Pardon my Soapbox

     This afternoon I was in a resident's room giving her a manicure and she happened to be watching Ellen. Ellen had TV star Ellen Pompeo on as a guest and they started talking about Ellen P.'s latest 'cause'. Ellen P. has teamed with Huggies Diapers in a program called "Every Little Bottom".  Huggies has donated over 18 million diapers around the country to struggling women.  Ellen P. stated she was shocked to learn that one in three women struggle to put clean diapers on their children. I froze. I literally felt the anger start to creep in. I don't get ANGRY very often.  But this statistic and this cause actually made me mad.  Don't get me wrong...I totally agree every baby deserves to have a clean rear end, but SERIOUSLY?  Here's a thought...I may be going out on a limb by saying this but....  IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO PUT A DIAPER ON YOUR BABY, DON'T GET PREGNANT!!!!!

     Okay, Okay....I'm a Libra and I can usually see both sides to everything....so in all fairness, I'll lend some understanding to those  mothers who maybe lost their job (or their husband's lost their job) and when they had a baby could afford diapers...but perhaps now can't.   Likewise, I'll give credit to mothers who maybe left a horrible & abusive marriage to give their child a better life long term, but short term can't afford diapers.  I understand crazy and unforseen circumstances...but I highly doubt that would lead to such an alarming statistic.  One in Three women??

      Maybe instead of handing out free diapers we should hand out condoms....Unfortunately, once a person reaches a certain age they're deemed capable of making sound decisions...and let's face it...that's not always the case.

      The "Every little bottom" campaign sounds like a great and worthy cause, but a caring and loving mother would realize that they could buy a few cloth diapers and wash them.  It may not be the most sanitary option but it definitely beats putting a dirty or worse...no diaper on a baby.  I'd prefer to see a celebrity support a  "Every little mouth" campaign that donated formula or baby food....or clothing or blankets, etc.  You know...things necessary to a child's survival.  Because, let's face it, children can still go to the bathroom, diaper or no diaper, and they do everyday in other countries. 

      And while I'm on my little soapbox....I'm still waiting for infertility to catch on as a "fashionable" disease.  You know, like breast cancer.  Heck, even football players wear pink now.  **I'm not knocking breast cancer, by any means**  But I'd like to see more awareness for other causes....Alzheimer's disease has finally started to catch on, but there are so many more worthy causes out there.  Why don't celebrities donate some money to us middle class people who can barely afford to find out why we can't have children, let alone go through the procedures to actually HAVE kids.  I get sick when I see so many celebrities visiting a 'fertility doctor' like it's some new trend just so they can have multiples.  And I know couples like Bill and Guiliana Ransic legitimately have infertility woes, but do they understand the full magnitude of infertility???  I mean, they can afford to have test after test done.  They can afford to keep trying.  They can afford the best doctors.  How would they feel knowing that their ability to have a family not only relied on their bodies but their bank account as well?  Because that's what a true couple going through infertility faces EVERYDAY.  Our future family does not rest on our determination, on our love, on our gusto or our resilience....it relies on our damn bank account...our paycheck...our career path we chose when we were young and naive and actually took a job based on what we WANTED to do. 

     So why can't celebrities like them set up a fund...a scholarship of sorts....anything to help out us regular couples to complete our families...better yet...they could go to those women who can't afford to diaper their children and convince them to give up their kids for adoption....so my husband and I can have a family...because we can afford diapers....(and formula...and clothes...and to put the kid through college).