.S. Census) 
 
    My Greek name meaning 'Gift of God' has put some pressure on me. I asked myself "Was I born a Gift of God or am I supposed to live up to and become or do something worthy to be called a Gift of God?"
 

    If words have power, as the Bible tells us, there is power in the words we speak; we can murder with our words. While on the subject of the bible, we are given definitions of the names of key people in the Bible. Many of their destinies were in line with their names and some names were changed as their destiny/purpose changed.
 
    From 1880-1950, Dorothy was a popular name, ranking in the top 5 of names for girls. In 2000 the name bottomed out.
In Hebrew my name is spelled:  דּוֹרוֹתִּי
 
Looks pretty good in Chinese           桃乐丝
    The first section or character of my name in Chinese means peach or a surname.
The second section or character means Happy, glad, joyful, cheerful.  Enjoy, be glad to, love, find pleasure in; laugh, be amused.  Pleasure, enjoyment.  Gladly, happily, willingly, or a surname.
The third section or character of my name means Silk; a threadlike thing; a tiny bit. A unit of weight (=0.0005 grams).
 
    Even in numerology my name has meaning. Numerology is an ancient science which was developed by Pythagoras. Numerology offers an insight into the personality by assigning numeric values to the letters contained in names. The results provide the hidden meaning of the name Dorothy. Each letter contained in the name is assigned a number. Every number is associated with specific characteristics. Work out the value of each of the letters in your name using the following table: GIVE IT A TRY.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

A B C D E F G H I

J K L M N O P Q R

S T U V W X Y Z

Example: Cathy

C A T H Y       B R O W N E

3 1 2 8 7          2 9 6 5 5 5

Add together all the numbers of the name Cathy (3+1+2+8+7) = 21 and Browne (2+9+6+5+5+5) = 32

Then add together the values 21+32 = 53

Then add together 5+3 = 8
    The numerological value, or Name Number, of the example name is therefore 8. Use this method of numerology to calculate the value of your full name and find the hidden meanings and characteristics of the name Dorothy together with any middle names and your last name. ***My number is 1 when using my first, middle, and last name.

Number Meaning & Characteristics


1 Competitive - a leader, independent, strength, creative and original

2 Diplomatic - friendly, tactful, peaceful, gentle and sensitive

3 Optimistic - Easygoing, sociable, spontaneous and humorous

4 Traditionalist - Determined, reliable, conservative, activist and organized

5 Creative - Free spirited, artistic, enquiring, innovative and influential

6 Contributor - Responsible, careful, conventional and reliable

7 Inventive - Imaginative, resourceful, eccentric, quiet and thoughtful

8 Organizer - Leadership skills, planner, strong, high achiever and sound judgment

9 Humanitarian - Compassionate, caring, charitable and civilized


The numerical value of just DOROTHY is 5:
    Numerological Analysis: Represents people who are impulsive, instinctive, like changes, dynamic, need freedom and space with unconventional personality. Able to do several things at once, adaptive, charismatic and acceptable in society. Have a sense of distinction and sense of criticism. Like freedom and tend to lack a sense of time. I say that's me.

   The man who tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan said his first, middle, and last name added together was 666. Like I say, man (humans can take what is meant for good and make it bad). It is evident that when you say my name, a name I once hated, you are saying a mouthful. It doesn't have any unique vowel combinations and it is not a compilation of my mother's and father's name, but I think it was the perfect choice.

    So, for those manifesting desires and dreams with their usage of words I hope it works out well for you. Prayers are just that. Using choice select words to petition or thank the Creator. Many who practice Witchcraft say their chants are no different than prayers, they are using select choice words to petition the universe for desires and dreams. The difference is they petition the creation and not the Creator and people believe they only do it for bad outcomes. I hope your name is a DESTINY name or has some significant meaning where every time your name is called it echos into the universe with power, intention, and blessings. I hope you use WORDS with POWER in your everyday life.

 

Where is Covid Baby Boom?

