Author Archives: The Senator's Wife

About The Senator's Wife

I started this blog on a whim thinking it would be fun to write about politics while my husband served in the OK State Senate. The jury's still out on that, but having a front row seat on the sideline of Oklahoma politics has been one big adventure.

Twins

Recently we took the Senator’s 85 year old mother to Colorado to see her 6 month old great grandchildren.

It was really neat watching them all interact and even more fun when the Senator and I babysat the twins. You talk about hard work. I had totally forgotten about how challenging the baby stage is – but my niece is a champion. She manages those two little people with such patience and style.

And, she is young……

And I am missing her this morning. Quite possibly because I was up with the birds and I imagine she was too….up early with those precious babes because sleep is not on their top ten list of favorite activities!

An Advocate for Children

Yesterday was a rough day at the Capitol for my Senator. He has a strong and consistent track record when it comes to protecting children. He has championed legislation that protects them from those who wish to do them harm. And, I’m talking the worst kind of harm….unthinkable crimes.

Well, it just so happens that those criminals eventually get released from prison and live in our city. Yes, there are laws that regulate where they can live in relation to children and they are supposed to register that address with local law enforcement. …. but do they? Do we really know where they are?

I know I am like most moms out there who are vigilant when it comes to protecting their children. I know there are a handful of registered sex offenders who live in close proximity to our house. I have looked them up online. I know their names, their crimes and their address and I like having that information. But there are so many more out there who don’t register this information. These people are the outcasts of our society and they are justly treated as such.

In my city, however, there is a ministry that tries to help these people, even though I think they are beyond help. They have a multi residence facility, if you can call it that, where these criminals live together. They are registered with the law and we know where they live and who they are… kind of like a leper colony.

I think there is a benefit to having them all together in one place. Easier to track, easier to find and more likely they will register their location with local law enforcement.

Well, the city doesn’t want them there anymore. And, I would be remiss if I didn’t say I wouldn’t want them there either. Like most people, I don’t want them anywhere….anywhere where they can harm children. However, unless we sentence them to a lifetime in jail, they will be somewhere and we should be vigilant in monitoring them and their behavior.

So, my Senator took on City Hall yesterday. He made local and national news for his ’emotional’ plea to not slap this ministry with frivolous restrictions which could potentially force this group to disband. The bill failed on its first attempt as it should have. It was a bad piece of legislation. But, the city brought in the big guns to have it reconsidered. They had ~~three~~ five lobbyists working it on the ground to get the votes when the floor leader brought it back for reconsideration.

One has to wonder what the motivation was for the city to take such extreme measures. The land this ‘group home’ sits on is not desirable. I’m sure time and money will tell. But for now, this ministry which helps the dregs of our society will most likely fold and there will be unintended consequences. Horrible, unintended consequences. These offenders will leave because they have to go somewhere and they will blend into our neighborhoods. They will go unnoticed. They may or may not register with the local law enforcement and they will undoubtedly harm more children.

My Senator will be watching. He is a consistent advocate for children down at the marble palace and I am extremely proud of him for voicing his opinions where their safety is concerned.

Feel free to jump in…

The Senator’s daughter wants a trampoline. She has wanted one for as long as I can remember. In fact, the word trampoline has been included on every Christmas and Birthday wish list for as long as she has been able to write…. Yet, there has never been a glimpse of a trampoline or glimmer of hope for one to magically land in our backyard.

The reasons are simple. The Senator has a real phobia about these contraptions. He thinks they are a liability and an apparatus just begging for children to break something. My father, who is a physician, concurs. In fact, he has always insisted that no child or grandchild of his shall own a motorcycle, trampoline or go sky diving. Ever.

Alright, so I lived with that growing up and turned out ok. Bikes and planes were never my thing and the neighbors had a trampoline. Sorry dad.

Yet, the Senator’s daughter….well, she refuses to accept this. Although, I’m sure if any of the neighbors had a trampoline I wouldn’t be having this online conversation.

But, this girl has some serious sass and determination when it comes to finding solutions….and, she wants to jump on a trampoline. Her trampoline. Before she is too old to jump.

She also realized early on that it wasn’t going to happen in the traditional manner considering her overly protective family situation.

So… the Senator’s daughter has been working hard, saving her money and has now banked enough pocket change to purchase a trampoline for herself…plus tax and shipping if necessary! She made the announcement around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday evening in the presence of the Senator, and her grandfather. It was fun to watch. Even more enjoyable was watching her take them out into the backyard to show them the site she had selected for the trampoline she was going to purchase. Priceless.

Her grandfather approved with one condition; no flips. As in, you can and will not do a flip, forwards or backwards of any kind. Period. The Senator’s daughter agreed without hesitation, realizing this was nearly a done deal.

The Senator….not so much. He is still trying to figure out how he lost control over the situation. I imagine he will soon realize, if he hasn’t already, that his daughter is one sharp cookie and had this one all figured out before he knew what was happening. She will also jump using extreme caution. I hope.

Like I said, feel free to jump on in the conversation. I’m sure it will remain an ongoing debate around this joint even after the trampoline has magically landed in the backyard!

I’ll keep you posted.