As you all know, Tom and I are expecting our first child and we are always interested in hearing what existing parents have learned (or are still learning) about raising their kids. What I’m discovering via these posts and during conversations with other parents is that existing parents have strong opinions on the subject of raising kids.

Earlier this month, we had a post that centered on raising kids. Some of those who commented on this post were of the opinion that kids who throw temper tantrums are a reflection of the parents and their parenting skills. I have to admit that for a long time, I too was of this belief. But now that I’m on the threshold of becoming a parent myself, I have to wonder is this a rational and legitimate way to think.

In this post, I would like to discover (if possible) how long a child’s actions will be reflective of the parents? For example, I’m sure that at one time or another, you’ve all been at a store or at a restaurant and witnessed a child just causing all kinds of havoc (i.e. running around the store, screaming at the top of their lungs, throwing things, etc.) And I am going to make a safe assumption that most of you, if not all of you, have said something along the lines of, “if that was my child, he/she would not be acting like that.” In addition, I will go out on a limb here and bet that some of you have even passed judgment on the parent as not being able to control their child. Ya’ll know I’m telling the truth here.

What about older kids, say teenagers and above? Would you still be of the belief that their actions are a reflection of the parents? Or at this point, do parents began to excuse themselves from the actions of their children by saying something along the lines, “I’ve done (or am doing) all that I can?” For example, what about the teenagers who begin to experiment with drugs? Or those kids who choose to shoot other kids at school? Is this behavior a reflection of their upbringing? Are the parents to blame for these kids’ actions? What if the teenager begins having sex while in high school? Is that a reflection of parenting skills or is it peer pressure? Let me ask this, once a child becomes a teenager/adult, do parents only want their child’s action to be reflective of them when it’s all positive things (i.e. your child is a straight A student, on the honor roll, on the debate team, is still a virgin, accepted into an Ivy league college (or any college for that matter), has a job, is a responsible person, etc.).

I’m back to the title of this post: when isn’t a child reflective of their parents? As a first time parent, I would love to hear your responses.

Caleb Campbell is an officer of the United States Army, so he has no problem when it comes to the concept of sacrifice.  It is his duty to protect and serve his country.  This past week, Campbell faced a sacrifice that at least was a surprise.  After telling him time and time again, that he could attempt to play in the NFL this year and serve his country, Campbell was told that he could not try out for the Detroit Lions.  To anyone who understands military academies, this was not that much of a surprise, but the way it was handled may have been.  Well, maybe not if you had been paying attention.

In the past, there was a 5-year commitment if you graduated from a service academy and that was non-negotiable.  The most popular case in the NFL was Roger Staubach and he waited for 5 years before he was able to begin his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys.  Staubach had won the Heisman Trophy in 1963 and was drafted in the 10th round by the Dallas Cowboys in 1964.  Yet, Staubach did not begin his NFL career until he was a 27-year-old rookie in 1969 because of his military commitment.  Staubach went on to a stellar NFL Hall of Fame career for the Cowboys and the service academies kept their reputation of having their athletes fulfill their military commitment.

What brought a change to the normal 5-year commitment was the case of David Robinson.  Robinson’s father was in the Navy and since Robinson was 5’9 as a junior in high school, no one could have predicted what was in store for David Robinson.  When his senior year began, David Robinson had grown to be 6’7 and unlike his junior year, he not only made his high school team, but he earned all-area and all-district honors as well.  Even with the newfound success in basketball, Robinson chose to follow in the footsteps of his father and join the Navy.  After he struggled throughout his freshman year on the basketball court, Robinson came back his sophomore year as a 6’11 giant and he began to dominate on the basketball court as he led Navy to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years.  As his performance began to improve, so did his prospects for an NBA career and he began to have thoughts of transferring from the Naval Academy, but he decided to stay.  During his last two years at Navy, Robinson led the team to within one game from the Final 4 his junior year and was voted national player of the year his senior year.  After playing in the 1988 Summer Olympics, Navy let him out of his commitment in 1989 and Robinson went on to have a Hall of Fame NBA career.

