I also heard that the 19 to 29 age group are also backing away.

Last November, my lovely and smart nineteen-year old daughter, announced she was voting for Obama…  I wasn’t suprised at all, considering she is attending UCLA I didn’t expect anything other than a vote for a democrat.  I asked her what she felt was the most compelling reason for her decision.  Her answer?  "Change, mama, we need change."  Okaaaaaaaaay…  So - last week I asked her what she thought about the healthcare bill.  "Uh, I don’t really think about that kind of thing."  Once again I am treated to a teaching opportunity…  I read an article yesterday about the 19 - 29 demographic.  It’s going to get real interesting, isn’t it?  

Caren - Your hair is gorgeous!  Please give it a chance and do not let other females make you feel like you need to give in to the pressure…  I do color my hair, but I have such a great hairdresser that it doesn’t look dyed at all (until the roots start to show - the I just style it a bit differently!).  I have to go every five weeks, and while she hasn’t raised her prices on me in years it it still an expense.  I wear my hair straight and below my shoulders - it’s much easier for me to pull into a ponytail when I golf or drive with the top down.  I recently cut bangs - then immediately thought "oh, I hope no one (read female friends my age!) thinks I am trying to look younger."  Then I figured - who cares?  I like the bangs!  I’ve gotten a ton of compliments…  Perhaps your female family members feel threatened by you embracing your natural beauty!

My daughter and I ave enjoyed an ongoing, age appropriate dialogue over the years.  I am thankful that at the age of twenty she still comes to me for advice!

When she was about five-ish, the conversation was very basic; mommies have eggs and daddies have sperm, when they are ready the egg grows into a baby…  Flash forward to me picking up my six year old after work, I am very harried and we are on our way to the grocery store.  She’s in the backseat and I am concentrating on making a left turn into the parking lot.  Out of the blue I hear, "Mommy, when I was born did I have egg yolks and broken egg shells all over me?"  My response was an incredulous "where on earth did that idea come from?  Of course not!"  Much to my embarrassment, a very stern "well Mommy, YOU said babies came from eggs!"  She (obviously) envisioned herself growing in my uterus encased in a chicken age.  Lesson to self, kids are very literal!

We still laugh over that and other very funny similar stories about the correct names for body parts, etc…

Andrea and Deber - Oftentimes I read your posts and I’m beginning to wonder if we were separated at birth! 

My parents were 16/18 when I was born…  When I was 16, I marched on down to Planned Parenthood - paid what I could afford from working my first ‘official’ job at KFC - and started taking the pill.  I wanted to make darn sure that I never found myself in the position of getting pregnant before I was ready, or having to make a dreadful decision about an unplanned pregnancy.  I got a job at 18 and worked my tail off.  Married at 27 and had my one and only (planned!) pregnancy at 29.  With a high school education only, I managed to rise to a senior vice president level.  Some here may think that I was ‘priviledged’ and raised in an environment that made all this possible - my answer to that is "no, not really".

I sit here and read many of these posts and just simply cannot fathom what is so hard for people to understand about personal responsibility! 

Yes, I understand the letter was authored by a woman in Arizona - I am just so glad it came to my attention!

I think a trip to Zuma is in order for tomorrow…   

Living in So Cal, I wear sandals pretty much all year and indulge in bi-weekly pedicures.  In between appointments, conditioner or shampoo on the pumice works well.  So does the PedEgg!  I also found these most fabulous ‘booties’ to wear at night.  The heels contain some sort of gel moisturizer that makes my feet incredibly soft.  It’s a bonus that they are ‘toeless’ - my feet can breathe while sleeping!

Kelly - it’s so very easy for some people to slip into ‘Monday morning quarterback’ mode, isn’t it? 

"she may have seen how hard those decisions are to make and why…."    Working in the corporate world for several years, I have come to appreciate the difference between delivering at a tactical level and having the ability to build those tactical plans into an overall strategy.  Once must always consider the current environment (in this discussion, immediately post 9/11).  

I sit here and read these comments and have such a hard time understanding how some are so quick to dismiss the facts.  It also makes me thankful for my pragmatic and logical brain…!   It’s the old ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’, isn’t it?