Two reasons.....

I did a 7-day sex challenge but for different reasons. [2008-11-24]
My husband had to wake up an hour before me for work. Every morning, he liked to wake me up with him and then tried to get some before getting ready. I went to bed usually 2 to 3 hours later than him. Needless to say, I wasn So, I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. One night, I came to bed about 2 hours after him and he was sleeping soundly. I woke him up to have sex with me, which he did without complaint. The next night, the same thing. The third night, the same thing. He never complained. By the 5th night, when I woke him up, he said he was just too tired. He needed to sleep. I laughed a little and said,Funny, that He got the hint and apologized. He agreed not to do that more than once or twice a week and things seemed to be fine. That was 6 years, 9 months and about 2 weeks ago. You see my son was born 6 years and 2 weeks ago. The little lesson I taught him ended up teaching me a much bigger lesson. How come we women always get the short end of the stick?But I love my little guy!

Although for different reasons, I'm putting mine up [2008-11-20]
later than usual. I usually have them up by Thanksgiving, but this year I think I We don I Our current house is a little small and the tree really clutters it up. We If I didn I love Christmas, but things are just too hectic and cluttered right now.

I think there are various reasons. [2008-07-26]
One, as you hinted at I don't think parents are tough enough or set high enough expectations for their kids. Similar to you, I took a TV guide once. They were all lined up at the check out (by the cashier, not the candy) and I thought they were free. I aws sitting in the cart and as mom was chit chatting I tossed one in the cart. When I got home, wow...I knew it wasn't good. Then my mother made me take it back and talk to the manager. I will never forget that. Its like a video in my head. Later I had to tell dad what I did and they explained that even if I think something is free I need to ask becauase things are not always safe or good for kids but the bottom line was that I was responsible and it made a serious impact on me. They didn't spank me, ground me, or anything else just held me responsible even if it was unintentional - I still did something wrong and had to own up to my mistake. The point of that story is I don't think parents do that very much these days. I know my sister wouldn't. Funny to think we grew up in the same house and same values sometimes. Parents are too easy on kids these days. My husband being another. I think a lot of kids just dont' care or the punishment isn't enough to bother them in their core. Another reason, for more serious crimes, I think is mental illness. Not that I think they should be treated different but I really think there is a root cause to a lot of rapes, murders, kidnapping and things of that nature. Governement doesn't seem to be helping people with disability and such as they used to, money is tight, and schools get blamed for over-diagnosing or for being too hard on kids.

Two reasons..... [2008-06-30]
When you don't have the money, you learn to do it yourself....or else. On the other hand, like my son-in-law and his family, they pay everyone to do everything and that is why going OUTDOORS to sweat is a real no-no for him. He was raised to believe you pay someone else to do everything for you (they got lots of money) and you can do nothing. On the other hand, at least those people can give others a job that really need it and can't afford to do nothing.

Three main reasons why marriages break up... [2008-05-27]
money, in-laws, cheating.....

I think it is a dangerous thing to do for several reasons. [2008-04-29]
First, it shows the employer that the employee is not responsible with their finances. Creates a feeling of always desperate and can never get enough. Secondly, how can one ever possibly try to hold to a budget with constant borrowing from the future? You can never, ever borrow your way out of debt. Sad.

I know what you mean about the time reasons but [2008-04-14]
the last couple of times I watched Pretty Woman there were added scenes that aren't in the original movie. To me they have made the movie longer to be able to get in more commercials, JMO

Equally upset at either, but for different reasons. nm [2008-02-01]
x

I can't listen to it, for reasons I just can't go into. nm [2008-01-03]
!

I'm against, but not for those reasons, [2007-11-19]
and not in all situations. I live on a dangerous corner, and unfortunately, about 10 years ago, a young person was killed in front of our home. Within hours, our property became a shrine. And I understood why the friends and family wanted to visit the scene of the accident and leave a memorial. We kept the memorial area cleaned up, removed trash and dead flowers, deflated balloons, and even put stuffed animals in plastic bags. After six months, we cleared everything away, and we were quickly accused of being heartless. I know that it's easy to believe that I'm heartless, but, truly, I wanted my property back. I didn't want to maintain the memorial, and I had contacted the family about removing the memorial. Interestingly, they had no problem with it. But friends of the victim, and even people who had no connection to the accident victim, were offended and caused a ruckus in the local press, left ugly notes and voicemail messages, etc. To this day, people stop by and leave little signs, messages, etc. Our house sits close to this busy road, with only about 10 yards from my front step to the curb. Perhaps if I lived on a farm and was set back, this wouldn't be a concern, but my small front yard is mine, and in the end, as the property owner, I have every legal right to remove whatever is left on my property. Having been through this, my feeling is that memorials are a help to families. But, please be aware, property owners have the final say in this matter. Personally, I would rather memorialize a person's life than the place of death. I think it's better to honor them by supporting whatever charities s/he supported, volunteering where s/he volunteered, etc. A roadside memorial instantly reminds me of a tragedy, and tragic moments are not where I want to put my heart and mind. I'd rather remember the living times and honor a life with action.