 Surprise, surprise. the Pandemic, Covid 19, is not causing a baby boom. No one is more surprised than me. I would have bet money that mandatory isolation would lead to the increase of pregnancies and births. Studies have shown people put off having children during this time leading to a decline in births. Scientists say maybe people put off having children due to the uncertainty of what Covid was, its effects, and not knowing how long it would last. Some scientists believe it was due to job uncertainty and economic instability. I believe because teenagers were limited to the home, they were not out doing the "nasty" dropping the pregnancy and birth rate.

    I am a mother of three. I think three is a nice number of children. Not too many. Not too few. But did I pick the number of children I had? Well, yes and no. And yes, it is a personal story that would fall under TMI- too much information. Am I happy to have my three children? Beyond all of the words in the world.

    I could spend all day wondering what kind of mother I would have been to one child or ten children. I am sure the answer would be I would be a different kind of mother based on the number of children I chose to have. I might have had more patience or less patience who knows but I would have loved them all the best I could and fully.

    You see some people with various numbers of children feel they have fulfilled their duty of having every child God wanted them to have without doing anything to hamper the process. And you have people at this moment trying to encourage women to have children by using laws.

     I believe everyone is familiar with the Duggars who have welcomed every child into their home as a gift and share love in amounts one would not believe possible with little effort. Some judge the Duggars as foolish or as upstanding examples of living out their faith. I think they should be viewed as their children and family view them - loved.

    Michelle Duggar wants her stillborn baby, Jubilee, to know "You were not loved any less because you were baby number 21.” Duggar shares her message of love for the “precious baby girl” she miscarried in an “audio letter” posted on the Duggar family website. When asked how many children she has, "The answer will be 21. Nineteen here, and two in Heaven,” she says in the message. In her message, Duggar says the name Jubilee Shalom means “joyful celebration of peace” and that the baby will serve as a reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of family.

    I have an opinion about the number of children Mrs. Duggar has decided to have, but my opinion does not matter. It adds nothing to their family nor takes anything away from their family. My little opinion is irrelevant to their lives and happiness, and I am so happy it is so. Who am I to insert myself into their lives in word or deed? 

    And now we come to 'man' trying to tell women how many children to have and not have. SHOCKER ALERT every person on earth is not a Christian and why are you trying to force them to live Christian lives when Jesus never forced anyone to be a Christian. I think Judas would have been the first-person Jesus would have forced to do the moral and ethical thing according to his religious beliefs. But that did not happen, did it?

    So, what is going on? The big joke going around is that even the pope cannot get his followers to follow their faith's rules against contraceptives, because they (Catholics) have more cars than children. But I also see many people who have been fruitful and multiplied and are still in the single digit numbers 5-7, which by the way, seems to be the ideal number and then - BOOM - no more children. As Mrs. Duggar has demonstrated, fertility has a long window for double digit pregnancies and births. So, is single digit number of children meeting the being fruitful threshold? 

    The number of Christians having Christian babies should be higher and then the number of Christians in America would be very high and this need to step in with laws banning contraceptives would not be occurring. But reality will always rear its ugly head. Someone is not practicing what they are preaching or legislating.

    HOW DO WE GET CONTROL OF THE UTERUS? Possession is 9/10th of the law people or so I have heard. I have never actually read a law that says such. But decisions are being made about the number of children a family is going to have. So, with my three children should I look down on the person with one child, 21 children, or no children? Or should I let others live and answer for their own choices in regard to the size of their family? 

    Do you believe the pope would issue out punishment, if he could, for the estimated 98% of Catholic women who admit to using some sort of birth control at some point in their lives? If this is a religious commandment; why isn't the church handling it for the Christian people who have agreed to adhere to the tenants of their faith. This is for all Protestant faiths also.

Here are a few facts I found interesting from another site I thought you might find interesting
http://www.squidoo.com/strange-parenting-facts

    Historians believe that Mulai Ismail, second ruler of the Moroccan Alaouite dynasty, may have sired an estimated 888 children through 500 wives. In order to attain that number of children, he would have had to copulate with an average of 1.2 women per day over 60 years. That is one busy man!

    Speaking of fathers, I have always thought it strange that the world's record for the most children born to one woman was not listed under the woman's name, but her husbands. According to records the first wife of Russian peasant Feodor Vassilyev who died in 1782 gave birth to an astounding 69 children. 