These two examples show what the United States Military Academies have done for their athletes.  In the case of Caleb Campbell, he played football for the Army, so this is the first big-time sports story the Army has had outside of the annual Army-Navy game in years.  The problem in the situation starts at the top simply because there was no process for the change of decision.  Campbell had been told throughout the entire process that he would be able to go after his dream of playing in the NFL and then a day before he was to report to training camp for the Detroit Lions, he was told that would not be the case.  Campbell was scheduled to work in recruiting, an area may have been better at if given an opportunity to play in the NFL.  He could have prompted kids who never gave the military a second thought a first thought, but now he is the football player that was told at the very last minute that he would not allowed to try out for an NFL team.  All this comes from the same military that is “looking for a few good men?”  After the Pat Tillman episode, you would think public relations in any case involving the NFL would be top notch with the military, but like the entire decision process, it was sloppy and ill prepared.

Proverbs 22:6 says:  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 20:11 says:  Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

Growing up a PK, eyes were always on me and my four siblings as to what indiscretions we might commit.  Well, let me say, grown ups would look at us to see our indiscretions so they had ammunition to say my father wasn’t all that.  I will speak for me; I violated many of the things my parents taught me were wrong.  But as far as my mother and father go, they didn’t falter.  No, I can’t say they were perfect but when it came to raising their five children, they were as close to perfect as you could get!  Consistent!!!  No meant no, day after day after day!  No didn’t mean no today and then tomorrow, it meant yes.  uh uh.  I know that sounds biased, but if I had enough time, I could convince you; they were ambassadors for Christ when it came to parenting!

Sadly enough, I’m not sure they make ‘em like that anymore.  I wasn’t the parent my parents were and I’m certain my siblings would say the same thing.  Sometimes I wonder if the ‘new generation” fears God like our parents did.  The bible/God’s word is clear when it tells us how to raise our children.  Why is that so hard for us?  Why is it so effortless to stand on the word of God for most things, but when it comes to raising our children and standing on that same word, we struggle?  This is a big topic but the one aspect I want to deal with today, is the one thing I have heard from so many parents, (not mine, remember, they were near perfect ) and especially fathers, and that is telling their children to fight.

Here is what I’ve heard so often and mostly from Christians, “don’t you start it (the fight) but if they put their hands on you and you don’t do something (fight back), I’m gonna get you (spank you/whip you) when you get home!  Heard it?  Said it?  Why is that one of the areas where we tragically fail our children?  According to my bible, there is not a command by God revising the “turn the other cheek” commandment for our kids during childhood and adolescence. (Matthew 5: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also).  There might be a bible scholar out there that will dispute me and say there is such a scripture telling us to teach our kids to fight, when they are young, and I just haven’t seen it.  Do we realize with these teachings we are raising bullies and potentially young men/women filled with rage.  I know that sounds too simplistic, but I challenge you to do some research and see that many violent adults began their lives as violent children.  We are Christians.  We are supposed to sow integrity and goodness into our children’s lives when they are young, so we will see the rewards of integrity and goodness when they are old!

My girlfriend quotes me because I have said it so often, and I still believe it, we as Christians should be the best at whatever we do.  We should be the best employee, the best citizen, the best neighbor, the best student, the best daughter/son, and the best parent.  But the only way we can do this is by being different than the masses.

I grew up with “Christians” that were a part of my church and our children attended one high school.  Almost all of the children of these “Christian” families got kicked out for fighting!  Kid you not!  There are hundreds and thousands and millions of non-Christian kids who go through 12 years of school and beyond and never get kicked out for fighting.  Why is it that so many Christian children cannot live up to the same standard as a non-Christian child?  

One thing I have to say about life, we typically don’t take a path if we don’t realize it is an option.  Teaching your child to fight/giving your child an option to fight, regardless of the circumstances, should not be an option!

Listen, if we don’t realize Christianity is a daily occurrence and not just for Sundays, we will not please God nor be accepted by Him.  I hear you saying God will forgive me for looking out for my child, teaching him to stand up for himself, and not letting Johnny get the best of him.  Will He?  He gave His son up on the cross!  Are our children better?  Tell your daughter or son to take it!  Really the bottom line is the parents are embarrassed to think another man’s child beat up their child!  As I’ve said in previous articles, we live vicariously through our children.  What they do or don’t do, we see as a direct reflection on us.  Bingo!  But do we want their actions to reflect our Christianity or our non-Christianity?