I had it done for the same reasons as you. sm [2007-07-26]
I hated doing it but I was at a loss. I had tried everything else. Both cats did very well as they were faily young. My daughter still ended up with cat scratch fever from a back claw. I didn't even know that was really an illness until she was diagnosed with it.

Really think about the reasons why... [2007-07-03]
My mom went through a period where she felt similarly at around the age of 50. She quit her job of 20 years and took a traveling job. In theory, it was an excellent idea, as my brother and I are both grown, etc. She absolutely hated it. She missed her family. She liked seeing the new places, but only for a few days. So really think about what it is you want to do and your reasons for doing it. I think you may find that if you do it for the wrong reasons and make drastic changes, your feelings will follow you no matter what you are doing or where you are.

We did curfews for a couple of reasons [2007-06-21]
Our 3 oldest kids are in their 30s now. Here's what we did with them and will do with the 2 teenagers when they finish high school. CURFEWS - absolutely because 1) with the layout of our house they had to walk right by our room to get to theirs and we had to get up early to work to support the household 2) we both believe there's nothing good going on after midnight 3) the kids were always welcome to have friends over or be on the phone on weekend nights 4) the kids were expected to get up in the mornings and go to jobs or help with chores or the younger kids or whatever. Nobody got a free ride from high school graduation on. Did we have a few skirmishes? Sure. But if there was a particular reason to be out, a movie, concert, then we were flexible. We all survived it and we will with the younger two as well. You and yours will too. Just remember to keep the most important thing - your sense of humor.

I personally enjoy the company of my Yorkee and other reasons are.... [2007-03-05]
that when he was a puppy and I knew I I don If he barked at people, I I personally just really enjoy being around animals. I have two labs too, but they are impossible to take the places I take my Yorkee to, which is one of the major reasons I wanted a small purse dog. I just love animals and enjoy their company either at home, in the car, or in a store. Most people do not even know I have him. I put the screened side towards my body and it looks like a regular purse unless you look very closely. If he is noticed, they usually are thrilled to see him. I have had more elderly people share their life stories of their small dogs with me when they see me out and about (usually at the kids He brings joy to many people, including me! I'd be offended too if someone's purse dog barked at me, but if they were just sitting quietly in the purse, I wouldn't care, but I would care if it were a restaurant as I don't think that is sanitary. Hope this shows you another side of purse dogs and why we take them with us.

Believe me there are many reasons [2007-02-14]
I have been to several marriage counsellors and have spent many years praying and crying trying to get him to work on things. I told him a couple of years ago that I was losing my feelings for him and was afraid I couldn He never listened until recently when I started wanting a divorce. Now he wants to change things but I am afraid it There has most likely been a lot of cheating in the past although I don He He was in the military and is very black and white, type A, hunter, engineerj type guy. Even now that he is trying to work on things he isn I keep telling him to change his behavior, treat me with some respect as a person and it might lead to physical at some point, but right now, I just absolutely cannot do it!

on subject of divorce reasons [2007-01-23]
Mine: 1. He cheated on me with EVERYBODY he could. 2. He was a control freak, didnt work, took all my money and hit me. His: 1. she cheated on him. 2. She was a control freak and all she wanted him for was his money. When he changed from a high paying, high stress job to a lower pay but much lower stress job, she left. Is it any wonder that either one of us wants anything to do with anybody else?

see my post below on divorce reasons [2007-01-23]
I should elaborate on this - I have known this man for probably about 20 years. I know that I can trust him. I do not want someone who will bring me home an unwanted surprise that I only learn about at the doctors office. Or somone who will beat me. I know that he would not do these things. and yeah, him being a christian means a lot to me.

