The Illustrated Life of Terri Jean

When I was 12 years old, I flew out to a little town near Tulsa, Oklahoma with my grandma Whitlatch. We had a great time and it was my first time flying, my first time traveling with grandma, my first time meeting my grandma's sister and her family, and my very first super harsh sunburn (and being soaked in a tub of vinegar water by two old ladies who were very, very thorough.)

Another first was meeting a couple who decided to rid themselves of watching or reading any negative news. They told me how much happier they were and what a waste of time it was to concern yourself over things that you had no power to control. This no-bad news policy has influenced me greatly, and I try hard not to get emotionally involved with negative news on a daily basis.

It's relatively easy given we also cut out cable television in 2011 due to cost - both of the cable bill and of all the advertise-driven crap my family was lured into buying. I noticed that it seemed like there was far more commercials on television - when compared to the actual programming - and way too much was marketed to children... children who bugged their parents to purchase whatever plastic crap was being hocked at the moment.

Turning off the TV was one of the best things I've ever done as a parent. It's right up there with breastfeeding and attachment parenting.

We have Hulu and Netflix and, of course, programming online, but the amount of actual commercials watched now has dramatically dwindled.

This is also true with the news.

I can remember days going by where the TV was focused on a murder trail or a natural disaster or a war across the globe. My children saw these images. My children saw the people suffering, the piles of dead bodies, and I'm sure they felt a sense of instability in the world with each pan of the camera.

Now we watch positive news on Youtube... the feel-good stories that promote optimism and stability in young kids. It's much better than what was on my mom's screen the other day when I stopped to visit --- it was all about a woman who apparently shot her boyfriend and was claiming self-defense. Mom knew all the details and seemed so wrapped up in the content that it actually upset her when the woman was speaking in her defense.

Luckily, I know absolutely nothing of this case, nor do I want to.

Another point on my side... the anti-negative news side! (Which is also the negative television marketing side.)

Come on over to my side friends... we're happier over here.

Me with my beloved great grandma... whom I loved very, very much. Miss you grandma!!! Muah!

With grandma's sister, my great-great Aunt Pauline.

Yes.. I was very tall.