Absolutely! I completely agree. We have to figure out what's best for ourselves, even if people think they know better. Sometimes we take a leap of faith in an unexpected situation, and it turns out great!

Aww, thank you! And you're welcome! :)

Aww, thanks!

Thanks! And good for your friend! I think we'd all do well to think about what it is that we want, and why we want it. You're happy with having a son - great! She's happy without kids - also great! Pressuring people to do one or the other wouldn't make anyone any happier, as you said.

Oh, my. I was going to say that's a double whammy, but there are even more whammies there. I'm sorry!

Oh, dude, I'm sorry. What a shock to discover. I hope you feel better tomorrow.

Admittedly, I think most people would not say that to people who were parents, for fear it would come across as critical, or that they'd seem like monsters to someone who had such love for their children, such as you. That's not a criticism, just thinking that maybe you might not be perceived as an audience who would…

I stole rocks from my neighbor's yard. They were the white, sparkly granite, and they looked so beautiful to me.

My friend dated a guy who renamed himself Atticus. He sounded horrible, but she's still obsessed with him. He lied, too.

Haha, well, she's my mom and I love her. She annoys me sometimes, but ultimately, we have a fairly good relationship (now, anyway).

I think that's healthy for any relationship! Time apart is important, even for parents and kids.

While this is clearly upsetting to some people here, I think it's important to see things like this.

I hope things get better for you. That sounds really difficult. I know that sounds flippant over the internet, but it's sincere.

I hear it occasionally. I think what really gets a lot of parents is the repetitiveness of dealing with kids, and how constant and endless it is, topped with worry. You do the same things, especially when they're little: change diaper, feed, burp, put to sleep, play with baby, take to toilet, read same bedtime story…

I come from the Super White Land of White People (aka Upper Midwest), and no one got kicked out or treated like trash at 18, unless their parents were abusive or cruel (which definitely happens and that is bad). People whispered and talked about them, and how could they do that to their children? Who would leave…

If I can figure out how, I will, too! It's my first Eurovision and I am excited :D

My mom "surprises" us with having done things. Surprise, I made dinner! Surprise, I did your laundry, here you go! Surprise, I put gas in the car for you! If we try to do things ourselves, we get waved away and if you keep trying, it will eventually hurt her feelings, and she'll think you don't like the food she…

I love Lordi completely unironically. I think they are fantastic and I have a ton of their songs.

Oh, wow, thanks! That's really helpful, and I'll do just that :)

That guy was Ferrett, and the con he first had the idea at was ConFusion, and they attempted it at Penguicon. To his credit, since he posted that, he's become a very outspoken feminist, publicly announced that he would not attend either of these cons, and made multiple announcements on his blogs about how the Open…