Jay Co. native will be on Fox

Two million and still counting.
That’s about how many people have read a blog entry on parenting by a former Jay County resident.
“Everything’s a whirlwind right now,” said Stephanie (Phillips) Metz in a telephone interview while waiting to board an airplane to New York City Friday afternoon for an appearance this morning on Fox and Friends.
The whirlwind started for Metz, a 2003 Jay County High School graduate and daughter of Bruce and Cathy Phillips of Portland, on Oct. 25 when she posted an entry on the Internet.
The Rapid City, S.D., resident has been blogging for about four years. “Since my oldest son was born,” she said.
But her entry titled “Why My Kids Are NOT the Center of My World”  struck a nerve. The young mother’s essay decried a culture in which kids are taught “that they’re always the victim.”
“Modern parenting and thinking makes me crazy,” Metz wrote. “The young generations of today … are being taught that they shouldn’t have to ever put up with anything that doesn’t make their hearts feel like rainbow colored unicorns are running around pooping skittles onto piles of marshmallows. Modern parenting is creating a generation that’s not going to be able to function in society.”
The 29-year-old added, “Obviously, as parents, we love our children more than anything. But dropping everything to cater to their every need is only going to lead to a very rude awakening once they enter the real world.”
The blog entry has racked up more than 700 comments, most of them positive though some were critical of what they saw as too light a touch on the issue of bullying.
Metz said she’s had 700,000 views of the blog entry on her website and countless more since the entry has gone viral and been posted on the Fox News website.
“It’s probably close to 2 million views by now,” she said. “I really don’t know.”
So when Fox and Friends suggested she and 4-year-old Hendrix fly out to make an appearance, Metz agreed.
Husband Matt will stay back in South Dakota with the younger son.
The broadcast is scheduled to air at 9:45 a.m. today.
“Then we’re flying right back,” Metz said.
But other TV appearances may be in the works. Both ABC and CNN have been in touch.
To read Stephanie Metz’s blog, go to http://themetzfamilyadventures.blogspot.com. The entry that has sparked so much attention is archived with other October entries.[[In-content Ad]]