Messages By: thindi

I watched the show today with chagrin. My house is just like hers. It is embarrassing and upsetting. I have CHAOS.. Can't have anyone over syndrome. That was coined by the S.L.O.B. sisters organizing company. I have a mother just like that and a father who was PigPen. Dust followed him. Mom was neater when dad wasn't around. I know it is a compulsion because I feel such incredible anxiety over getting rid of things. I am just sure I will need it or could use it. I also feel great anxiety that the world will fill up with garbage. That where will it all go? I have to laugh and say why should it all go in my house then. I hate it. There is no order to my house. I watch every show that has something on it about getting rid of things but watching the show doesn't make it clean. I really understand the anxiety about getting rid of things. I am okay if I can recycle or give it to a center for need. Aargh. I even had someone ask me if I recycled lettuce!! she was afraid to throw it away. I am a mess.. but I am also kind and loving and intelligent and accomplished. I worry because a "good Christian woman' has a lovely, orderly home. Mine is not. AAARRGGHHHH

first of all what does "normal" mean? average? happens a lot? or does it mean healthly, sane?
The question of whether or not it is normal for a young girl to pledge celibacy before marriage.. depends on your semantics. It probably isn't normal because a lot of people don't teach their kids biblical morality. God created sex and He knows how to live it out the best way.. only within the committment of marriage. That is the safest and the best way to do it. Abstinence is the only safe sex there is. It is a healthy, sane way for girls to look at sex and marriage.. to pledge celibacy until they find their life partner. It probably isn't average or normal but it is catching on and maybe it will be normal, everyday and average soon! It is such a disservice to teenagers and a slam and insult to say they cannot be celibate. It reduces them to the level of rutting animals acting out of instinct only. I appreciate teenagers and their intelligence.. I know they can make promises of celibacy and keep them.

One needs to know the child and what they are capable of understanding. If the child is told truth at their level from the beginning going to sexuality and feelings is not too hard to understand.
It is all part of the process of understanding yourself sexually. We told our 12 year old from the beginning the truth and true names of body parts. She understands it at a 12 yr level and she has promised to be celibate until marriage. She is very open about her questions and it is something I am very proud of. She will be fine because she has truth and she has people she can ask for honest answers. She will make it to marriage and she will respect herself and understand herself because she has been given truth and love. The so called "truth" medically accurate route amazes me because it is not totally true. Just like Gore's so called documentary there are holes in their idea of truth. Truth means that is real and not opinion. Contraceptives fail and often don't protect against STD.. the only safe way is abstinence. Our girl will be safe. Good for your parents and your choices too. I had the same kind of ridicule.. and I didn't care.

I am an educational speech pathologist and I work with many children with autism in the schools. Children with autism have a language and communication disorder. They need information presented to them in a way that their brains can process. It is very effective to use their cognitive levels of functioning (often sensory motor and preoperational) and their language levels to determine what information they need. Using social stories helps them to see themselves in situations with others. I call what we do social stories but it is not the same as what most people understand. We draw cartoons about their actions, feelings, thoughts and add the other people around them. For this child portrayed in the picture... remember this child is acting out for more than one reason. But most often these kids act out from anxiety. We give the behavior a judgment or emotional label rather than describing it and looking for what the child needs. For these children we make a lot of assumptions and we infer for them instead of finding out what is going on in them. We "helicopter" information and directions to them as if they have all the back ground information needed to process that and go with it. They crave routine and structure and do very well with it. They NEED writing and visuals neurologically and if you want to really get to them, verbal or not, these are extremely successful. Many ideas involve techniques that are behaviorally oriented so you will get rote behaviors but you are not going to get increased language so you will get inflexible behaviors. and no internal change. My nephew was screaming because they just put him in the car to go shopping. They used all verbal explanations and he only screamed more. So I took a piece of paper and I drew out what we were doing and where we were going. He calmed down and was excited about going in the car. That is just an example of what people can do with children who have such a need for information (they all do but these kids can't picture what is coming next from what we say and do so no wonder they have problems.) If you really want some very very good information about working with children with autism.. look at the book just written called "Learning with a Visual brain in an Auditory World" but Ellyn Arwood and Carole Kaulitz. They are truly experts and make tremendous difference in the lives of these kids and their families. I could go on forever because I teach classes but basically this is the gist.. they need to write and draw.. movement from their own system.. even if it is hand over hand to get it because neurologically that gives them the most information processed best. It really works.

They look ridiculous but I don't think that they are wearing them to insult anyone or even send any particular message. Kids think they are being individual but they are just following the crowd. I am tired of people being so selfish and self-centered.. but it isn't just boys walking around with their butts hanging out and looking so ridiculous and ugly but people walk in a door and let it slam in the face of the person behind them; they merge on to a freeway at 30 mph, they drive in the left lane 10 miles below the speed limit and won't move over; they have no manners, no please, no thank you, no excuse me. It is all part of a self centered, self involved society. Children are not taught manners or respect. it just trickles down. These kids with baggy pants are not being respectful of others at all.. we don't want to see their underwear hanging out. That is just plain short sightedness and lack of respect. I think some of my friends and I looked pretty ridiculous at their age too. It is part of being a teenager. We do have to pick our battles.

so many people treat singles as if they are not okay.. My father used to show my picture to the guys at the bar because he wanted grandchildren. People used to ask me all the time why I wasn't married.. now they don't. I guess that means that they don't wonder anymore.. they know why I am not! : )
But I really hate valentines' day and all the holidays that exclude singles. It gets worse when you are older. even friends who are married have problems being friends with us because their husbands can't handle visiting a woman without a man to talk to. It all hurts and I wish married couples would be more sensitive to us. Even my church isn't very sensitive. Being is single is not the worst thing that could happen to Stephanie.. it can be hard especially when relatives push you. But it is much better than being in a bad marriage! I agree with the suggestion.. hey relatives give to those children who are missing attention. I do!

Hey Robin? dump him. If he doesn't love you, the person, and is not willing to marry you by now.. get out! The doctor doesn't need to fix Robin so Tom is happy. This is ridiculous. Tom needs to learn about love. Why should she march to his drummer? I hope good things for Robin with another man!!!

Amen! Way to go McKay. I am so tired of a society where such poverty of thought exists. I can't see anything rated R anymore because I do not want to be assaulted by foul language. I know that some of the younger folks don't even hear it anymore. They don't realize that even if they don't think it is okay to swear the more they hear it, the more likely they will swear.
Garbage in, garbage out!
Let's join the campaign.. no more foul language!!!!!