     In the day of 27 February 1782, the list from Nikolskiy monastery came to Moscow containing the information that a peasant of the Shuya district, Feodor Vassilyev married twice and had 87 children. His first wife in 27 confinements gave birth to all of these children. Between 1725 and 1765 she gave birth to 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets! She was pregnant a total of 27 times, and 67 of those children survived infancy. Yet no record of the wife was ever kept, her name, date of birth and dates of death are not included in any of the record books. He went on to remarry and eventually sired another 20 children for a total of 87 children. Cause of his firsts wife's death was presumably exhaustion if you ask me.

    The world's record for the youngest mother belongs to Lina Medina who was not yet six years old when she gave birth to her son Gerardo.

    The family of Lina Medina believed that she had a tumor when they first took her to see doctors, that tumor turned out to be a healthy six-pound baby boy she named Gerardo. Lina was born in Paurange, Peru and gave birth to her son at the age of 5 years, 7 months, and 21 days old. After the baby was delivered Lina Medina returned home with Gerardo, now being raised as her younger brother. She showed little interest in the baby though, preferring dolls to playing with her son.

    Puzzled doctors continued to study Lina Medina to find out how this could have happened. It was eventually discovered that she suffered from a hormone condition known as "Precocious Puberty" that caused extremely early development. She began menstruating regularly at the age of 8 months (some sources state 3 years).

    For a time, Lina's own father was held on a suspected charge of incest, until blood tests ruled him out. When questioned about the father's identity, Lina was unable to give clear answers due to her young age, so nobody was ever charged. The identity of the father was never discovered. Lina Medina is still alive today and went on to live a relatively normal life. She still refuses to do media interviews. Her son Gerardo was killed in a motorcycle accident as a young adult

    Mrs. Rajo Devi gave birth to a healthy baby girl in 2008 at the ripe young age of 70 years old. She and her husband have named the child Naveen. The Indian couple had tried for many years to have a child, finally resorting to in-vitro fertilization. The mothers real age is at question as many in rural India do not have birth certificates, she believes she is 70, but her husband believes that she is 72. She is believed to be the oldest mother ever to give birth, but this cannot be confirmed.

    Women, as the carrier and deliverer of children should have a say, if not the only say, on how they want their body to operate or not operate. Having children takes a toll on the body and causes lasting changes. There is a small percentage of marriages adhering to the Christian mandate to be fruitful and multiply. Advances in science has given women many tools to use when making health choices and decisions. Access to medical treatments should not be restricted for women. Men do not have medical therapies and treatments restricted for them. If the childbearing issue (even contraception availability to women) is a big priority and regulated through laws of medical availability and usage, then condoms and Viagra medication and treatment should be regulated for being connected with childbearing. There should be interference on the men's side also and dictate their ability to reproduce or not reproduce. 

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Number Two (2) Magical Mysterious Numerology?

     

Yesterday was 0242024 or 02/04/2024. How amazing is that? WOW!! The month of February, the second month of the year, is DIFFERENT for so many reasons. It is the shortest month of the year even when a leap year occurs like this year. 

It is the only month that predicts the weather. To chants of Phil! Phil!" filling the air in Pennsylvania Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, minutes before the groundhog came into the light to predict whether we'll see six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Punxsutawney Phil brought cheers as he predicted an early spring is in store for us. 

February is also the month of love with the celebration of Valentine's Day on the 14th of the month.

The entire month is a celebration of Black History Month

But do numbers or numerology really mean anything as many people would have you believe? YOU BETTER BELIEVE THEY DO.

    I always say there are no such thing as coincidences in a world. Things we believe are random operate almost without fail. The human body, for example, functions by its own rhythms and codes man has yet to discover exactly how many of those mechanisms work. Even though we understand DNA and the process of childbirth, science has still been unable to identify or understand the ACTUAL signal that begins childbirth, but once it is begun science can understand it from there. So, mysteries still abound and numbers do mean SOMETHING even if we don't yet understand exactly what they mean or the affects they have. And with every great thing comes the corruption of it by man (human). So beware of an always present scam.