Following Christ has benefits those not following Him aren’t privy to!  If you trust Him, if you obey Him, if you actually do His will, I can’t say troubles won’t come, but I can say, He will bring you out!  Telling our kids it is okay to do something God is displeased with at certain times, is ruining the parent’s witness and credibility as a Christian!  How are they going to be able to decipher right from wrong when they see you at church praising the Lord and shouting, and then tomorrow they are at school explaining to the principal they were in a fight because daddy told me I had to?  And kids will tell it!  Then the principal says, I thought your dad was the deacon at Mount, We Love the Lord, Non-denominational Come to Meeting, Assembly of Our Lord and Jesus Christ Church; and little Bobby has to say, “Yeah, I think he is”.  Now that is what should be embarrassing!

Don’t be mistaken, the world knows our children.  They know who they are and whose they are.  It is up to us to pour the right things into them.  Even if they stray, your accountability to God and His word is covered.

Talk to me about laying down our Christianity when it suits us and picking it back up when it suits us.  Is that Christianity?

I’m torn and I don’t know what to do. I don’t normally wait until the last minute to plan out a major purchase and this is no different. Gas prices got me thinking about getting an economical automobile for everyday commutting. Yes, gas prices have dipped over the last week, but I think that is always a way for the big oil companies to make us happy right before they really stick it to us. I think this has to do with someone (wink) higher up making a killing off high oil prices. But I digress.

I have a car that has been very reliable over the years, but it has seen better days and putting money into it wouldn’t be the smartest move – something could happen to it and I would get a fraction of what I put into it. No, I need something that will get me from point A to B without burning a lot of gas. Oh, it has to get me there in economical comfort though.

Many people may immediately think of Hybrid cars, but that really isn’t necessary. Hybrid vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius, certainly get great miles per gallon (MPG), but in my opinion they do it at a price: styling. I’m not saying a Prius isn’t a great car because everything I’ve read about them seems to be more positive than negative. I just don’t know why they couldn’t have made it look better by now. Does anyone remember the name of that old Honda Hybrid that was seriously ugly?

Now decent-looking cars like the Honda Civic get great MPG in the gas or hybrid versions. Let’s face it, there aren’t many, if any, of these cars (in this category) that are really beautiful vehicles, but the small car offerings seem to be our future.

Did you know that the Civic can now be purchased with leather seats? On the surface it doesn’t really seem like a big deal until you think about what that indicates. Car companies are moving towards making these small cars more luxurious since gas prices are forcing consumers to buy them more. We might as well have comfort in economical cars too right?

Has anyone joined me in my crusade to ditch those seldom-used houses on wheels known as SUVs?  We might as well accept what the future holds for the size of vehicles we buy more of.

As you may have been able to tell by now, I love cars.  In the future I will have to talk about the Mini Cooper, a car that I love, and the Smart Car,  a car that interests me.  For now, I will let you go so you can jump in your SUV and make it to the dealership.

Last week, I read an interesting blurb on Page 21 of the July 28, 2008 Sports Illustrated.  This blurb,  titled “Sign of the Apocalypse,” was about a 32-year-old man who was arrested for disrupting a baseball game in Massachusetts.  This man rode a stolen motorbike around the bases because “no one ever told him he couldn’t.”  My first response was, ‘For real?!!’  And then I started thinking, what if more people thought this way?  For example, (just think about this, using that man’s logic), what if a basketball player who really wanted to dunk, but could never do it, used a ladder to help him/her dunk at a basketball game?  People in the stands would either be in shock or just cracking up with laughter, right?  But, the player would be absolutely serious because he/she would say they were never told they couldn’t do it.  At this point, does this act qualify as a lack of knowledge or is it a lack of common sense?  Just for giggle’s sake, can anyone tell me if there a written rule that says a basketball player cannot use a ladder to help them dunk?

This blurb peeked my interest in all sorts of ways and got me thinking — if we all followed this man’s logic, how different would the world be?  I mean, just stop for a second and think about this, If you were not informed of what you could NOT do, what WOULD you do?  Would you push the limits and do something that you know is wrong, but then use the excuse that you were never told not do it even though you know deep down inside it is wrong?  You know what’s kind of scary to me?  What if this man’s way of thinking is more common than not? To me, that would mean that common sense as well as a sense of morality is becoming a rarity in today’s society and that is not good.  Not good at all.