Give me 3 good reasons why you women put up with sm [2006-12-26]
this nonsense, and no fair naming children.Why in the world would you choose to live like this with these neanderthal men? Believe me, alone is so much better. At least then you have choices. and the children you are raising are actually children, not grown me.

Your post reminds me of all the reasons I love working from home. [2006-12-07]
Merry Christmas to you also!

Has society become this bad and why [2008-11-29]
I saw the post down below about the Wal-Mart worker. Here is a new article that just came out (link below). The police are now looking at video surveillance to see who trampled this poor worker to death. Personally I hope they find all responsible and prosecute them to the fullest. It doesn I like their store just fine, it is what society is doing to people that nobody even bothered to stop and help this person. I grew up in the 60s/70s in a small town in New England. Maybe I'm old fashioned but my parents/grandparents taught me better than this. I just can And for what? Getting a Christimas item? This is one of many reasons why I do my Christmas shopping (what very little I do) online and gift cards. I think the traditions of the big shopping day the day after Thanksgiving should go away. I really donlove thy neighbor, not trample, bite, and spit at them so you can grab that item. (BTW - you can shop online at Walmart too). I think to myself that I thought the spirit of Christmas was supposed to celebrate Christ. Oh yeah, I'm sure he is so proud of people like those who harm others and cause death so they can get what they want. I hope those guilty are sitting at home worrying about whether or not their face is going to show up on the video camera. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081129/D94OJ4NG0.html

Wal-Mart employee [2008-11-28]
I read about that as well - pitifully sad. Shows the state of manners and common decency in this country. If they ever find out who it was who incited this, they should get the book thrown at them! That is one of the reasons why I shop online the majority of the time...

I never go out on Black Friday...SM [2008-11-28]
We live in an unstable environment, I feel at least. And I woudlnt feel safe going to a store on this day. In fact, I do all my shopping before Thanksgiving, mainly just to avoid lines, crowds, and out of stocks, but in the last few years I also have to safety into my mix of reasons for my early shopping. Crazy world!!

I say forgive, of course, but forget, NO WAY......sm [2008-11-16]
To be a true friend and truly care for someone, you first have to respect them and honor their dignity....how can care for anyone, friend, lover, or whatever, if you cannot be TRUTHFUL? How can you say you respect someone whiile blatantly lying to them? As a Christian and hopefully good person, I belive we always have to forgive, but to forget as if nothing had happened, that is impossible, I would think. She betrayed you by lying, not by seeing your ex, that is HER problem if she wants a second-hand loser, but friendship is a sacred bond, I am sure you can forge some newer, better friendships, can you ever feel any confidence in this woman again? Just my firm opinion, I had this done to me many years ago when very young, and although we tried, the friendship was never the same, for obvious reasons. God bless in your decision!

Before you push the panic button sm [2008-11-14]
This is a recession, quite possibly the mother of all recessions. It may turn into a depression, but it will run a very distant second to the Great Depression, IF it does. Pre the GP (Great Depression) you several things going on that are NOT true today. We had come out of WWI not that long before. It had been a very bloody war, the first war with mechanized destruction. What the Doughboys witnessed was for them what we saw on 09/11...unimaginable death and destruction. It changed how they viewed America. When these boys came home from the war, they came back to the farm, by and large. We were an agrarian country and with the exception of east coast, there were hardly any factory jobs and most people worked the land. Plenty of places all over the country people worked on shares and they were not all in the deep south and they were not all black. There was not nearly the land/home ownership that there is today. Most of these dirt farmers lived in poverty and barely scraped by enough to eat twice a day. When the great Dust Bowl came through Oklahoma, it took the enormous clouds of dust eastward and dumped it into the Atlantic Ocean. This was a man-made disaster and the story of the Joads in the Grapes of Wrath centers on the Dust Bowl and the farming habits of families, like the Joads caused them problems. It was their fault that the top soil blew across FDR's desk in the Oval Office. There was no infrastructure to speak of, in those days. There were roadways, but not the spider web of paved roads there are today. Goods were carried on the rails, not over the roads. You didnin town and the Sears-Roebuck catalog. If you couldn't find it there or could not afford it you either cobbled something together or did without. You can look the Coal Miner's Daughter about being so low-down dirt poor it is unbelievable. That movie is quite cleaned up and Hollywood presentable. You could look at the sparse surroundings of the ranch house in Broke Back Mountain where Ennis goes after Jack dies, and while the time frame is more modern, the very plain, only the very basics of life appear in that ranch house. They are both a bit sanitized, but reasonably realistic. Today, Americans live extraordinarily different lives than we did 80 years ago. Most people have a vehicle. Most people have more than a dirt floor shack to live in. We, have thanks to the Great Depression and FDR's recovery plan, electricity, roads, water, sewage and other sanitation. We take these things for granted, but we should not. The GP did bring some food shortages, not because of the depression, but because of the lack of infrastructure combined with people on the move to find work to subsist. The food shortages you are thinking of came with WWII and rationing...another problem secondary to lack of infrastructure and subsistence farming where there was not enough food produced to meet the need. If you are going to stock up on food, let be for more common sense reasons. If you put your money in the bank, you will make 2% or 3% return on $500. If you put that same amount into nonperishable food (think canned goods), you make a better return on an investment. You don't earn 2% or 3%, but you can end up leveraging against future price increases that will meet and exceed what interest you make from a bank, which is nothing right now. You will need food whether you buy it now or buy it later. Squirreling away extra under the bed or whatever place you can find room, is a wise investment...financially and in peace of mind.