    I, being a knowledgeable person, am open to ALL the mysteries of the Creator as a receiving vessel of everything good. So, from today until March 1, I am in a state of receiving all the goodness, positivity, and miracles in this mysterious numerological phase we are in. I will be watchful for opportunities presented in ANY and EVERY way. I will enjoy the gifting of the number 2 the universe offers with gratefulness and praise to the Creator. Are you open to the mysteries of numbers?

    Numbers have a great significance in the Bible. Many preachers and many teachers of the Bible fail to notice God's use of numbers or just do not bother to teach this truth. Because the significance of numbers in the Bible has been ignored by the church, Satan has claimed authority in the use of numbers with his own twisted, distorted, counterfeit use of number and ensnaring many people into believing in a false type of of Numerology for greed or fear mongering.    

     Because numerology is more associated with the occult and psychics, the church has thrown the baby out with the bath water and completely turned away from the significance of God's use of numbers. I will talk about numbers and how they relate to the Bible. With anything we use or come into contact within our lives; God should always remain our number one and complete source of our faith and trust. Below is the significance of numbers in the Bible. I also include the secular significance of numbers. Have you ever noticed particular numbers showing up often in your life?

    ONE: It is the perfect symbol of unity. The number one is what we call the ordinal number of primacy. God is in the prime position also. He rules, he reigns, and he has all power. God is made up of no other number. Every other number is made up of one (it is in every other number), the number one needs nothing else to make it complete just like God does not need anything else to make him complete. 

    SECULAR NUMEROLOGY: One Is the root of opportunity in our lives. It is a symbol of confidence, power, and action. It pushes us to look at our current circumstances and realize that we have the power to turn them into anything we wish. Even if we are afraid, the 1 inspires us to take control of our future and embrace new beginnings. 

    TWO: The first number we come to that can be divided, it represents division or difference or the second witness; second opinion or another point of view. On the second day of creation, the waters were divided from the waters by the firmament (division) It speaks of differences, i.e. heaven and hell, good and evil, life and death, saints and sinners.

    SECULAR NUMEROLOGY: Supremely feminine force, one that represents both grace and power. It is cooperative, always aiming to bring peace and balance back to a relationship or situation. This Numerology number is also very sensitive -- of all the numbers, it has the strongest intuition. It is able to sense currents and feelings instinctively, then use these clues to connect with others empathically.

    THREE: In the Bible 3 is always the number of divine manifestations = The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The 3 basic attributes of God- He is omniscient (all knowing) omnipresent (everywhere present), omnipotent (all powerful). Time is divided into 3 parts = past, present, and future. All of creation reflects Triune nature of God. He created 3 kingdoms of matter = animal, vegetable, mineral. Three forms in which matter exists = solid, liquid, and gas. Three things that last forever = faith, hope, and love.

    SECULAR NUMEROLOGY: Three has a tendency to thrive in an upbeat and engaging atmosphere. Its energy is youthful and positive and it has an incredible zest for life. It dances from one enjoyable experience to the next, eager to interact with others along the way. The prized skill of the number 3 is communication and it uses this talent to build a wide and interesting circle of friends, lovers, and kindred spirits.

    FOUR: is always the world number. It is the number that speaks to the international scene. In our physical world there are 4 directions = north, south, east, and west. There are 4 seasons = spring, summer, fall, and winter. In Genesis 2:10 there are 4 heads of the river coming out of the Garden of Eden and symbolically heading towards the ends of the earth

    SECULAR NUMEROLOGY: 4 is a no-nonsense number with a heads-down approach to life and work. It is extremely dependable and lends a great amount of stability to a person or situation. The 4 is dedicated to advancing, but in a more conservative way than a progressive one. It sticks to what is tried-and-true instead of attempting methods that are new.

    FIVE: Is always the number of grace. In Exodus 13:18 it tells us the children of Israel came out of Egypt "harnessed." Actually, in Hebrew (the language the Old Testament was written in) says that they came out "ranked in fives." They came out in fives because it was the grace of God that delivered them from Egypt. David chose 5 smooth stones to defeat Goliath. God has a fivefold ministry = apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers (Ephesians 4:7-11). The Tabernacle was a picture of the grace of God. The Holy Anointing Oil used to anoint the Tabernacle had 5 components = myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calmus, cassia, and olive oil (Exodus 30:23-24).