I anxiously await your responses as I know you will keep it interesting and thought-provoking.  BUT, please remember that this site monitors all comments and has the right to remove any derogatory and/or offensive comments.

The phrase “What would Jesus do?” (often abbreviated to WWJD) became popular in the United States in the 1890s, and again in 1990s, as a personal motto for thousands of Christians who used the phrase as a reminder of their belief that Jesus is the example to be followed in daily life, and to act in a manner of which Jesus would approve.

Is that true for you and me?  You do claim to be a Christian don’t you?  You do want Christ to be pleased with your actions, reactions, deeds, etc. don’t you?  Let’s see if we can’t make Him just as proud of us, as we are of Him!

Let’s take one week and change our thinking.  Let’s take one week and try as Christians to get in the mind of Christ.  We have read the scriptures and heard the sermons; we know the difference between our actions and those of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Aren’t we as “Christ”ians supposedly striving to be Christ-like?  Aren’t we taking the Christ in Christianity and trying to identify with it and be like Him?  Well let’s do it together and then let’s talk about the change it made in our lives spiritually and naturally.  Stopping and asking What Would Jesus Do before everything we do, will certainly have an impact on EVERYTHING concerning our lives.  If we can promote Pay It Forward challenges, and weight lost challenges, and all kinds of reality challenges, let’s doubly promote this challenge!   It is the: 7daybuzz.com WWJD 7 Day Challenge!

Tell everybody you know what you are doing and invite them to join in the 7daybuzz.com WWJD challenge!  This challenge won’t cost you.  This challenge won’t hurt you. (well maybe your pride if you have to turn the other cheek or something flesh defying)  I can truthfully say, if done properly, the only thing this challenge can do and will do is make you more conscious of who you are and Whose you are.  This might be just the thing you need and I need to expose us to us!  We really don’t know who we are.  Fact:  we never see ourselves the same way others see us!  Maybe living this lifestyle for a week (hopefully it will be one we will choose to adopt forever) will close the gap between who we think we are, and who we really are.  So starting today, let’s do this!

Hopefully you have prayed for the last week and have programmed your mind to begin questioning yourself and asking, What Would Jesus Do?  Now let’s put it into action. 

Next Sunday I anxiously look forward to hearing the stories and life changing experiences the WWJD challenge brought about.  I think we will surprise ourselves, each and every one of us, when we realize how far we were from true Christ like actions and our own fleshly actions.  Don’t make this a burden but make it a joyful occasion for a renewal within your spirit.  There will be times when you/I fail.  WE will think about WWJD and then do the opposite because our flesh is geared toward self satisfaction.  Okay.  Get up.  Brush off, but don’t stop!  Get back on the horse and continue with the challenge.  If at first you don’t succeed, keep trying!  That’s what Jesus would do, right? 

Just remember, before you do it, ask yourself WWJD?  Before you say it, ask yourself WWJD?  Before you think it, ask yourself WWJD?  We’ll talk soon!

Now that training camps are starting all across the NFL, predictions are being made about this season. Most people are picking the Patriots to win the AFC again since their offense was the best of all-time last season. Some think the Chargers are going to break through since they now believe in Philip Rivers and Norv Turner. Some believe Jacksonville will take that next step and be the AFC’s representative in the Super Bowl. All of these predictions, but everyone seems to be forgetting about the Pittsburgh Steelers and this could be the team to watch for in the AFC.

At first glance, one could make the case that the Steelers not only are not one of the top contenders in the AFC, but they may not even be the best contender from the AFC North. Many believe the Cleveland Browns will be the best team in the AFC North. The Browns have spent a lot of money on players such as Donte Stallworth and Shaun Rogers while the Steelers never spend a lot of money in free agency. The problem is the Steelers are not going to make a ton of moves, but they are always solid in player acquisition and the draft, which could keep them on top of the AFC North.