I'm sorry [2008-11-08]
I didn't mean to make you feel like your opinion wasn't wanted or valid. Like you said, I believe the OP wanted both sides, just discussing an alternate view point and really looking for more info on your point of view. It's good to have info from people that have different ideas. Something like dosing is not something I have thought about and it completely makes sense. I believe as part of the vote it stated that growing it yourself, for medical reasons, would also be legal - unless I am remembering incorrectly and someone please feel free to correct me. That would bring a valid point of dosing and if you have family members whose to say they aren't going to take a little here and there without medical necessity. Overall I am basically just speaking from experience of watching a family member die of cancer and take all the meds possible without relief and often wondered if this would have been a viable option for their comfort. Had I known where to get it, I probably would have gotten it for them illegally - but I would have had no clue where to begin with such a search. Yes, that's a lot of emotion going in to a big decision but I think emotion is a big part of medical treatment too.

Homeschool [2008-10-31]
This is just one of many reasons I chose to homeschool.

They have requested here that they do [2008-10-30]
Halloween Thursday night too for safety reasons, but said they cannot enforce it, so we may have 2 nights of it.

Some insight [2008-10-25]
The information provided about the time-consuming paperwork, etc. probably should be a hint to the rest of us that those people who choose that way of life rather than work have reasons other than laziness for living that way. Kind of reinforces in my mind that our society needs to do so many things differently and realize there are even more important things to be taught than math, reading, and science. Bless you for having to raise 6 kids! :)

First rule: Know your prices. sm [2008-10-23]
Second rule: Then again, it won't save you any money to drive all around unless you are making substantial purchases. If just one item is a little higher at Wal-Mart or the grocery store where you already are shopping, might as well go ahead and get it then. I shop first at the Dollar Store. Love Top Job and can't always find it anywhere else. Also, those old timey remedies include vinegar, cheapest and proven to kill as many germs as alcohol and bleach. Back in the day, I remember the ladies starting out the wringer washer (yes, I am that old) with the whites, then running those out to the side and reusing the water. I have actually wished a few times I had a wringer washer, especially after a hurricane. Then they started rinsing the clothes using the same water as long as they could for the rest of the stuff. Make a list and stick to it, no impulse buying, take your coupons, maybe include a small cooler or thermal bag in your vehicle especially in the summer. Check out the new lightbulbs, LEDlight that is almost always on. From what I understand, there is no real saving if you just turn it on to get something, then turn it right back off. I had motion detection lights outside, but had to unplug it, too much breeze here on the coast and the trees constantly set them off. Almost choked on that light bill. Some economist on TV was saying to shop the perimeters of the store and avoid the center aisles, this for both money and health reasons. See something really cute and not too expensive at wal-mart? Started telling myself I bet I could get 50cents for that in a garage sale in 6 months. Not doing the impulse buying will save a small fortune; it really adds up. Don't look at the stuff while you are checking out, either. Check out America's Test Kitchen, not long ago they had a program on making your own pizza in 30 minutes. If you have kids, that can save you a fortune, that is about the most expensive thing out there. my grandmother made the most wonderful soup - from a soup bone and leftovers. She never threw away leftover veggies; they went into the freezer in little bags until needed. That is another thing, cut back on the meat and up the veggies. I do splurge on some things. I usually have canned chicken ready for cheater pot pie and frozen pie crusts. All 3 of my daughter-in-laws use that recipe now, great with leftover chicken or turkey, another thing to be frozen when left over. If you do eat out, make it during the day when prices are down. maybe I gave you one or two things anyway. Good luck.

