Ready? If you child does not want to try out for a competitive sport, DON'T FORCE THEM! They will just spend the whole time complaining how they don't want to be there. If you DO force your child and they get on the team, MAKE SURE THEY AREN'T COMPLAINING ABOUT BEING THERE! It is just a drag to everyone else who wants to be there. If it is 100 degrees out, tell your kid to suck it up! You allowed your kid to try out for a SUMMER softball team. They play IN THE SUMMER. They play ON FIELDS WITH NO SHADE. These facts should not come as a surprise and should not be a reason for whining. Don't like it? Don't try out. 50 girls tried out for 12 spots. If you child is taking a spot, have them respect that. TEACH THEM THAT. Teach them that it doesn't suck when it is 100 degrees out and they are playing their 4th game of the day in a tournament and they are they are hot and sweaty and tired. What sucks is trying out for a spot and not getting on the team. If your child gets on a competitive sports team, make sure you BRING THEM TO ALL PRACTICES. The fact that it is nice out and they want to go to the beach/pool/lake does not mean they can blow off practice. It just makes it stink for everyone else who does show up. The team cannot practice drills without everyone there. If you do actually attend practices, don't show up 15 minutes late with you and your child holding coffee coolatas from Dunkin Donuts. Be organized, get to practice on time and only go to the drivethru if you have time. If your child is a sore-sport, DON'T HAVE THEM PLAY ON A COMPETITIVE TEAM! If they cry for 15 minutes when they strike out, if they huff and refuse to try when they are playing a position they don't like, if they refuse to talk to their teammates when they get called out at a base -- take them home. Take yourself home. No one wants you there. If your child yells at you to "shut up!" from the middle of the field, at least have the self-respect to be embarrassed that you raised such a brat. Don't laugh it off. Take a parenting class. Make sure your child is NOT texting during a game. It is obnoxious. Make sure your child is NOT socializing with every Tom Dick or Harry that comes by the bench. They should be focused on the game. If the team is playing in a tournament and you hear your child wishing that the team loses so she can go home and go to the beach/pool/lake, then TAKE THEM HOME. And yourself. If you child runs up to you during a tournament and demands a slushie/ice cream/candy from the concession stand, DON'T GET THEM ONE! Wait until after the game. If you do actually have the backbone to say no and they whine at you and stomp off and pout on the bench, GO HOME. In conclusion, BE A PARENT! Manage your kids. Be responsible. Stop thinking it is okay because it is not.

Well, they say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, and she certainly fought admitting anything. I am sure that having her whole environment change around her, and having her stuff either moved/sold/given away really threw her for a loop. All she needed was the excuse of "where is my grandmother's purse??" to give her a reason to "give up" and leave. A whole house full of new stuff doesn't solve her underlying fear of giving up control.

Other than the whole colony of mice/rats living in her basement!! And did you see her get all defensive when they said her kitchen had a sour smell? I would bet her kitchen smelled about as bad as it looked. I just get mad because it seems like these shows are rewarding bad behavior. I wish they would come into a home that needs a redo but has a family who works to keep it clean and bust their butts on upkeep. Reward people who are working hard at it but don't have the funds. Not sloppy, lazy people who just get all uppity when their brand new stuff stops them from finding some old piece of junk.

I just watched this show last night, and I am so mad at that woman!! To have her whole house re-done, everything brand new, and to walk away because she thinks someone took her grandmother's stupid purse!!! I wish they went in a stripped that whole house back down to how it was. Talk about a head case! My mother used to always say "you are choking on a gnat while swallowing a camel" That lady just doesn't get, and will never get, the bigger picture. So undeserving

It is very common for deaf people to only know sign language and not English. I was surprised, too, when I first learned that in class, but as my teacher put it, "how many here can speak more than one language?" I know I can't. Sign language is their first language, and sign language is NOT the same as signed English. Sign language is set up completely different from English, with a different grammatical structure and almost no prepositions. Learning sign language doesn't set you up to know English. The sentence "do you like pizza?" would be signed as "pizza you like?" and is supported by facial gestures to show that it is a question. If you wrote the word "calculator" on a piece of paper they might have no idea what that word is. They only know it as a sign, not a series of letters. If these deaf people were only fluent in their language, sign, then perhaps that is why they don't carry around paper and pen to them. I could carry all the paper and pens I wanted and still not be able to converse with someone in Swahili.