The talent on the Steelers is deep and talented. Ben Roethlisberger was arguably the second-best quarterback in the league last season. Willie Parker rushed for more yards in the AFC than anyone not named LaDainian Tomlinson. Santonio Holmes established himself as a big-time receiver and could become the top wideout since Hines Ward is getting up in years. Heath Miller is quickly becoming one of the top tight ends in the league. In other words, the Steelers have a ton of offensive weapons and if you add their draft picks like Rashard Mendenhall or Limas Sweed, the depth on the offensive side of the football looks as good as any.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers have been good, the consistent strength of the team has always been their defense. Last year, they were one of the best in the NFL and they should be again this season. They seem to just keep a stockpile of linebackers – last year James Harrison replaced Joey Porter and was the team’s MVP and a Pro Bowler. They hope the same can happen for LaMarr Woodley who will be replacing Clark Haggans this season. Haggans, Harrison and Woodley could have the Steeler fans talking about the old “Blitzburgh” days with Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd over a decade ago because of their ability to get to the quarterback. The defense, however, will need healthy seasons from safeties Troy Polamatu and Ryan Clark because when they went down, the defense fell apart at the end of the season.

The end of the last season should be the rally cry for the Steelers this season if they need any motivation. The Steelers lost 4 of their last 5 games, including a playoff loss in Pittsburgh to Jacksonville that the city has been talking about for the last 6 months. People forget that this team was 9-3 with the best defense in the league at the beginning of the month of December, but could not stop anyone the last 5 games. Do not expect that to happen again and expect the Steelers to make a serious noise in the AFC in the playoffs this time.

Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor, died Friday of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 47. He died at his home in southern Virginia.

You may have saw this on the news or Internet. You also may have went to Youtube and discovered a video he made. Or, you may be asking yourself why this matters to you. Pausch gained Internet fame for his “Last Lecture”, a lecture given by many professors as if it was their last lecture. For Pausch, it may not have literally been his last lecture, but it was close. His last lecture was inspirational, motivational and sad at the same time. If you have the time, watch the video below.

Pausch told USA TODAY during an interview at his home in March that the now-famous lecture was never meant for public consumption, nor was it for his colleagues or students. It was for his two sons and daughter: Dylan, 6, Logan, 3, and Chloe, 2. “If people are finding inspiration, OK, but the book is for my kids,” Pausch said.

“I knew what I was doing that day,” he wrote in the introduction of his best-selling book, also titled The Last Lecture. “Under the ruse of giving an academic lecture, I was trying to put myself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for my children.”

In the video, Pausch says the following:

“…the brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something, because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the “other” people.”

How many of us don’t try hard enough? Really, if we were honest with ourselves and admitted the truth, would we be one of those few people who actually do what it takes to break down those brick walls? I know there is more I can do, more positive things in life I could take action on instead of looking at things like I don’t want to go through the hassle. Have you found your true contribution or art?

In some way, we are all artists. We all have something we do that contributes to the world around us; that something you would do all day for free that you or someone else really needs. We all know people who happen to find their art easier than others. Tiger Woods’ art is golf, Bill Gates’ art is software (sort of) and your mechanic’s art may be working on cars. Think about what it is that is your art and begin to break down those brick walls.

Come back tomorrow, for more positve actions that can change your life.

Being relatively new to Big 12 country has brought an understanding about how it works when football season comes around.  Most Big 12 fans believe the conference is the best regardless of how many players graduated or were lost to the draft.  You can’t really blame them though, especially since they have had 3 different schools (Nebraska, Texas, and Oklahoma) play for the national championship this decade and Oklahoma has played in the national title game three times this decade.  Last year, the conference was pretty underrated considering they had four teams in the top 10 at the end of the season.  This season, there should be no doubt, except to SEC fans, that the Big 12 will be the best conference in the country.

The Big 12 returned an unusual amount of talent this season, particularly at the quarterback position.  10 of the top 11 quarterbacks from last season are back this season and when you consider that 8 of the 10 threw 22 or more touchdowns, there is no doubt about the talent there.  They have their normal collection of playmakers on the offensive end with players such as Jeremy Maclin (Missouri), Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech), Marlon Lucky (Nebraska), and DeMarco Murray (Oklahoma).  They have their defensive stalwarts with players such as Auston English (Oklahoma), Joe Mortensen (Kansas), Sean Weatherspoon (Missouri), and William Moore (Missouri).  The Big 12 also has highly touted newcomers that big things are expected for this season with players such as Darrell Scott (Colorado), Beau Johnson (Oklahoma State), Malcolm Williams (Texas), and Jeffrey Fuller (Texas A&M).  Talent will definitely not be a problem in the Big 12 conference this season.

