An old boyfriend once commented, "You come from a family of very strong women." Whether or not he meant it as a compliment is still up for debate. In any case, I have been blessed with growing up in a family of strong, wise, and outspoken women. So, I thought I'd pass along some of the advice they have given me over the years.
In most cases, you're not going to marry the man you love more than you've ever loved anyone in your whole life. You're going to marry the man you happen to be in love with at the time that both of you are ready to be married. This is a good thing.
Don't live with a man before you get married to "see if you can live with him". You don't marry a man when you don't know if you can live with him. You marry a man when you don't know if you can live without him.
You are the pilot of your own ship. You don't need a man to be the captain. But if you happen to find someone you'd like to invite along for the ride, that's fine.
Until that ring is on their finger, they're fair game.
I can have a child. I don't need to marry one.
On Raising Children
You hear people all the time worrying about whether or not their children are going to like them. I never cared if you liked me or not. It wasn't my job to make you like me, it was my job to raise you.
I was a good mother. If you turn out rotten, it's your fault.
You don't have to dicipline your children very often. But when you do, do it like you're killing snakes - like you really mean it.
When you're a parent, you don't do the best you can and hope it's good enough. You do what needs to be done.
On Writing Poetry
Everything rhymes with a broken heart.
On Life in General
Never worry about how you look naked. By the time you get to the point where you're taking your clothes off, a man can't see straight anyway.
There is justice in this world, and it is in this lifetime.
Show a little leg.
If you have a headache long enough, you miss it when it's gone.
If someone is being petty, spiteful, or unfair, don't let them drag you into it. Take the high road. That way, when you look back you can feel good about knowing that you did the right thing. Plus, it will really annoy the other person.
You can never have anything nice as long as you have a pet, a child, or a man in the house.
Never run when crossing the street. If you trip and fall down, you'll be a bigger target.
We spend the first half of our lives rebelling against our parents and the second half of our lives becoming them.
The easiest thing in the world to do is get yourself in a mess.