Memory Lane is simply a Street Name in Hell.

I thought I'd be the one to save you,
I never thought I'd hurt you so.
You were the half that made me,
I didn't plan to let you go.
It hurt to see the pain in your eyes,
To see a warm heart become so cold.
It hurt to know I did that,
Its a regret I'm sure to hold.
To think back on every memory,
Every tremble and every kiss.
It aches to know you believed in me,
And I just left you with this.
I hope one day the walls come down,
Its always been so beautiful inside.
I hope you find that warmth again,
I'd give anything to see you smile.

Last Stop on the Pity Train Today: IDGAF Central.

Oh I’m annoyed. So, so very annoyed. I mean it’s my fault, in all reality I should just delete my facebook and pretend that people aren’t as ignorant as they really are seeing as in real life I wouldn’t be close enough ever to any of these irritating girls to be aware of their lack of common sense and surplus of baby making ability. And don’t get me wrong I sincerely wish I was writing today about something positive, something to put a smile on your face but that went out the window along with my patience for ignorant people this morning. So if you were hoping for a pick me up, this is not the place. However if you were looking for some good ol’ bashing…I can give that to you. I am hitting all kinds of topics this morning: idiots reproducing, bad friends and little girls trying to grow up far too fast and landing somewhere between trashy and wtf.

Now this is something that has been nagging at me forever, I am going to talk about certain situations and I want no one to take offense. I am just telling you my view on it, it doesn’t mean it’s the right view or even one that’s worth reading but it’s my blog so we’ve already discussed that little “X” at the top right hand portion of your screen. Don’t go whine to someone later saying how mean I am, wah wah wah. I respect everyone as individuals and this is honestly not directed at any of my friends so if you think it’s about you I assure you it’s not because I am aware the people I am writing about either don’t read this or don’t know me. Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way let’s get to the good stuff.

Having kids is a choice. Every time you have sex, you are running the risk of pregnancy. Now some people are on/using birth control, which I am aware is only 99% effective although almost 100% of accidents happen when it’s not being used properly. So I feel for those people, it was a legitimately unplanned and just unfortunate. But there are those couples…oh those couples…that used no form of protection and somehow thought that was effective. “We weren’t planning it, it was an accident” well sticking a penis inside a vagina, is a pretty damn good way to make a Baby, I mean even public schools teach you that. So don’t call it an accident, because you would have had to have been actively trying to keep it from happening for it to have been an accident. And I realize that little surprises happen all the time… I may be a victim of that one day, but I won’t pretend it wasn’t my fault because one night..or day.. depending on how feisty I was I would have clearly had to have slipped up to get those two little taunting lines. And I will be happy about it, because there is nothing in the world more joyous than a baby and honestly if I could stay home all day and be married to a millionaire (I have to have nice stuff) then I would have 10 kids, because I seriously love being a Mom and I love being able to mold little people into hopefully productive members of society. This whole paragraph was really building up to one thing. Bitches who get pregnant on purpose, generally to keep a guy. The next time I have to hear a God Blessed pity party about how he left you and you’re stuck raising a kid alone, I swear I’m going to kick a puppy or club a baby seal. Remember how excited you were? Oh it’s going to be great, we’re going to be a family, he’s not going to leave me. Surprise, surprise when it doesn’t work out. You know whose fault that is? Yours. You lied about birth control or chose not to use it, even if he was aware and involved that doesn’t bind him to you with a contract. Yeah it sucks but it’s YOUR fault. I am not going to feel bad for you because you made bad decisions. There are people in the world with real problems, people who didn’t ask for the troubles they have. I recommend a big ol’ glass of suck it the fuck up for you. So for the girls who choose to have kids and then whine about not having a social life, that was your choice also, you made poor life decisions and no one put a gun to your head. I know everyone needs a break every now and then, trust me I’ve been there but if I don’t get it, it’s not because life is unfair, it’s because I chose to be a Mom. And just to appease those of you who love this topic, Mom’s who go out and party every night. You’re trashy. Yes, I went there. Grow up, especially if you’re out there buying beer while I, a TAX PAYER is paying for your WIC and FOODSTAMPS. Seriously? I am so glad that the fact that I want to actually support my kids is in turn helping me support yours. Before you say anything, I know, I know, I’m great and you’re welcome. Hell, I may do more for you than your baby daddy does. I know how hard it is to support your partying habit and still put food on the table. And keep on being white trash, drink every night, bring home your minimum wage and government checks, I need people like you in the world so I can give my kids examples of how not to be. So no, thank YOU.