What supports the Big 12 this season more than other is the depth of really good teams in the conference.  Oklahoma and Texas have been very good the entire decade, each has a national title this decade, and will be very good again this season.  Texas Tech has consistently been a good football team each season as well.  The difference is now Missouri and Kansas both have good teams and many think that this season will bring the reemergence of Nebraska.  People should not forget Colorado as they could very well be a sleeper team in the conference.

The SEC clearly gets the most attention of any conference in college football and their quality of football is what most people measure all of the other conferences.  The thing is that it could have easily been the Big 12 with 3 national titles this decade, but they knocked themselves out of the national title game last year when Oklahoma defeated then #1 Missouri in the Big 12 title game.  Make no mistake, this year, the best conference in the country looks to be the Big 12.

I am almost ashamed to admit that this post came about because of a not so nice thought I had.  Today my husband and I were in a place of business.  The woman that was waiting on us walked toward us and I thought to myself how unattractive her legs were.  I actually said to myself, her face is not bad and the rest of her body is not bad but her legs are just not attractive.  As we head toward Sunday and the 7daybuzz.com WWJD 7 day challenge, I thought about what I was thinking and instantly became ashamed and mad.  The reason I got mad was because, like her, I have many body parts that many would say aren’t attractive.  But the real reason I got mad is because I bought into that way of thinking!  Who in the world, and I mean who, decides what is attractive and what is not?

I have a dear friend name Rose.  Rose lives in Nairobi, Kenya in Africa.  I had a job that afforded me the pleasure of spending time with Rose while she was in the US.  She taught me many things about how another culture lives.  One thing we talked about at length is how different our countries feel about a woman’s body.  According to Rose, if a woman is thin or small she is considered unattractive, especially if she is married.  If you see a married woman that is not (Kenya) healthy /thin (US), her husband is not doing his job.  Families can become upset at the sight of a slight woman and that husband will be told to feed his wife and take proper care of her.  A curvaceous woman, on the thicker side of life is considered beautiful in Kenya.  A size 16 or 18 or even higher is not a problem in Kenyan!  Sweet dear Rose was what we would call thick.  Because she had become somewhat Americanized, she decided she didn’t want to gain anymore weight.  I was with her when she bought her first pair of jeans!  She saw how women here looked and she wanted to emulate that look in her country!  Rose was absolutely beautiful.  One of the most beautiful women I had ever seen!  But now she was in our country and doubting that beauty because she understood what we say beauty should look like.  Don’t get me wrong, I am all about healthy living, a healthy size, and a healthy weight to go with it.

I don’t like it when I hear men say they wouldn’t even consider dating an overweight woman.  What if that woman is his actual soul mate?  Not someone he has a forced relationship with, chosen because she fit the appearance criteria.  I don’t like it when I hear a woman say she wouldn’t consider dating a bald man.  What if he is everything on her list with the minor exception that genetics didn’t afford him the luxury of hair past age 30?  How many people do you think have missed out on the true love of their life because the individual didn’t meet the standards of what we call beauty?  I will admit, as much as I love this country, there are times when I wish I was in a place where beauty was not based on how thin you were, or how long your legs were, or how hard your abs were.

It is so unfair.  The reason I think it so unfair is, none of us were given the options of who our parents were and what genetics we would inherit.  If how we look was predicated on what we ate only and how we took care of our bodies only, then that rating system would be alright, but my eyes, nose, legs, midsection, back parts, feet, hands, etc. all came from a combination of those before me.  Little of who I am is mine exclusively, but what is, was there from the start.  No matter what I eat, I still have chicken legs!  No matter how many Pilates stretches I do, I am still 5’¼”.  Nothing is going to plump up my legs or make me taller!  So then why can’t I be considered just as beautiful as Halle Berry or Janet Jackson or Eva Longoria?  But I know I will never be seen that way.  And that’s ok.  I’m good with who I am.  I am a creation of God.

If I ever see that woman again, I will consider her just as beautiful as my friend Rose!  Tell me what you think of American’s standards for beauty.