Day १७: Yo Gabba Gabba!

I can't decide if Yo Gabba Gabba! is great child programming or an acid trip. Hunter and I are currently watching the program and it seems to really hold his attention. I think he's interested and disturbed by what he sees. My previous exposure to Yo Gabba Gabba! was through clips that The Soup featured making fun of the show... yeah, it's strange.


I know, you have to watch those clips several times. Strange and funny stuff.
Anyhow, we are on day 17 of life without daddy. Hunter started in with his daycare this week. Monday was his first full day and he did great. He is over his cold for the most part. His daycare is with three other girls all around his age. He's a lucky boy. While he was in daycare yesterday I got a lot done around the house. Today is sort of a wash for the most part.
I'm trying to figure out our base FRG and participation problem. It seems we are a people of indifference. We hate the system and love to complain but action is not something anyone is willing to take. How does a group of people come so jaded?
* Lack of Information: What you don't know will drive you crazy. Because of our size and isolation we are far from the usual avenues for advice, tools and general information. Sure the internet is helpful but it has taken me a month to research several topics pertaining to our branch of service and our base. I have but one child at home... most ladies here have several ankle biters. Information needs to be better available for us here.
* Exhaustion: As you can see self help is a full time job out here. As I've learned with my diabetes and insurance nothing comes for free and you must fight for everything. The same is very true when it comes to 'benefits' and 'services' that could be available to people here. If just one person goes about the task of finding this information without support it gets rough. Last week that was my issue. Not only was I doing my research alone but when I went to get base support I was at first dismissed. That has to change. There needs to be more encouragement from all base personnel when it comes to those who seek out self help or help in general.
* Isolation: Again, this one comes up a lot. If we were living say in the San Diego or Norfork area there are plenty of other services and military people around that information and help are available almost everywhere. Here we are alone and hours from the next military installation. If we get a person on this base unwilling to help us do or find this or that then we are stuck we have no other options. Again, the internet is helpful but blunt information is hard to come by.
Mix any of these things together and you get a group of people who just give up and count the days to PSCing. People here are checked out emotionally. I don't blame them, I have to check out on occasion myself.
Through my research I've found that although the isolation is rare that the exhaustion and lack of information is also found in varying degrees at all bases. It all stems from a breakdown in volunteers and participants. Although meetings and socials were the thing to do in the 1990s the new military families like to stay home and focus inward. They want it spoon fed to them on their timetable. I can't blame them either. When you have to find childcare for 4 kids for a meeting where NOTHING really gets accomplished... I'd avoid any FRG function! So the new emphasis on FRGs, Ombudsmen and so forth is the use of the internet. I've long thought that this was an important and under used tool in our group. Now I know it is vital that we pour more time and resources into it. I've already seen a jump in activity and communication on our website since I started revamping it last week.
There's more to be said on this topic. I could write a 50 page document on all my findings and possible solutions to our issues here. It's all floating in my head and marinating. I'll be journaling more about this process... for now I am out of battery power.