Bad friends, Oh…. I’ve been contemplating you for a while. You see I only have one girlfriend that I can actually say I share everything with and feel comfortable doing so, and I love her, she’s the best. She never lets me down and gives in just as much if not more for our friendship and I appreciate her for it. Thank you, Lora. Seriously. Not saying that she’s my only friend, because I have a huge group of girls (and guys) that I love and have great relationships with and you all rock and I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate you and your time…especially Kevin…because poor Kevin has to listen to me bitch almost weekly and that has got to suck. Now I have recently…well in the last year made a pretty big decision: I am DONE being the only person in a friendship. You don’t have time to hang out? Well that isn’t my problem, I am not going to even ask because I don’t need friends like that. I am at a place in my life where I need mature, grown up friends. I am not going to make an effort if you don’t. When I go to do something, I am not going to waste my time calling “friends” who never call me. I have real friends who actually attempt at a relationship, so yeah, if I’m not jumping every time you want to hang out, it’s because I am done being the one on the string.

Oh, little girls. I was a little girl once…actually wasn’t so long ago… anyway, this consistent underage drinking…well in some cases of age but right now I’m focusing on teeny boppers, is getting out of hand. I’m not going to pretend I was a perfect kid and never drank, I actually got so blitzed on my 17th birthday that I took my top off and spent the rest of the night in underwear crying and puking simultaneously while some kid I barely knew held my hair. Yeah…not my proudest moment but I’m just showing you that I can relate. I like drinking, don’t get me wrong, I can’t go more than a week without a glass of wine. That however is something I developed after I turned 21 because beforehand I just felt terrible breaking the law, I know its silly right. And if you are old enough to legally get as wasted as physically possible, have at it. But what I am seeing is a trend of these kids that are either still in or barely out of high school drinking like every night. I mean I get that its fun, but do you realize how trashy it makes you look? Is that how you want people to see you? I mean I’m sure you don’t care, a rebel without a cause and all but that is not how to be a respectable young lady. Sure Saturday nights are great for letting loose, but even then…a month of Saturday nights is looking a bit rough. I bet you feel on top of the world. So grown up because you can consume alcohol. For the record, beer makes you fat, staying up all night gives you dark circles and all that lovely liquor is killing your liver, so have at it. When you are finally old enough to drink you’ll already be so washed up that all those night won’t have looked as glamorous now. I see it ALL the time. And I’m not saying this to be mean, and it’s not the case for everyone and isn’t specifically directed at anyone. I just hate seeing girls with potential wash themselves down the drain. You may say you don’t care how people see you, but trust me you do and you will. Carry yourself in a fashion that you would respect. If you think an 18 year old girl getting drunk every night is something to look up to then congratulations, you’re setting a great example. However any class you may think you have is strictly in your head.

So in conclusion, sure I’m a bitch. I don’t filter when I should, I am high maintenance, I put people down when no one else will, I am not perfect, I am also not one to take anyone else’s shit. You can take it or leave it, just like this blog. You don’t like me? I’m sorry, it’s unfortunate but I am how I am. I am not a puppet and I am not out to make the world happy. I live by a simple motto, which is mine…..like I made it up although I’m sure eventually someone will use it after reading me write it will then claim it or whatever (but that’s a whole other blog altogether), anyways, “Be someone that you can be proud of”. If you can step back and look at your life and say, “you know what, THAT is a person who cares. That is someone who has it together and tries their hardest” then you, my friend, are on the right track. If you look at it and say “Who turned on Jersey Shore” you seriously need to get your shit together if you have any hopes of being pretty much anything other than a bar whore. Enjoy being young, but don’t be trashy. It’s just not fitting, you are worth so much more than that. And last but not least, don’t open your legs if you’re just going to bitch about cause and effect later, no one wants to hear that. This concludes my rant. I hope you don’t hate me…because I’m human and I actually care what you think but if by sad chance you do..I think I’ll be okay.

One Fine Day.

