Lessons In Life

Today is a lesson on some things I have learned recently:

1. If all of your glasses and cups mysteriously disappear, don't spend too much time wondering what is up with that. Simply open your teenage daughter's room and...voila! All the missing dishes will be there.

2. One of the allergy medicines I have been taking off and on is the generic of Zyrtec. Apparently it requires that you take it REGULARLY in order for it to be effective. No wonder I have felt so bad even after I took one of those. For immediate relief, Claritin or Tylenol Severe Allergy works best.

3. If you take your youngest daughter to eat baked spaghetti on a Saturday afternoon, you should check your face before you go traipsing all over the mall. If you don't, the next time you bother to check a mirror, you will have dried spaghetti sauce all over your chin. The irony is that I wore makeup, earrings, and a necklace. I thought I was stylin'. I don't think I can show my face at that mall again.

4. You should not go traipsing all over the mall with your child unless you are prepared to spend money. Said child will con you out of something EVERY time. Today's sensible purchases include a cell phone jacket(which is exactly that, a very small jacket designed to put your cell phone in) a ridiculous key chain in the shape of something I can't remember now, and stick on bling for the child's cell phone. In my defense the total cost of all three items was only 10 bucks.

5. If you figure out something that you are really proud of, that saved someone else an ENORMOUS amount of time, don't expect any praise for it. You will probably get a response like the following: "I knew there was a way, but I didn't have time to figure it out". Which translates to, "Hey, don't go thinking your smart or anything, I COULD have figured it out myself if I had really wanted to".

6. It is very awkward when you change hair stylists within the same salon. The lady that does my hair now filled in once for the other lady that used to cut my hair. She did such a great job that I started asking for her when I go in there. Now I feel all weird when I go in there and see the old stylist. It's nothing personal, I just like the new stylist better. I imagine the old stylist shooting me dirty looks when I am not looking.(Who can blame her, I'm a good tipper)

7. Brace yourself for this one, it might be controversial: Society should not hold a fifteen year old girl responsible for inappropriate pictures that are taken. It is OUR responsibility as parents to shelter and guide our children. Said child should NOT have to apologize to her fans. Her parents should be apologizing for THEIR lapse in judgment. Did any of you make all the right choices as teenagers? A teenager IS NOT an adult. This is why we are legally responsible for them until they reach a certain age. This is the kind of thing that happens when we start sexualizing our young girls. I once her a woman tell a six year old girl that she looked sexy. Frankly, it turned my stomach. I don't want my little girl to look sexy. Cute and adorable are preferable. (Just in case anyone is in the dark, this refers to the big "to-do" over some inappropriate pictures of Miley Cyrus that are being released in Vanity Fair magazine. She plays on the show Hannah Montana. My daughter loves it.)

If any of you have some things you have learned, I would love to hear all about it.