Not really, but [2008-10-22]
We just have to kids, 5 and 14 and the youngest one will be happy with anything. We usually buy a large gift for each one and then smaller ones. We don don't know how they do it). Also, we don't have a lot of people to buy for at all. We stopped buying for the neices and newphews now that they older (the younger ones live far away and unfortunately my husband isn't that close with his family) The rest of the family doesn't really exchange any more either for financial reasons. For each other my husband and I usually just buy something for the house or something we need, and I think this year it's going to be a TV.

what? [2008-10-16]
That is a lame way of parenting in my humble opinion. Teaching your child right from wrong and what God requires of us is not sheltering them. It is building character, a functional person that can add something to society, a God-fearing member of this world. Your attitude is exactly one of the reasons why our youth is the way they are today. I guess just anything goes these days.

This is true scripture. However, I made a point [2008-10-16]
when the parishioners in Sunday School elevated themselves as better than the people who were not at church that day. I pointed out there are many reasons, such as having to work, or having to tend to a sick person, or being ill, including emotionally challenged. THey had no clue what I, as the Pastorus versus them disgusts me. Truly it does. BTW: I have to transcribe on Sundays, because my husband's Pastor job does not pay enough for me to quit and guess what, as MTs we have to work weekends. I work because I have to. And not because I am avoiding regular church, which BTW our denomination does not offer services other than Sunday morning.

Check your area for reclaimed grocery stores. [2008-10-11]
That's where you can get perfectly good groceries that regular stores have returned for various reasons. Expiration date may be soon, or packaging is out of date because a promotion is over, or maybe the product was discontinued. I saw a segment on the news, and people save around 40% to 50% on their food bills.

Thanks, you guys. [2008-10-10]
I appreciate all of your support, everyone. Do you sometimes feel like you I do. My own church kicked me off the music team because divorce is a sin, and God hates divorce. That has been harder on me than the divorce itself is. The ex still attends that church, and everybody feels so sorry for him because mean ol They don It Another thing, how do you cope with the fact that your long time friends (who are all still married) suddenly act like you have the plague? Maybe I I

I think [2008-10-02]
people choose people for a variety of unconscious reasons. One of those complex and simple things (at the same time). Really hard to pinpoint though. Also, mannerisms also fall under the category of looks, so that factors in as well. Sometimes I think someone gets hung up on someone for one or two elements. I think ultimately there has to be more for it to last though, so then it comes down to connection and friendship.

Any suggestions are welcome [2008-09-30]
I find I am going into a depression each day as time goes on. The root cause is home sickness. I live far away from my family where the only way to see them is to fly. This happens maybe once every 3 or 4 years (which is how often I go back). My DH doesn However, with that said DH listens to a lot of talk shows, news stations, etc. Almost 2 or 3 times a week heanyone is nuts to want to get on a plane now adays. I havensis is desparate to see me and I haven He just came out again to tell me hedonCanada to Mexico whenever they want to) My heart just sinks everytime he says that. Once I told him that they have to make flying safe because the whole country is filled with people who have to fly for business or personal reasons. I want to go back to see my family so badly my heart just aches, sowas thinking maybe betweenThanksgiving andChristmas time frame (we donthat way it would give things time to settle, but I just haven Also, with the crisis and election coming up there is a lot of uncertainty too, and I can't throw too much at him (he can't handle it). - Believe me in this household the impending gloom and doom are an every day part of our lives and our talks what we'd do if certain things were to happen. What would you do? Do you think I should just hang in there and wait to see what happens over the next few weeks or so? P.S. - we do not have a marriage where I just demand or tell him the way its going to be. Of course I may just be thinking too much of this, but at this point not sure and I get more and more depressed the more I think about it. So looking for some opinions/suggestions on how you would handle this situation.

