Well hell.

This is my daughter. This picture was taken the day of her junior prom. This is one of my all-time favorite pictures of her. I think she is a beautiful girl. Unfortunately, when it comes to boys... she doesn't choose well.


I was hoping that when they split up this time, it was for good. They have what I consider to be a toxic relationship. She doesn't want him but she doesn't want anyone else to have him either and vice versa.

Maybe Derek did too good a job of making her feel better when she was sad.


This is her before her senior prom. Again, she looks lovely - at least in my opinion. I'm her momma so my opinion is definitely biased.

Parenting is a big racket. Children are born small for a reason - they're cute and you get attached to them and then for the rest of your life, you see them as this cute little thing that adored you and you adored. What this effectively does is assure that you've grown attached to them by the time they hit their teenage years so you won't kill them.

This is her and the boyfriend. They've been together for 4 years. That's 3 years and 9 months too long.

She was only in trouble once in elementary school. In kindergarten. For kissing a little boy on the cheek. That little boy is standing next to her in this picture. Yep. One and the same. Ughhh!

I try not to say too much but it is getting to the point that I can't stay quiet any longer. They just graduated. He is neither working nor going to school and has no intentions of doing either as far as I can see.

He is disrespectful, controlling and not-so-bright and I don't even think he knows what 'ambition' means. He isolates her from her friends and her family and she lets it happen.

I want her to experience life. To go to college. To fall in love several times. To find her person. To get a job and be self-sufficient. To travel. To know that there is a an entire world out there to explore and experience before she even thinks of settling down. To struggle and win. To struggle and lose. To find herself - not just the self that I or anyone else imagines for her - but her true self.

I have no desire for grandchildren in the next 10 years but when she does have children - I certainly don't want them to look like THIS!