Perhaps one day I’ll find contentment in things which I can, but choose not to change. Maybe if I’m lucky the lines between happiness and misery will thin into a gray area in which my heart can reside. If mercy finds me in some distant future then by luck or chance I may come across the pieces of me I’ve managed to lose throughout the years. If I ever find myself, I will find what I’ve been Looking for.

Not that you necessarily needed more relationship advice...

Oh Monday, where should I start with you? I could start by talkingj about lying to yourself…or possibly lying to everyone else? I could discuss unhealthy relationships, really bad drivers or learning to calm yourself. Oh my so much to talk about and so little time to type it all. That and I don’t want you to stay glued to the computer screen for an hour because I’m just that interesting and all. I wish, right? Well I will gladly accept the 10 minutes you take out of your day to read my words and I hope it serves as either something helpful or a form of amusement. Either way I’m happy.

Bad drivers and trying to calm yourself is actually more of a description of my drive home last night and even though I could talk about it for a good 20 minutes I know that none of you really care, and I am totally okay with that! So on to the real subject at hand….

“You can’t stop lying to everyone else until first you stop lying to yourself.” –Kayla Davis

I can be so quote worthy on occasions. I have spent a lot of time the last week thinking about life and the way people tend to depict it to the outside world. We have these ideas in our heads of what is socially acceptable and what we should portray as happiness but the truth is we all look absolutely obnoxious. I have said this one million times, no one’s life is perfect. That doesn’t mean I want to hear how terrible your life is, that is just tacky and I don’t do the whole self pity thing. I just want people to be aware of the fact that just because you say things are perfect, the rest of the world knows that you’re full of it. No relationship is flawless, no one is happy with their partner 100% of the time. That’s just reality. News flash, if you think you’re going to go the rest of your life without fighting with your spouse you’re deep, deep in the dark so deep in fact that at this point harnessing the powers of the sun in your very own hands couldn’t help you. The truth is that we’re human, we all make mistakes and at some point we’ll all be in the dog house for a little bit. Now, what I am sincerely concerned about are people who actually think their life is perfect. I figure if you say something so many times you just start to believe it and I’ve often heard that ignorance is bliss. Well what happens when one day those people wake up and realize they’ve just gone from living in a fairy tale to living in a horror story? You were so blinded by your hallmark image of your marriage that you missed the point where your Husband started sleeping with the babysitter and now he’s leaving you. That must feel like falling from the sky to rock bottom. Ouch. However, a realistic person would have noted changes in the relationship and would have been easing themselves into the fall; it would still hurt but they’d get out with a few broken bones versus a fatal head injury. Don’t make excuses for someone just to make your life seem like there’s nothing wrong, you need to take control of problems not be complacent as they slip by and eat away at your mental state. Making the person take responsibility for their own actions will get you a lot further in the long run. I’m not trying to down play happiness here in the least bit, I know there are times when life feels absolutely perfect. But perfect moments are real; they are something that in that moment is indeed flawless. But minutes versus a constant are two different things. Life is full of ups and downs but life is never one steady line, unless of course you’re dead. I can remember a few months ago I was in my nice warm bathtub with the lights dimmed, jets on, The Fray playing softly through speakers, my beautiful new mural elegantly gracing the wall in front of me and my Husbands arms wrapped around me securely. In that moment I actually thought my heart was going to explode and I was going to die of happiness. If I felt like that all the time…I think I would be numb to the rest of the world, actually. The part of the frame you’re not seeing is that I spent the day bickering at him and frustrated but it made unwinding with him that much more beautiful. If we pretend things are perfect, we ignore the real problems and in doing so we set ourselves up for failure. If we admit to ourselves we have problems and don’t ignore them openly then we can build a foundation on more than just an image. When it all draws to an end we are not Polaroid’s, we will change and we will fade and the only thing we will have left is the love for each other so instead of worrying about how everyone else perceives your relationship why not spend time on how you legitimately perceive it yourself.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

This is most definitely true, there is not one person in this world that someone, somewhere doesn’t find attractive. We all have different tastes and preferences, some of us have none at all. This week I have seen two rather interesting examples of people and size discrimination, one being a photo Victoria Secret posted to their Facebook page of a model in a pair of undies and another being a repost by a friend of a plus size model who was also rather scantily clad. Both grown women, both having brunette hair, both in my eyes absolutely beautiful.