They all get deployed... [2008-09-24]
My daughter just joined the AF last December. Finished BT and tech school in June. She is getting deployed Christmas day. She has an environmental job, was told during MEPS, etc. that she would likely never get deployed. They lie. Thankfully she is getting deployed to some AF base near Dubai, not in a war zone, so I can sleep at night. I think deployment is 167 days or something like that. Anyway.... take anything the recruiter says with a grain of salt. They lied to my daughter about a lot of things - BUT - she absolutely loves the AF, loves her job, and I think she made a good decision. Try to support your son if you think his reasons are good for wanting to join, let him do it and hope for the best. :)

more than a little worried [2008-09-19]
I have been watching my 403B get smaller and smaller. At this rate I will be working until I am 75! I know all the reasons to keep the money invested, buy low, sell high, etc., etc., but every time I get my statements I just want to cry.

Mine cheated [2008-09-18]
twice on me in our 33-year marriage. The first was 26 years ago, supposedly a one-night stand. I think the only reason I even found out was he was afraid he had contacted a sexually transmitted disease and was afraid to pass it on to me. Thank goodness he didn I forgave and I really did forget as the years went by. We had a wonderful marriage, at least I thought. I was very happy and content. Then 7 years ago, he had another affair. This one, lasted for 18 months. He was really smitten by this woman, and even planned on leaving me. I knew something was going on, confronted, had a lot of emotional issues, and finally the truth came out. He decided to leave her and stay with me. However, the things that were said to me about how beautiful she was, she was perfect, blah blah blah, and the nasty things he said about me to my face. I cannot forget. We are together, we are not close. I feel as if there has been a brick wall built between us. I am not sure if I am staying in this marriage or not. There is no trust for him on my part whatsoever!!!! No, this time around, I am having a hard time forgiving and forgetting!!!! I wonder all the time if he thinks about her, if he has only stayed with me for financial reasons, and so on. It eats at me, and I feel as if I have aged 20 years. So, yes, I think there are times when you can forgive and forget, and other times you cannot.

The first stone, anonymissy. [2008-09-18]
Get spayed?? For goodness' sake. Your vitriol must leave the constant taste of caca in your mouth. I don't envy you. This all happened almost 40 years ago. I'd say I've forgiven myself, but I have never thought--& still don't think--I had anything to be forgiven for. I made a difficult decision. Period. I'm just sharing my experience, but I certainly didn't do it so that some board-lurking wack job with her own very serious self-forgiveness issues could flame me. I always say, when people have such an extreme reaction it's coming out of their own pain. Whatever it is, you should get therapy or something, before it totally takes you over, although from the sound of it, it sounds like it's probably too late for that. This was my experience, for better or for worse. I think anyone who can give a child up for adoption is absolute saint. Abortion is not easy, but I'll be the first to guess that giving up a child is much, much harder. But I was not that person then. I was an out-of-control teenager. Speculating on how I would have behaved if I'd known then what I know now is pointless. At the time I knew nothing. The reality of the situation did not really touch me then, other than the fear of disruption of my life. I would imagine a lot of teenagers who get pregnant feel the same way, & one of the reasons I'm saying all this is so that if anyone comes into contact with such a girl, you can have a perspective on what she might be thinking. Or not thinking, as the case may be. So, anonymissy, to answer your questions, I guess you would call them: 1. You need to tell me what a troll is, so I can tell you if I am one or not. 2. I'm not a liar, I really did have 4 abortions over my entire reproductive life, which is now over. I did not use abortions as birth control, in the sense that I did not plan any of the pregnancies, and for 2 of them I was actually on BC - once with an IUD and once with a diaphragm. The other 2 times I gambled & lost, but that kind of heat-of-passion decision making has been happening since the beginning of time, & to people a lot more mature than I was then. 3.Dysfunctional...hmmm. Well, let's see. Like I said, I'm not a liar. When I read a post by someone who is trying to make an honest statement on a board, who is making herself vulnerable by giving up very personal information in the hopes that someone in a similar situation or worse, & who has not been able to forgive herself, can maybe do that -- when I read such a post I don't pour gasoline on that person & light them on fire. I suppose you could say that all young, hormone-addled teenagers are dysfunctional, so in that sense I suppose you are right. But now? No. As for you, I would say you really ARE dysfunctional. I think the venom with which you responded to my post says everything anyone needs to know about you. That there is something you need to punish yourself for, regardless of your posts to the contrary, burning yourself in effigy, sort of. Saaay laaaa veeeee, man. It takes all kinds.

