2009? Good Riddance

There are plenty of things that I would change in the new year. There is the usual wish list of things that we all hope for.

But I am going to focus on the things that I am NOT going to change.

Sleepovers are off again. No questions asked.

Everytime there is a sleepover, girls come home nasty and cranky. Or worse. They are teenagers. I need to make sure that they are more closely supervised overnight.

I will continue asking girls about their plans. I am tired of checking in on them and finding their are "hanging out" (loitering). Nothing good can come of it and plenty bad stuff can.

I will continue to push the girls to want and be better than the average kid. They need to be able to articulate plans for themselves further than Saturday night. If they can't think about it.. they will never be able to achieve it.

I will continue to set rules according to my own set of beliefs. I will not be guided by whether other parents do or don't allow something. I am not them.

I will continue to expect respect. I don't care what you might hear someone say about me. You might hear someone say that they disagree with the way I do things. You might hear someone say that I need to get a life. Be very clear. This is my life. And whoa be to you to repeat that nonsense to me. Nothing good will come of it. I guarantee it. You won't look worldly. You will appear mouthy and disrespectful.

I will not listen to your diatribes about how I don't understand what you are going through. I have a much better idea about your life then you do about mine. And if your description takes longer than five minutes, then you have moved into lecturing me. Bad idea.

What I do want this year is world peace, closeness with friends and family that doesn't require me to give up being me and a decent amount of prosperity and so I can do most of the stuff that I want.

As for the rest of it? Be warned that I won't be changing that. Nor do I want to.