I am sending my daughters back to school in September. One is going into 10th grade, and one into 8th. The school couldn't be more flexible about giving us what we need/want. They usually don't allow 10th graders to take AP's, but my daughter can take whatever class she wants, regardless of the level. They put her into French II with no problem, and basically said yes to anything we asked. She had taken two online courses with A averages and had two letters of recommendation, so that helped with her credibility, but for courses like math and science that she did on her own they just took our word for it. My 8th grader is technically going into 7th grade, but I knew she would be bored so I asked to have her bumped to 8th grade. Again, absolutely no problem. I think it depends on your guidance counselors/administration. If my school sytem gave me push back on things I really wanted I would go to the school board. They are made up of volunteers and the administration has to answer to them.

Today's headline: "A senator who has voted to protect the sanctity of marriage has not had an affair today ....." Now that would be news!

Thank you --- it sounded like a scam but the money order thing threw me. I didn't know they could be bogus, too. Should I report him to Craigslist? Or is that futile?

I am selling a fur coat on Craigslist. Someone responded, and after a few back and forth emails, this is the email he sent. It is obvious he is foreign, but is this one of those scams? Hello , How are you and your Family?? I want to Thank you for the prompt response to my inquiry,i would have loved to come by my self to see it ,but i am a little busy and i will like to tell you that i am very much satisfied with the description, condition and price of the Item and i would like to make an outright purchase immediately so i will advise that you withdraw the advert for the ad. I shall be making payment via Us Postal Money Order or cashier Check to your location after which my shipper will be coming over for the pick up once you have gotten the check i must notify you that i am sending an excessive payment so that after it clears you will deduct your money and pay the rest to my shipper so he can come for the Pick up. I have decided to pay $350 if you will sell this to me....Thanks and feel free to ask any question .i will need both your Full Name and Address to post the payment. Thank you and have a wonderful day. Regards.....Rick

I have been thinking about this for a while. The copyright thread motivated me to post. Is it right to fast forward past the commercials when you have taped a show? These companies are paying for the show to be on the air. Without the commericals, the shows would either not be there, or everything would have to be paid for like Netflix. If it is wrong to download a song for free and bypass paying the producers and artists, is it wrong to speed past the commericals and not give those companies their money's worth? Taping a show gives you the ability to "cheat the system", but is it right to do so?

You could send everyone a supply of the fabric and have each of them make 3 squares of whatever pattern they wanted (just make sure you have everyone make the same size square) and then put them all together for sample quilts. If you wanted to specify the pattern, 9-block squares are very easy to sew.

Actually, I have heard this sentiment many times before. In the past and recently. That is how I knew what she was referring to when she said "monkeys and fish are smarter." It's actually an opinon that has been around in a long time. What are you questioning here? That I wouldn't ask her the question (which I would?) or that I just don't get it? Because I really don't.

Since this post has expanded beyond my original story I'll throw out this question: I keep asking my husband this(he is against gay marriage so it makes for some very interesting conversations): Since marriage licenses are issued by the government, name me one other "right" that I have as a citizen that another American citizen does not have? We should all either be able to get marriage licenses, or all have civil unions. I mean, enough of this "seperate but equal" stuff. It didn't work before. This should not be a religious issue. The government gives out the marriage licenses. All those proclaiming beliefs laid out in the bible should not be able to hold back people who do not believe in the bible and are trying to gain something as a U.S. citizen. Those two things do not go together. As long as I am of the correct age (ex. driviers license, buying alcohol, voting) and don't have a criminal background (ex. gun ownership) I can partake in all the things the government offers. So, as Americans (not Christians -- I am not talking about forcing churches to allow gays to marry - if you want to get married in a church then you should abide by their rules) why is this the only right afforded by the government that we are withholding from a minority of people? Neither myself nor my husband, much to his chagrin, can come up with a right that is denied to some but not others.