    SECULAR NUMEROLGY: Five represents curiosity and the need for a variety of exciting experiences in order to feel fulfilled. It craves freedom and adventure and isn't afraid to let the wind carry it where it may. For the 5, life isn't about setting goals and making plans, it's about getting out there and experimenting. Anything that stirs the senses piques the 5's interest and it can't wait to partake in the experience.The Numerology number 5 is a master of change, able to go with the flow and adapt itself to thrive in different environments and social situations. 

    SIX: Is the number of men. Man was created on the sixth day. Six is short of seven which we will see represents perfection. So, man is forever incomplete until he meets Christ and becomes complete in him. In Revelation the number 666 is speaking of the satanic trinity = the devil, the anti-Christ, and the false prophet. In Genesis 18 Abraham asks the Lord 6 times to spare the city of Sodom. NOTE when man (6) asks or seeks help from man (6) instead of God in effect leaning on the arm of flesh: 6x6=36. If you add all the numbers 1 through 36, that is the totality of man's help, and you get 666.

    SECULAR NUMEROLOGY: 6 is the embodiment of the heart. It represents unconditional love and the ability to support, nurture, and heal. It is a powerful force of compassion and empathy and its warm light is a beacon of hope. Its role is to use its heart and soul to be of service to others. The 6 in Numerology shines in partnerships of all kinds but especially emotional ones. 

SEVEN: Is always the number of perfection or completion. The creative week was completed in 7 days. There are 7 last sayings as Jesus completing his work on the cross. Jesus performed 7 miracles during his ministry. In revelation, which is the story of the completion of God's plan, there are 7 messages to the churches- 7 seals- 7 trumpets- 7 vials, 7- judgments.

    SECULAR NUMEROLOGY: The number 7 is both deep and wise. It is not satisfied with simple explanations and surface-level information -- this is frivolous stuff. It knows that the real gold is buried deeper and won't stop until it finds it ... and then it'll keep digging for more. Asking questions, researching, listening, and sensing are all special skills the 7 uses in its search for awareness.

    EIGHT: is always the number of new beginnings. Noah's ark carried 8 people through the flood to a new beginning. Males in Israel were circumcised on the 8th day- symbolic of a new covenant, a new relationship with God. When Jesus revealed himself in a new way on the Mount of Transfiguration, Luke says it was 8 days after he had told his disciples he was the Messiah and had spoken of his death.

    SECULAR NUMEROLOGY: 8 is the achiever and measures life by the goals it reaches. It has good business sense, a powerful presence, and a strong drive for success. The 8 is also a symbol of balance -- you can see it in its symmetrical shape. For every blessing it receives, it puts one back out to the universe. When things are balanced, they feel stable, controlled, and supported, which is the most productive environment for the 8 to work in. In Chinese culture, the number 8 is considered the luckiest number of all, and is purposefully worked into wedding dates, birth dates, addresses, and finances. 

    NINE: Used 49 times in Scripture, the number 9 symbolizes divine completeness or conveys the meaning of finality. Christ died at the 9th hour of the day, or 3 p.m., 

    SECULAR NUMEROLOGY: The energy of the number 9 represents completion, but not finality. Think of it more in a cyclical sense; it's about the ending of one cycle and the potential it creates for another cycle to begin. The 9 in Numerology acts as an usher in this process of transition or transformation, guiding and empowering us with its wisdom. It absorbs answers from a spiritual source, then delivers them to us in the real world..

    TEN: It is the number of human responsibility. There were 10 plagues in Egypt. There were 10 virgins who represent our responsibility, our purpose to the kingdom of God. Man has 10 fingers representing our work for God and 10 toes in order to walk with God.

    SECULAR NUMEROLOGY: When you see the number 10, you're being given a highly encouraging sign. You are being urged into a place of radical self-trust. You are being encouraged to have faith in the events that are happening around you. But this number also warns of becoming self-absorbed and isolated. The number 1 is exacting and sharp, determined and intense. So use this energy to move closer into alignment with your greatest potential. Yet not to the detriment of others. Be sure to act in service to the greater good.