I never have, but my sister did. She didn't - sm [2008-09-16]
have remorse about it because (a) the (ex)-boyfriend that got her pregnant was a creep and she didn and (b) in order to stay in school. She had just started college, which our dad, a very strict, authoritarian sort of person with old-fashioned values, was paying for 100%. She knew that without a doubt, if he had found out she'd gotten pregnant (and he was a Catholic - compounding the problem!), that he would have pulled the plug on her college-funding and kicked her out of the house. That would have ruined the rest of her life. As a result of being able to have an AB on-request, and without my parents' knowledge, she was able to finish her education and get a Master's Degree in Education. She went on to become a fine teacher who got all sorts of awards for her innovative teaching ideas. Later, she changed careers and now works in the healthcare industry in the area of aging well. Without her education, she would be working a low-paying job, and possibly even made the mistake of marrying the good-for-nothing boyfriend, just to keep a roof over her head. Anyway, that's HER story. Everyone's situation, reasons for doing what they do, and feelings about it afterward are different. Just going through with the birth of the child & putting it up for adoption doesn't necessarily guarantee it a good home, either. Especially if it doesn't happen to be a Caucasian child with no health problems, which is what not all, but most, people want. Other people have ABs because the remorse they say they would feel for that is less than what they would feel if they actually delivered, and saw, the child, and then had to give it up. Anyway, everything in life has a price, there are always decisions to make. You made the decision you had to make at the time, so I hope that in time your sadness dissipates. If you had to do it over again NOW, then of course you probably wouldn't. But this is now and that was then, so please try not to feel too sad about the past. Now that you do have children, I'd be willing to bet that you're loving them even more, and taking care of them even better, than you might have if you hadn't had to part with your first pregnancy. So in a way, your first child's legacy lives on in the lives you're providing for your existing children now. And that's what matters most in the end.

Anonymous question regarding abortion (sm) [2008-09-16]
With this being a major factor in the political arena right now I wanted to ask this: For anyone who has ever had an abortion (and there are many of us), were/are you ok with it still or did you have a period of extreme guilt/anxiety over it? I had one and did not terribly regret it, other than a short grief period, until I actually had children. I went through about two years of horrible guilt and remorse. I am now pro-life. I feel an abortion kills an innocent child and causes emotional scars for the mother that will never go completely away. I feel that I am not deserving of complete happiness in my life, ever, because I denied my child the right to have a life and attempt to find happiness. I know my reasons at that time and I know I felt like it was something I had to do, but the fact is many of us had them to avoid the shame, embarassment and/or financial burden that we feared. We thought we couldn The thing is, for the small price of some embarassment/shame and inconvenience, we could have given a family without a child a chance to have a child to love and raise, we could have given that child an opportunity to grow and seek happiness, even with obstacles to overcome. Instead, many of us chose a more selfish route, convincing ourselves it was less selfish. Anyway, that How about you.

Mine [2008-09-11]
used to go on business trips and would never check in as well and came up with a world of reasons why. He was seeing other women. That also played a role in lowering my self-esteem, but now I look back and actually feel sorry for him. He's alone and will never have the respect or relationship I have with our children. It's just pitiful, but he made his bed. I hope you have family you can talk to and get support from. If you need to email me, please feel free. I just know how you feel and I hurt for you right now, but I promise you, it'll all be okay.

My little girl is never getting out of the house!...sm [2008-09-11]
I have a 13 yr daughter, 14 and 16 yr boys. I Already she goes to the movies with girlfriends and skating and things but I For 2 reasons. The main reason is that I remember myself at 16 and in no way, shape or form do I want her doing ANYTHING I did then! I I know she The number 2 reason is because of all the freaks that are out there these days. Yeah they were there when I was growing up but now a days you can On the other hand, I have some relief because her older brother is very protective and he watches her like a hawk. It Boys are afraid to go out with her because of him! lol. He He just wonhis little sister. His freinds are even protective of her. Not too mention her dad. He He He just lets them know from the git go not to be messin with her! And she has a step-dad who Poor thing. She Anyways, back to the curfew (sorry I got off the subject! lol). As of right now, her curfew at 16 is going to be 11 pm with exceptions depending on the situation. Things like school dances, football games, etc. structured events, she But things like going out with freinds just for the heck of it.....11 pm. Unless, of course, her brother is with her! It You can say they wonAnd I partied with all types of kids at that age. Thepopular kids,nerds, stoners, jocks, youname it. They all partied. (some of the best partieswere at the homes ofkids from the catholic school!)I'm not saying that I don't/won't trust her.....cuz I do but....I don't know....I just know how it is and I worry.