Since I am the OP I should probably address this point as it keeps coming up. To address the "re-educate ..... self-declared set of beliefs". Again, I will state I was NOT addressing her beliefs per se, but more HOW her beliefs were being translated to her children. My beliefs about gay marriage was not part of the scenario on the subway. It was beliefs about children being taught to hate. If there is a group out there whose self-declared set of beliefs include teaching children to hate and I have stepped on their toes, then I apologize.:001_huh: I don't mean to oppress!!! To address the "educate or instill values .... contrary to the parents" -- my point of pulling the child aside to ask her the question was a rhetorical one. I really really truly don't get how people who believe that gays are dumber than animals align this belief when they meet smart, creative or kind gays? I was putting the point out there as a "so here's the part I don't get ..." And if I had the opportunity of speaking with the mother, I would have asked her this question. Because I just.don't.get.it. When did questioning someones opinion turn into wanting to step in and dictate how she raised her children? I mean, I wouldn't trust this woman raising fleas, but I get that she has her opinion. It just struck me, when I hear her young daughter speak, that I really was curious as to how they keep this opinion when there are a lot of very intelligent gay people out there.

Good post!

Actually, the traditional defintion used to be "man and wife" because the woman was property. They then changed the emphasis from money and property to love and personal fulfillment. It changed to now say man and woman. Because women were afforded respect. The changes in marriage have been both wide spread and in it's fundamentals. What is "traditional" about modern marriages today? Here are some changes to marriage I found listed on the internet: Legalization of divorce Criminalization of marital rape (and recognition that the concept even exists) Legalization of contraception Legalization of interracial marriage Recognition of women’s right to own property in a marriage Elimination of dowries Elimination of parents’ right to choose or reject their children’s mates Elimination of childhood marriages and betrothals Elimination of polygamy Existence of large numbers of unmarried people Women not taking the last names of their husbands I then found this quote which seems to sum it up nicely: Why was it acceptable in the past to make so many reforms in the nature of marriage that ultimately benefitted heterosexuals and women, but not acceptable now to make one reform that benefits gays? Is there any reason to think that all of these other reforms were somehow more “minor†or “superficial†than legalizing gay marriage? No — making women equal in marriage rather than property, eliminating polygamy, and allowing people to marry for love are all at least as significant as allowing gay couples to marry, especially since gay marriage is not unheard-of in human history.

Then I assume that you also protest someone like Brittney Spears who gets drunk in Vegas, gets married and divorced all within 24 hours. Or that show "Who wants to marry a millionaire?" where total strangers were granted a MARRIAGE LICENSE, not a civil union certificate. How far have we already twisted the definition? Society has already granted these people the right to do such things simple because it is between a man and a woman. Perhaps the definition shouldn't be defined as a man and a woman, but expanded to say "two people who love and respect each other and aren't drunk at a Las Vegas chapel at 2 a.m." Maybe THAT would show more respect to the institution of marriage. I personally think heterosexuals have done more to harm the institute of marriage than gays. The "slippery slope" argument has been used since before the time of Christ to try and repress all sorts of minority groups. Blacks gaining rights, women voting, women in the workforce ..... where will it all end??? Well, it ends with a society evolving and growing as our social consciousness grows. Where would we be if we listened to the "where will it end" cries before? I saw a funny picture once .... It showed Ellen Degeneris and her partner, and the caption said "Our mere existence is invalidating your marriage as we speak .... booga booga booga!" That just cracked me up. Booga Booga!! You're afraid of some non-existent boogie man (and he's gay to boot!!)

Thanks for all the responses! I think they used his number only as he still has his card. It also looks like they did it from a foreign location. The withdrawals are showing up as transfers, not ATM withdrawals, so I think they were doing it online perhaps? I plan to go through the statements a little closer to see if there is anything else amiss. Arrrrggghhh!!!

As I have said before in a post, The offense was not so much with her negative opinion about gays (although I do think she is wrong, I do not believe everyone has to think like me.) It was the obviously wrong way she was translating that opinion to her children. You can disagree with someone without promoting hate. My intolerance in this case comes not from her opinons, but in the hate that is then expressed by her children. Call me crazy, but that just seems wrong.