    ELEVEN: The meaning of the number eleven is important in that it can symbolize disorder, chaos and judgment. In the Bible, 11 is used twenty-four times and "11th" can be found 19 times. Coming after 10 (which represents law and responsibility), eleven (11) represents the opposite, which is the irresponsibility of breaking the Law, which brings disorder and judgment.

    SECULAR NUMEROLOGY: It is strongly connected with your hopes, dreams and heart's desire. The master number 11 is an important soul number as it represents your unique spiritual journey. The soul number 11 creates great power and strength, but these can be tough to grow into.

    TWELVE: Is the number of divine government. There were 12 patriarchs, 12 tribes, 12 judges of Israel. There were 12 Apostles. There were 12 legions of angels (at least) that Jesus could have called upon - speaking of God's authority and rulership. The New Jerusalem - the seat of God's kingdom will have 12 foundations, 12 gates, 12 pearls, and is 12,000 furlongs in length, breadth, and height.
***biblical numerology by Leslie Hale**

    SECULAR NUMEROLOGY: It's especially creative in expressing its individuality, its points of view — any concepts it desires to convey with full understanding. The 12 essence has within it imagination, effective communication, tolerance, self-sufficiency, self-determination, cooperation, optimism, and dynamism. Virtually everything 12 does is expressed creatively.    When you are reading the Bible or studying on your own, look for these numbers and see do they have any significance to what you are reading. I found that the knowledge of these numbers helps me to see that God is not random as most people believe. Everything he does and says has purpose if not at that particular instant than for a particular time to come.

    In my family the number 3 plays an important part in our lives. When I see the number three represented at least 2 times I pause and pay attention. If the number three comes up three times, I know God wants my attention. I have 3 daughters all born the 3rd month of the year all with a representation of 3 in the day of the month. I fast for three days to see manifestation of God in my life or to receive clarity or conformation of a direction. I met a man and he said the number 3 at least 3 times and I am waiting on God to show me what I need to know or do with this particular person. Me and my daughters are getting the number three tattoo soon because it represents our family unit so well and always make us reflect on the will of God and the role Jesus and the Holy Spirit has played in our lives.

     Numerology is a tool useful in your walk with God also for growth and maturity in the word. Do not become a worshiper of Numerology, but know all things are created and used by God for purpose.

    I love sharing with you all and I hope you enjoy reading my posts. Please follow, share, and/or share.

Don't forget to order your copy of When Will Eve Be Forgiven? where I look at the wonderful creation of woman.

How to Fashion Style a Recession

 

Attention fashion and style bloggers did you know this theory/fact?

My mind started to reach a foggy fact I had heard somewhere at some time about the economy having an effect on whether women wore the hemline of their skirts or dresses longer or shorter depending on the economic climate.

The news article, I was trying to remember, if memory serves me correctly, stated that dress length/economy correlation was first propounded by US economist George Taylor in the 1920s.


During the Great Depression, hemlines reached as far as the ankles

Taylor argued that women wore shorter skirts in boom times because they could afford expensive silk stockings and wanted to show them off. During a recession, however, the skirts grew longer, because the women couldn’t afford stockings and wanted to hide the fact that they weren’t wearing any.

The story said Taylor’s theory had been surprisingly accurate. In the 1920s, 1960s and 1980s, which were boom times in the US, hemlines rose. On the other hand, they reached down as far as the ankles during the Great Depression.

The stock market’s measure of consumer confidence has far-reaching implications. Fashions, such as women’s hem lines, tend to follow the market (high hem lines and high stock prices imply confidence in various areas of life). Movies such as the gangster movies of the 1930s, Godfather style movies of the 1960s, and Batman or Darkman in 1990, follow the stock market contractions of the same periods. Financial indicators such as home construction and buying, auto and major appliance purchases, vacations, etc. all follow the stock market cycles, and in fact stock market trends measure the confidence and psychological attitudes of peoples (including those who are not investors), and thus provides a convenient and concurrent mathematical measure of attitudes and a wide range of economic, political, and societal events.


So, with all of the economic turmoil going on in America these days, will we see longer dresses on an everyday basis? We have already poked fun at Target for its prairie looking dresses offered to their consumer. And with goods not reaching stores due to lack of workers to off load them at ports, the selection of clothes to purchase has dwindled in stores. I have noticed the change and rearrangement of store floorplans in an effort to camouflage the lack of selection of clothes. 

