Letters to the new President and the "old" President

Dear Mr. President,
You are now the President of the United States, and I watched you get sworn in with mixed feelings. But I am proud to say that I was able and willing to vote, and that I have that right.  I have not been into politics until this election, and I really wish I had paid more attention in years past.  But that was then, and this is now.  In your speech, you talked up a pretty big game.  I believe that you really want to accomplish these things.  I believe that you do want to make America great again.  I just really hope that you also understand that you are not an all powerful being, and that you can be voted down or against.  Now I don't know you personally, so I cant really judge you based on that.  What I can, and do, judge you on is what I see when I watch the campaigns and debates.  From what I see, you are a man that takes no bullshit from anyone.  A man that says what he means and means what he said.  I see that you say it like it is, and you don't mince words for fear of offending someone.  I see that you have a very successful business, and that your children are successful too.  To me, that says a lot.  I really hope that those are the qualities that you will lead this country with.  I also see that you are a man that is a bit of a "hothead" and that you are quick to fire off a retaliation or reply to someone who says something false about you, or something that you don't like.  I hear that you are a man who loves the ladies a little too much and do not care about personal space or respect.  You have challenged those thoughts about you, and apologize when the proof was undeniable.  I hope that apology was sincere.  You said something you shouldn't have, and people do, and you said it a long time ago.  For that, I will not hold it against you.  What I will hold against you is your word.  You gave your word that you would give the power back to the people, and I am holding you to that.  I want a better future for my children, and I am giving you the chance to keep your word and do just that.

Your fellow American,
Kristina Tegtmeier

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Dear President Obama,
You are no longer our President.  Your term is finished, and you are free to go live your life how you wish from now on.  Now I didn't pay enough attention to what you did while you were in office, and honestly I don't really trust the words of very many people because of the possibility of it being biased.  Some say you did an amazing job, and some say you did a horrible job.  The only thing that I noticed and that affected me was the introduction to the Affordable Healthcare Act.  I believe you were trying to help the Americans that couldn't afford healthcare, and that, to you, the Act looked great on paper.  Just because it looks good on paper, and in theory, doesn't mean that it is good for everyone.  It made healthcare unaffordable, and also there is a penalty for those that do not wish, or cannot afford, health insurance.  My family is one of those examples.  Your "Obamacare" made it so that we cant afford insurance.  And to add insult to injury, we're also going to be slapped with a penalty.  How does that even seem remotely fair to you?  I didn't follow you during your campaigns and debates when you were running for President, so I don't know what kind of man you are.  I watched the PBS Special about your years in office, and Trumps recent victory into the White House.  But I have also learned that you cannot always trust the media because their views are skewed as well.  I hope that your healthcare act will be replaced or fixed to something that doesn't hurt families like mine.  I don't need someone telling me that I have to get insurance.  I am a person of sound mind.  I can decide for myself what is right and good for my family. I'd like to believe that you had very good intentions and tried your best.  But for my family, and for me, your best wasn't good enough.  I bear you no ill will, but I am glad that there will be "new blood" into the White House for the next 4 years.  Your job was tremendously difficult, and now you can breathe a little easier knowing you did what you thought best. 

Best wishes,
Kristina Tegtmeier

Dude, co-parenting is hard!!

Back in the days when I was single, I used to dream about the time when I'd marry my Prince Charming and we'd have some angels to raise.  They would always be such good angels and my Prince and I would agree on everything to do with parenting.  Now that I've found my Prince Charming, and we're raising our little angels, I can see how a little unrealistic that dream was.  I have since put it in the "fantasy" category, since that's where it fits best.  Don't get me wrong, Grant and I parent quite the same on a lot of stuff.  When we were talking about marriage and kids, we talked about our parenting styles to make sure that they weren't vastly different; and they weren't.  We were together on most, if not all, the big stuff. 

Now that Isabelle is 4, I've noticed that we differ on a lot of the small stuff that you really wouldn't think about; having a routine versus not having one, what the punishment is for throwing tantrums at suppertime and refusing to eat, how far we should take manners...ect.  It's not like we're fighting over any of it, it's just that it's been a little more of a compromise than I thought it would be.  But with everything in a relationship, the small things (I think) make up the foundation of your relationship.  Fight enough about the smaller things, and it'll start to chip away and make your whole life come crashing down.  I'm really happy that we've been able to find common ground and compromise when we need to.  It's hard for both of us to bend and concede, but we also know that if we want to make sure we stay together and keep that strong bond that we have, we have be able to.  I cant speak for him, but I know I've had to learn how to take a step back and let him do things his own way.  With bedtime, as long as he gets the basics, then how he gets them to sleep is up to him.  I have to really watch and make sure I don't jump in.  I've had to give myself a reality check a few times and just have a pep talk that he is a capable guy, and their father, and he knows what he's doing.  Hell, if he doesn't by now, he's a little screwed :)  Hopefully with Baby Boy on the way, we can continue to parent together and as well as we have been.  Our girls are such great girls, and we get compliments about them all the time.  Makes us grin because we can see our hard work at this parenting thing is working, and working well.