Thank you for sharing your story, Gayle. You were very brave to get out of that relationship. It must not have been easy. What you are saying makes sense to me. Stuff has a way of exerting control; of owning its owner, if we let it. I have sometimes used the idea of the Amish as an ideal. Some of the things they do don't make sense to me, but the general idea is that they live without many of the things that we take for granted, such as telephones in the home, electric devices, and other trappings of civilization. So I have distilled down their idea. If a technology stands in the way of happiness, then I can live without it. (Your short essay has helped me to see how I have expanded the idea of "do without' to include the layer of unneeded stuff that seems to coat many people's lives in an obscure grunge.) I make little efforts to simplify my life, even if it means a bit of inconvenience. I'd rather have a little inconvenience than be at the beck and call of a technology or possession or any other inanimate object that has the potential to rule my life. My happiness is so much more important then the illusion of security created by an insulating blanket of stuff. I hope that you are able to find a new balance in your life. Like you said, you'd rather fill your mind with happy things. That is a good goal for any of us.

lonepiper its fine... its just that when KKNY and TOS get involved in a post it always goes back to children of divorce should be coddled for the rest of their lives and they are not held accountable for any of their actions its always the adult's fault never the child's fault. officer pulls you over ... You get out of the car "playfully swat" him on the shoulder and say hey buddy F U ... what is that officer going to do? Is he going to perceive it as "friendly behavior" or his he going to place you under arrest for assault? and disorderly conduct? Child forgets homework... teacher says you are going to stay after school for not doing your homework... child says "you can't tell me what to do ... you're not my mother!!" then "playfully swats" teacher on the shoulder what happens to that child? Children should be treated like children and taught be respectful of all adults within reason... they should be told that you can tell a stranger to go pound tar. Anyone who touches them in bathing suit area needs to be disrespected and they need to tell an adult. They need to be taught to be afraid of strangers and be on the look out for molesters ... they should be taught how to become decent adults... they cannot swear at you hit you or other wise disrepect you Yes respect is fear ... fear of the unknown... Everyone one has said ... I would never do "that" my mother would kill me!!! would your mom really kill you NO but you were never really sure. Babies momma = saint hood. Babies daddy = trust fund.

Lindyluwho, a simple search "missed curfew punishment" only brings up this thread at KT/GW, and another discussion board where someone posts one short quip and no link to the story. Click the Google link below to see this. ----------------- "As for posting links, Dilly Dally....I don't know how and I'm sure there are others here, like me, who aren't as savvy as you. This is getting real tiresome, people having to have proof or supplying resources to prove everything we post." Dotmom, being able to CC&P is not anything "computer savvy". I'm the most computer illiterate person I know. Asking for a link to a news story is not asking for "proof" it is just making it easier for those who wish to participate in the discussion. It is the polite thing to do to supply a link to the news story - especially when someone is referring to something in their local news. Local news stories don't appear on the top of Google. This particular story about the babysitting punishment was picked up by AP, so it did achieve a higher Google ranking. And I did say "Please put a link in your post to reference a news story." with 'Please' in boldface. I don't think I did anything wrong. Your post said the girl "broke curfew" leading one to believe she was out of the house. It also was not clear if she was being punished for being out all night or if she was just a few minutes late - and some parents ARE that strict. It turns out that the teen had had a party with a couple dozen kids over and they were finally caught at 2:30AM when the party was broken up. I wouldn't define that as "breaking curfew" but maybe that is a regional thing. A link to the news story would have clarified this part about the party being thrown. What is really getting tiresome is always getting chewed out every time one asks a question. ---------------------------- http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=+%22missed+curfew+punishment%22&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=CGoGA2MNzTI2yNI_KMo3svd4PAAAAqgQFT9D9ilg&pbx=1&fp=ad526d12389e3c08 Here is a link that might be useful: Google for MISSED CURFEW PUNISHMENT keywords

mscsippy, its on ABC Family, you should check it out tonight.. Its definitely entertaining and even though its the second season i think it'll be easy for you to catch on to whats going on...