Being the mom of a teenage daughter has been challenging, but not in the way I thought it would be (so far).  My daughter is still a sweet girl with a good head on her shoulders and nice manners.  We rarely argue and in general and in my view have a good relationship.

The real challenge has been keeping my daughter grounded living in an area where everyone has everything...and more.  I was born and raised in the Midwest, as was my husband.  My family was not “rich” but lived a comfortable life and had everything we needed. Note I did not say everything we wanted. 

The stories in the news of late have me wondering whether schools have lost the ability to think or teach critically. Teachers and administrators have gone so far over the top in their response to perceived danger that even our friend Calvin would have a hard time imagining such atrocities were imminent. For example, a 5th grader from Philadelphia was recently suspended from school for having a paper gun. The piece of paper was crafted by the little girls’ grandfather and was reported by another student who saw it as the girl unfolded it on her desk. The teacher reportedly yelled at the young girl and threatened that he should “call the cops,” and also was said to have warned she could be arrested for her paper gun. I am certain had she had a permit to carry this would have been a moot point.

I used to be one of "those people". I had a completely irrational fear of guns, and actually forbid my husband from bringing any in the house. My fear really didn't make any sense, as I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, with many hunters in my family. There were beautiful gun cabinets, chock full of fabulous firearms in my grandfather's home and my uncle's home, but I was never given the opportunity to learn to shoot. I'm not sure why that was, I'm sure if I had expressed an interest, it wouldn't have been a problem. Thankfully, all that changed a few years ago.

On occasion, I rant on Twitter about pornography—drawing the ire of many who believe opposition to such practices means I want to impose my values on others.  Believe me, I don’t have the time, energy, or resources to manage that—even if I wanted to.  But I do have a voice: I am concerned that the objectification of human sexuality to satiate the insatiable is thoroughly destructive. My concern is for those whose lives have been damaged, and for those whose family ties have been broken.  I am motivated by compassion for those who find deception and debauchery in their spouse’s browsing history; children who are exposed at an early age to images that chemically alter their brains, fostering sexual addictions before they reach puberty; and individuals in an industry they cannot escape. 

FACT: porn has the same effect as cocaine on the brain

(Laundau, Garrett & Webb, 2008, p. 4)

President Obama has done it again. For the fourth time since he has taken office, he has missed his budget deadline that is required by law. We can give him a pass for the first time he missed the budget deadline since he was an incoming President, but the 3 other times he failed to get his budget in on time were caused by a mix of laziness, and the innate desire to prove that he is above the law.