Obviously my opinion was far off from many users of the social networking site. You see when any idiot can hide behind a little icon with a picture of an inanimate object in it they tend to be the first to throw stones, after all who’s going to do anything to them? It’s just the internet. If I could throw that cucumber in their picture right at their hateful presumably ugly face I would. Below the picture of the Vicky S model, the comments were just awful. Comments ranged from “go eat a burger” to “she has to be anorexic” and of course there were people calling her “beautiful” and “sexy” also, but the arguments raged amongst the commenters who were spouting out things such as “you’re just jealous” to “ this is why girls develop eating disorders, they have to live up to America’s standards.” It was all one giant mess. I commented, of course and although it was full of wisdom one thing I learned years ago is that no matter how powerful simple logic is there will always be people out there too obnoxious to even begin to absorb it. As I scrolled through the 1000 comments I couldn’t help but get angry. No one and I mean absolutely NO ONE has any room to criticize another human being for their appearance. No one is picture perfect, models are not even picture perfect, every time you’re looking at a magazine full of perfectly shaped breasts and toned tummies I want you to thank Photoshop for its wonders and abilities. So this poor girl, who could possibly be the sweetest person in the world, is being criticized for looking too thin when in reality she’s probably not THAT small, it’s whatever sales. In this case you’re broadcasting a picture to millions of people and as I said earlier, haters love to hate. So as if seeing a skinny girl being torn down wasn’t bad enough I had a friend post a picture of a plus sized model with a story attached about a sign in a gym asking if this summer gym goers want to be “whales or mermaids”. Well I for one plan to be human this summer but that’s just me. The story was sweet and I understand where whomever wrote it was coming from even though it did do slightly what it was defending against. It compared Whales to Mermaids, whales (larger women) getting the upper hand while mermaids (smaller women) were said to have had personality disorders and have nothing appealing beyond the skin pretty much. Well as you can imagine the comments on this original picture were just as harsh as the ones on the Victoria Secret post. She was called things from “Fatty” (Oh I bet that one cut deep, now please return to your desk and continue coloring, little Timmy!) to actually being referred to as a Whale. It is completely beyond me why anyone would feel hateful things necessary to even say in either case. We all have opinions but some should definitely never make it past our cranium.

What didn’t so much surprise me is it seemed a lot of the judgment was coming from men. Oh men, you are all so perfect none of you are too fat or too skinny, too ugly or too stupid. But women, please refer to us indirectly every chance you get as one of the above. Now obviously not every man is like this, I actually personally know very few that are and that’s because I would never associate with a pompous asshole. However, there were women being just as nasty as the men. Women that I am sure would be hurt if someone judged them just as they were judging these girls.

The truth is no matter how hard you try someone out there is going to tell you you’re not good enough. I for one have been told I am too thin and I have seen women who are perfectly healthy be told they are too thick. You know what I have to say to those people who say such things? Shut your judgmental, foul, uneducated, inconsiderate mouth. Everyone has beauty in them, no matter how large or how thin. There are occasions when you are LEGITIMTELY concerned with someone’s health that it’s okay to say, “Hey, I really don’t want to see you hurt yourself, please let’s get some help.” But telling her she looks like she’s eating too much or too little is no one’s business but hers and as long as SHE feels beautiful and of course healthy then that’s all that matters. Women are all built different for different reasons; we are all unique in our own wonderful ways. Just because you don’t find someone attractive does not mean that they are not perfect in someone else’s eyes. I don’t care if you’re a size 0 or a size 16, you indeed are beautiful because you were put on this earth as a capable woman. You have hips that were meant to bore children, breasts that were meant to feed them and compassion which was meant to nurture them. No matter what anyone says or thinks, that’s what makes you beautiful, the fact that you have a pecial purpose that no man nor woman can change. How can someone not find beauty in that? How can anyone think that something built so specifically is unattractive?