Add the addition of masks to style and fewer people working and socializing, has fashion taken a downward turn along with hemlines?

In 2008 this was the question on the mind of almost all fashion designers. What will women want to wear during our economic downturn? 

This is what fashion had to say about the rise and fall of hemlines, "The oldest adage about fashion and the economy is that hemlines rise and fall with the stock market. In the boom times of the 20s and the 60s, skirts were short; in the 30s and 40s, they fell. Except that, on closer inspection, even this most famous theory fails to hold water. During the wartime years, arguably the period of greatest privation in modern history, hemlines were shorter than before or after the war; in the recession of the early 90s, hemlines fell. We cannot rely on skirt length alone to track the economy through fashion."

After 9/11, upscale New York boutiques reported a surge in demand for lower-heeled shoes: on the shopfloor, they said, women were explaining they wanted shoes they could run in if necessary. The financial crisis has not had the same effect: "heel heights have been rising steadily for several years, and look set to continue their skyward trajectory next season."


Betty Jackson keeps it simple. Illustration: Betty Jackson, "a downbeat stock market is not necessarily reflected in downbeat clothes."

Indeed, according to fashion historian Valerie Steele, "this whole idea that fashion is a 'reflection' of the economy is a misnomer. It would be more accurate to say that fashion and art are as much a part of living history as the economy is." What happens on Wall Street, says Steele, "is mediated through the manners and mores of the time before influencing the fashion aesthetic. In the 60s, for instance, what impacted fashion was not so much a booming economy as "the anti-conventional youth movement" which flourished in a booming economy.

The hemlines theory was invented back in the 1920s. But it just doesn't hold up. Take the 20s - hemlines actually began to fall in 1927, two years before the crash. They were falling by 1969, two years before the downturn of 1971," says Steele. 

In many cases, fashion designers appear to have an ability to read the writing on the wall, without waiting for the newspaper headlines. Between 1936 and 1939 fashion began to pick up on the rumble of warmongering, with military-inspired square shoulders teamed with lower heels. Even nightgowns sported three-inch shoulder pads. At other times, we may misinterpret clothes in retrospect in the light of world events. Christian Dior is usually credited with grasping the mood of the moment with his joyous, full-skirted Corolle collection of 1947, which launched Dior's New Look - but in 1939, before the outbreak of war, the Paris collections of Chanel and Mainbocher were both modelled on a full skirt and a wasp waist. With the war came a dampener on fashion, and the trend did not catch on until Dior revisited it.

Rosemary Harden, curator of the Fashion Museum in Bath, agrees that the notion of a catwalk aesthetic which straightforwardly reflects the economy "feels quite glib. It's much more complex than that, and I think it's important to unpack it a bit. The 20s and 60s were a time not just of boom but of liberation. The short skirts of the 20s were driven as much by the rise of sportswear as by the stock market. The sense of liberation cut across the social spectrum - there are photos of my grandma in south-east London wearing short, knitted skirts. The 20s, like the 60s, was a time of opportunity, a time of people not feeling shackled. Opportunity led to newness and experimentation. It is connected to a buoyant economy, but the link is not as direct as people imagine."

Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys department store in New York and author of the memoir Beautiful People, is rather blunter. The notion of fashion design reflecting the economic mood is "a total fallacy. Fashion people live in a creative hermetic bubble and are rarely so tuned in to the political or financial vicissitudes of the world. The idea that they might have a Dr Strangelove conclave where they confer about hemlines and the economy is hilarious." Nonetheless, he says, "there is one certainty about recession, which is that fashionistas will buy less - by which I mean one pair of Louboutins instead of three."

It seems we are in tune with Doonan, whose advice to customers "is always to dress up rather than down, in tough times. You owe it to your pals, family and colleagues to present yourself in an optimistic and fabulous way. Remember what Quentin Crisp said? 'When war broke out, I bought five pounds of henna.' "

So, there you have it. Women will do what they want to do when it comes to fashion. Whether the hemlines grow longer or get shorter; the point will always be - to look fabulous.