Gosh, reading all of the replies...I'll just have one of each, please! This is gonna take a lot of popcorn....

:/ Sad, really.

You're mostly correct- however, the practice did continue, right on up through the early 40's, in some households. My grandfather worked in the CCC camps as a cook, and there were a LOT of people working the camps who were very young- it was kinda normal to give your kids the boot, and tell 'em to "write when you find…

Fun fact: tumbleweeds can be larger than a Ford Festiva. (How do I know this? I once saw one blowing down Overland Rd. in southwest Boise, right alongside a Ford Festiva. The tumbleweed was bigger than the car!) Another fun fact: tumbleweeds burn, really, really REALLY hot.

I dunno...something about him reminds me of Weird Al Yankovich...I can't quite place it....

XD

Yep! I've thought that from the git-go- but maybe it's too perfect...?

Aw, that's so cool! With no other gals of menarche age in our close family, I've been the only one to represent, so to speak. Sorry that your son's father is the way he is- hope your family has healed from that! If I had daughters, Welcoming the Sisters of the Moon sounds like a direction I'd want to take. :)

Yep, you are correct! A Walmart pharmacist told me the exact same thing- so basically, tweakers can just pop around to all of the pharmacies, and buy all pseudoephedrine they want to. Silly, really- I mean, these are folks who shamelessly write bad checks, etc., to support their habits- what does the "sign for it" law…

Well, I kinda started teaching my oldest when he was younger, but if I had to start with a kid at 10...hmm. I think I'd explain about the release of the egg, etc., kinda clinically. Then explain about how the lining, since it's not being used, has to clear out so the whole thing can start over again. In our case,…

That. Was. Beautiful. Thank you.

Wow! I was surprised at how many of these are family favorites! :)

OMG, you just won the Internets today! XD

I curtsy in your direction, Lynx. You won everything today! :)

Yep. And how to choose good produce, and to cook, too. I semi-jokingly call it raising Men, with a capital M- but we're working on a higher standard. :)

That's exactly the reason that my kids (both boys) are being taught as young as they are. My oldest fully gets it, isn't skeeved out, and knows to be nice to females about it (as in, NEVER EVER saying, "What, you on the rag or something?" for any reason EVER) because this is all just a part of our existence. Son 2 is…

Not too sure about that. Idaho's not lookin' too bad on this map, but we're 50th for lowest wages (or would that be #1? Not sure, but most folks are minimum wage!), and 50th in education- no small feat, that! And yet we're not the most obese. But, then again, since we have have a mostly Repub government, maybe it's…

Oh bloody hell. This almost makes me hope that one of my sons will decide to be a Girl Scout.

Thank you for writing this, and the obituary. My husband recently found his birth family- within one month of meeting her over the phone, his birth mother passed away. The remaining siblings have stories somewhat similar to yours- foster care, beatings, all kinds of bad. (His birth sibs told us that they always,…

I think it gives us a bit of insight about the scientists in question. :) They missed their calling.