Thanks. It was years ago now, and I've worked past it with a lot of help from some real friends I made a few months later. Also, I realized that in my rambling post, I didn't make it very clear that a) I met this guy at a social dance club and all of the friends I was with were friends with him, so they assured me…

All of those things are okay, good even. But now that you know, you have the responsibility that comes with knowledge. Be an advocate. When your friends tell rape jokes, tell them that's not okay, and tell them why. Respect women's spaces. (eg: Don't walk behind women at night; cross to the other side of the street.…

Exactly. How was I to know that my friends wouldn't believe me when the cute, smart, sexy guy—who was their mutual friend! a known guy=a safe guy!—would invite me to his place the next day for a meal...and would rip my clothes off while holding me down while I was crying and saying no?

Yes. It took my then-boyfriend, now husband awhile to understand why I got so freaked out when I went out the door to go to work and would find that the door had been unlocked. (We're talking some full-scale panic attacks, sobbing in a heap on the floor). It never occurred to him to lock the door religiously like I do…

Lol, I guess you can't please everyone! Maybe they took it badly because they thought you should have more jewelry but didn't because no one gave it to you...so they thought your relatives were being stingy by not giving you more jewelry to wear, instead of just respecting you and your wishes?

Red envelopes! I was so amazed by those at the first Chinese-English wedding I went to. Her husband's family (Chinese heritage) was so generous. My friend (English) totally didn't expect the very expensive jewelry a couple of relatives specifically gave to her, though. They gave it to her with the understanding that…

Seconded! Also, so important to get these if you move regions or countries. My first year after moving to teach in France, I got strep five times and MONO at thirty years old. If I hadn't gotten a flu shot, I don't know what I would have done...!

Oh yes, I definitely agree with you! There are many shades of abuse—since this article and your previous comment was more focused on the physical stuff, those are the first examples my mind went to—I only brought up that example to further illustrate your point about how child abuse has been going on for a long time…

If you think Chronicles is amazing, you should check out the original manuscript The Blythes Are Quoted. It's very modern and anti-war. Blythes Are Quoted is an angry Anne's response to the WWI-era idealistic idea that the Great War would create lasting peace. LMM also turned it in to her publishers the day before she…

I think it's because they assume teaching will be easy. They think kids are only nice and fun. Also, they think they'll have the summers off (hahaha!).

Especially as it's also very easy for homeschooling parents/guardians to abuse their children. Not all homeschooling parents, but it's frighteningly easy for an abusive parent to homeschool his/her children so that they can fully control and abuse them every day.

I'm so sorry that happened to you. *internet hugs!*

Yes to all of this! Until very recently (like less than a year) my lower ribs and hip bones protruded a lot due to a skeletal thing (I could say congenital deformity, but hey, let's be positive, right?). I get very upset when people start saying that visible women's ribs are gross—different people are different!

Me too! If "Thrift Shop" had come out at the time, I would have told him that he was taking the "I wear my Grandad's clothes" line waaaaay too literally . Most of his closet was made up of old Hawaiian shirts from his Grandad, free liquor t-shirts from his friend who worked at a bar, and denim pantacourt with red…

I want this dress immediately!

I know that this comment is late...but I DID IT! I did almost all of this month's cleaning list...the cabinet, the brightening of towels, the replacing of old bathmats, and de-moldifying the scary black mold on the ceiling! (It's a rental—it was like that when I moved in).

YES. Since anything after the legal marriage is just a "benediction," then they don't need to jump through the many legal paperwork hoops to get married in France because they're just getting blessed.

Oh gosh, this comment sent me down the black hole that is youtube for like TWO HOURS. THANKS. No, really, it was actually awesome. Like tear therapy (I've had one of those awful stressful weeks where you just want to sit down and cry by can't because you don't even have time to do that? So this was good.

You are past-life me! Just want to say: it's do-able, and your guests will be so appreciative that you appreciate them.

PREACH! My husband and I have three weddings to go to this summer, and we're already stressing over tickets since we will also have job interviews this summer (but don't know when they'll be) and can't afford to buy the flexible-date tickets for 2x the cost of the cheap non-refundable ones.