Sigh. Today I checked our bank balance on line and saw two huge withdrawals that weren't ours. I called the bank and they used my husband's ATM card number to get at the money. We have cancelled his card. Anything else we should do? We have 3 other accounts at the same bank and although the debit card does not link to them I am afraid the crooks will find a way to access them. Any advice?

We just went though this with my youngest (age 12). Her headaches were so bad she didn't want to do anything, had no energy, and would sleep for hours. For about 2 weeks she just laid on the couch, doing nothing. It hurt too much to even watch t.v. I took her to the pediatrician who immediately jumped to the conclusion it was stress related and that I should take her to a neuropsychiatrist. It would take me 4 months to get an appointment and meanwhile just keep giving her large doses of ibuprophen. I knew it wasn't stress and didn't like his response, so I switched doctors. The next doctor commented on the dark circles under her eyes. He said they call those "allergy shiners" and recommended Clariton on the days her head hurt the most. BINGO! That was it. You might check into allergies.

An abomination to the Lord? I hope the Lord finds my efforts to "do unto others as I would have them do unto me" to offset anything I missed that he wanted me to do. How can you follow the golden rule and be an abomination? And something is crystal clear in the Bible? What about "Judging not" and "Turning the other cheek"? I think mortal man "perceives" a lot that he cloaks as absolutes.

My sister-in-law is married to a black man. Because my kids have always grown up with that being the case I knew that they never thought anything of it. They were just doing what kids do -- accepting people based on how those people treat them. So, they grew up loving their Aunt and Uncle, never knowing that some people think they should think differently. I was SO happy when the day came when I felt they were old enough to say to them "You know, some people have a problem with your Aunt and Uncle being married." When they asked why, I explained that some people do not think whites and blacks should be married. That within my lifetime whites and blacks were actually prohibited from being married, and that people killed people over it. They were shocked. Every time I explained something (like separate water fountains) they would just say "but why?" Separate schools, separate seats -- But why??? I thought it drove home the whole lesson of how ridiculous it is to judge people on the color of their skin. And I am so glad that an interracial marriage was just a fact of life for them. Imagine if I shielded them everytime I saw an interracial couple? Imagine if I clenched my jaw and pushed their face down? Try coming back from that approach. Why not let them see life as it is around them, and then explain that different people live different ways? You can explain that you don't agree with it - that it doesn't match up with your religious or political or moral beliefs - but why not let them start seeing it? I can explain to a 5 year old why two men are kissing just as easily as why some person is standing on the street sucking in smelly smoke from a cigarette. They both probably seem ridiculous to a 5 year old. Both choices, though, can be explained as lifestyle choices that perhaps we don't agree with, but that true peace is not a lack of conflict, but the presence of justice. And we do people justice by allowing for different lifestyles because people will never all act, think, live or be alike.

Well, I guess I AM intolerant then! I hope I always have a low tolerance level for hate. What exactly about my statement do you find fault with? She WAS very young. She WILL meet creative, smart, kind GAY people. And then what? Will she then think they are dumber than monkeys? I do think the mother is doing her child a disservice by teaching her this sentiment. They would be raised better if the mother explained that they might not agree with the lifestyle and to avert their eyes, but that everyone has value. That's not a parenting style, that's human kindness. And her parenting style was manifesting itself in the hateful glares her youngest was giving me, and in the smug comments her oldest was making. She should be very proud:glare: This sentiment about being dumber than an animal is the wrong way to teach a child your viewpoint, don't you agree?

Ah ..... the 12th year! Both my daughters turned into over-sensitive, mouthy, bratty kids when they turned 12. It started to spring up a few months before their 12 b-day, and definitely started to abate as they approached 13. I have never seen so many tears in my life! I couldn't say anything right! And everything was a challenge. I have heard from many of my friends that the same thing happened to their kids. I just kept the same level of standards even though it meant standing toe-to-toe with them more often. I believe that is what helped them turn the corner into now normal kids. I think a lot of parents find this time period hard and back off, and then the kid STAYS a problem.