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Georgia has become famous this year as the home of reality television star, Honey Boo Boo, a young, avid beauty pageant contestant on “Toddlers and Tiaras.” The show features Honey Boo Boo and her family, who outwardly appear to be the stereotypical embodiment of backwards Southerners. They have quaint nicknames for each other, they are overweight and not shy about eating, they talk with strong accents, and they have funny interactions that have endeared them to their viewing audience.
On Monday, though, another side of Honey Boo Boo’s family was revealed. It seems that the family’s matriarch is a smart and savvy woman. Instead of blowing the $15,000 to $20,000 from each show that the family earns, Mama June has the money deposited into trust funds for her four daughters. They can’t touch the money until they are 21 for anything other than education or a medical emergency.
Mama June was on numerous news shows Monday, as commentators discussed this supposedly surprising side of a woman who is not exactly a member of the country club elite. She even went so far as to say the family will never live above their means or waste their money on things they don’t need.
Perhaps the surprise on the part of the national media is understandable because apparently, they don’t understand Southern women. Thrift is ingrained at an early age, as is cutting coupons, how to re-use everything from aluminum foil to Christmas wrapping paper, and ensuring that children are taught manners and do chores to earn their allowances.
In other words, Honey Boo Boo’s family may be the object of humor for many who laugh at their supposed uneducated ways, but what they are in reality is decent, hard-working, old-fashioned Southerners, who are smart enough to save their money for the future and who are happy with who they are and what they have.
What We Think
Lessons learned from Honey Boo Boo
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Charity never tasted so good
For one night, you can indulge your sweet tooth while contributing to a worthy cause at the same time.
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Historic day celebrated
On January 1, 1863, Pres. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, announcing that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious areas are and henceforth shall be free.
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How this garden grew
A special-needs couple wanted a garden. A teacher not only wanted to teach gardening skills but she also wanted to instill a sense of community purpose within her young students.
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Happy Father’s Day
He beamed with pride on our birth. He understood worry upon our birth. He is the giant by which we would judge all men. He protected us. He provided for us. He often sacrificed time with us to provide for us. He spent time with us.
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Thumbs up
THUMBS UP: To Stevie Young of Valdosta. The owner of Artistic Taxidermy, Young won Best in the World, Turkey, in the 2013 World Taxidermy Championship. His eastern wild turkey display dominated the competition, earning him the distinction of best in the world. Another title for TitleTown!
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Canning preserves food, way of life
When the going gets tough, the tough getting canning. Valdosta-Lowndes County residents have this opportunity.
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PSST!: Round Two!
With tonight’s opening of “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” Peach State Summer Theatre presents its second show of the 2013 season.
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A responsible fix for pets
The photo and story in Sunday’s paper about the dog whose owners had left him tied up with an electrical cord elicited a tremendous response from readers, outraged at the dog’s treatment.
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A band-aid in a crisis?
The announcement Monday by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities that a crisis stabilization center will be built in Lowndes County is good news for some, not so great for others.
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Slowing down for summer
Twenty-some years ago, it seemed Valdosta and South Georgia slowed down for the summer. School was out. Controversies seemed to dwindle. People seemed to work shorter hours despite the longer days.
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Charity never tasted so good
