The Ringling Brothers Zing Zang Zoom will be at the Ervin J. Nutter Center in Dayton April 29-May 2, and we’ve got a family four pack of tickets to give away!
Thanks to Mom Central, I’m taking my family on April 29th, and I can’t wait! It sounds awesome – here’s what the winner of our Cincinnati giveaway had to say: “Winning these tickets gave my family the opportunity to experience the greatest show on earth. From beginning to end, all of us had the absolute best time. Zing Zang Zoom was spectacular. Thank you!!!” –Karen
To enter to win four tickets to the April 29th opening night:
1) Leave a comment on this post telling us what you think your kids would enjoy most about the show.
2) Tweet about the contest on Twitter and leave a comment here telling us you did so.
3) Post about the contest on Facebook and leave a comment here telling us you did so.
4) Subscribe to our feed and leave a comment here telling us you did so.
The contest will run until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 7th, and the winner will be chosen using random.org. Good luck!
But there’s more! Mom Central is offering a great deal on tickets – just use coupon code MOM on Ticketmaster.com and you can get four tickets for $44 for Monday-Friday matinee shows (any additional tickets are still priced at $11), and $4 off Friday night and all weekend shows.
Really want to win? Enter the giveaways hosted by our friends! Tickets are available from Shannan at MommyBits and Cortney at Evan Has Landed!
A few weeks ago, I read this post by our friend Megan at Velveteen Mind, where she refers to watching shows like “Teen Mom” on MTV as “homework,” the research she does as a parent to young children in an attempt to prepare herself for what’s to come, for what it’s like to be a teenager these days.
So at Megan’s suggestion (and because I have been a sucker for MTV reality shows for about 15 years), I’ve watched several episodes of “16 and Pregnant,” and for the most part, I cannot believe my eyes.
For starters, I can’t believe the jackass-ery of some of these teenage boys, the “fathers.” Most of them range from mildly interested in their offspring from the hours of 2-4 p.m. on Thursdays to verbally and emotionally abusive a-holes. Take, for example, Adam:
What that clip doesn’t show is the text message he sends a few weeks later calling the mother of his child a “fat, strechmarked bitch” and asking her what he has to sign to get rid of his “mistake.”
How her father refrained from going to get his gun is beyond me.
I also can’t believe the ignorance displayed – in fact, that might get me the most. My favorite quote from the latest episode? “You can’t really prevent pregnancy.”
Yes, you read that right.
On other episodes, though, I can’t believe the strength and courage of the kids. The episode about Catelynn and Tyler chronicled the story of two teenagers who had absolutely nothing going for them in terms of a family life but had somehow managed to become mature and wise beyond their years. The love they showed for each other and for their baby as they arranged an open adoption by themselves had me in tears. They were amazing.
In short, this show is heartbreaking.
It’s emotional and hard to watch and should be required viewing for all parents and young teens. It is full of relevant explanations and information – it’s been an education for me, to be sure.
The number 1 takeaway I hope girls see? Advice mothers have been giving for centuries. “The girl is the one who gets pregnant.” And clearly, in many many more cases than not, the responsibility falls squarely on her shoulders.
Have any of you watched this show? What’s your reaction to it (or to the clips above)?
