Would it be rude???

And I know the answer to that question is yes. Which is why I haven't done the "rude" thing but oh my heavens, it's killing me.

Don't you just wish it was okay to turn around to a friend and say "Ya know, the problem might be that your 12 yr old daughter is a bit of a bitch, spoiled and nasty at times!"

I mean I totally get that all little girls start out perfect and sometimes they have some outside influences that can make them a little "less" perfect. I have a 12 yr old girl. I know how they can be. But in all honestly, how can you sit there and listen to your 12 yr old child, who you are sending to catholic school nonetheless, sit there and badmouth person after person, without saying something to them about how wrong it is to do that.

I know no kid is perfect and doesn't always see the best in every kid and situation but as parents, isn't it our job to say something to them, to teach them that maybe they shouldn't be so mean or harsh. Isn't it our job to tell them that maybe instead of being so nasty to someone, they could cut them some slack and reach out to them? I know I know, in the perfect world.......

Okay, so that's my gripe for the day.

On to better things. I scored some new books at work last night. We have bookcases here at work where you just bring your books to share with anyone and everyone. Gotta love that! Last night I managed to get a copy of South of Broad by Pat Conroy. I had taken it out of the library once but returned it unread. That might be a nice summer read after I'm done with The Girl on Legare Street.

And onto an even better thing.....I got to continue a tradition with my son the other day. We were out shopping and I noticed the the newest Magic Treehouse book was out. My oldest son is almost 16 and we started reading these books before he could even read. I loved sitting and reading them with him. Of course, there came the time when he learned to read and I lost my job as narrator of this fine series. Bittersweet indeed! But he always enjoyed reading them, even if the entire book was read in the back of the car on the way home from the shopping trip where we purchased the book. By the time we would get home, he'd be done! My favorite part of this tradition is that I write in the front of each of the books. Just a little something about how what is going on with his life ties into the title & theme of the current book. It's fun for me to write to him and he seems to enjoy reading my little "pat on the back" to him. He asked me the other day if I was going to ship him the newest Treehouse books when he goes to college. I told him I actually thought about that the other day and figured it might not be such a good idea, but I could keep them in a special place for when he came home to visit. That's a couple of years off anyway.

I think he just likes reading my little notes to him. Maybe I'll start writing in the front of his Michael Crichton books I keep finding for him.

Wow, how did we go from The Magic Treehouse to Michael Crichton books so fast????