So my Dear friends, I leave you with this: You are absolutely beautiful, in every single way. No matter how you think others feel about you or what they say remember this, that the most beautiful part of us is our soul, our personality, the radiance of our smiles and as long as you are confident in yourself you are invincible. Those who judge others based on their outer shell are indeed very rotten people inside and no matter how attractive they think themselves on the outside NO ONE likes an apple with a rotten core.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Ah Snap. Today has been interesting in so many different ways. Let’s start it out with this, “that awkward moment you see the people that’s blocked on your facebook in person” <-that was one of my friends statuses on Wednesday…I read it and laughed…and then today I actually got to live that awkward moment. You don’t know whether to say Hi or ignore them or what. For the record I was polite and said Hi, it’s not her fault that I’m easily annoyed and short tempered. I did what was best for all parties. Anywhoo, as if that wasn’t enough ridiculousness for one day of course I have to have drama on my facebook, why wouldn’t I?! Everyone is so touchy. For the record, if you do something and it ends up all over the news you can’t really get upset when people bring it up, because after all it was broadcasted to the whole city, not just people you know. I think a good rule of thumb Is that if you don’t want the world knowing about it, try not to put yourself in that position…I know that can’t always be done realistically but it’s just a passing thought. Enough of that mess now on to what I want to talk about today!

“A good marriage in my opinion is based on partnership, not ownership. Some women obviously just have no business sense. Back to the kitchen with you!”

Just a few words my brain produced whilst thinking about women who worship their men. And don’t misunderstand me when I say “worship” because I adore my Husband…and on occasions I tell him he’s a God…but that’s a bit personal. What I mean when I use it in the above statement is what happens when a woman does that thing where the only thing in life is him. Air? Who needs it! I have a man! A job? Who needs it! I would rather wash his clothes! A life? Who needs it! I just live to make him happy!

Excuse me when I say: Fuck. That.

I respect a woman who would jump through hoops to make her man happy, good for you! However, I have no respect for a woman who lets a man control her, as I shouldn’t since she’s putting herself on servant level and not proud living creature level. Hell even my dog has more respect for herself than that. If making your man happy is what makes you happy then more power to you but I personally am not much of a gambler when it comes to my future. When you start living and breathing for another person then in turn you stop living and breathing for yourself. When you constantly worry about what’s going to make him happy you lose the things that make you happy. I’m not saying that every relationship fails but if it comes to the point where that one does then you have nothing, you put yourself in a situation to lose everything. How can any woman be proud of that? Do you know who makes decisions for me? I do. Of course being married and having respect for my husband I do confide in him when I need it but in the end I do what’s best for us, not because I was told to do it but because I thought for myself. When a decision is made we do it together. Household chores? We do them together. Is it my job to come home and cook for him while he sits on the couch? Hell no. When I come home and cook after 9 hours at work ts not because I feel obligated, it is because I’m a Mother and Wife and I want to feed my family and make them happy. We do things together and help each other, because that’s what love is. Love isn’t giving in and letting go of your dreams to make the other person happy, love is helping each other achieve those dreams and supporting one another every step of the way. Does my Husband control my actions? No. If he has a problem with something he discusses it with me and we go from there. At no point in time will anyone but me and the United States Government dictate what I can and can’t do. If I choose not to, yet again it is because I respect him. If you tell me “No” I will respond with “watch me”. If you he asks me not to, then I will take the feelings to heart and agree with him as I would assume he was looking out for me and the family. I respect him as a person and as an equal. Now if I hear “but my man won’t let me do that” one more time I swear I’m going to slap a Bitch. And I mean “bitch” with all the love in the world. If you’re not going to do something don’t not do it because he told you No, do it because you discussed it and respect his wishes. Is it really so hard to think for yourself? Get out there and live, be something that YOU can be proud of. This isn’t 1950, the kitchen is for experimental counter sex, not making him a sandwich. In this day and age we grow up being told we can be whatever we want to be, I never wanted to be a servant and I tell you right now the only people I will ever act as a slave to are my children and that’s because let’s face it, kids are the ultimate little dictators. If I get yelled at to make a sandwich by my daughter you better believe I’ll be asking her if she wants it cut in halves or fours because I fear the intense wrath of an unhappy 3 year old. But being a parent and being a partner are 2 different things. Those children are a part of me whether I like it or not, they are extensions of my body. A man will fit well like a puzzle piece but unlike a limb attached to a body, a puzzle piece can be removed from a board easily. The sooner a woman learns to stand up and think for herself and live for her less likely she is to have a hidden drinking problem at the age of 50.

Remember, would you rather be an employee or a co-owner? You could be the person flipping the burgers or the person that makes $500 every time that burger is flipped.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

The Golden Rule.

Today I logged on the internet to find stories of “coming out” and marriages spurred by the repeal of DADT. It was wonderful; to see people so happy to be able to finally be themselves really hit a soft spot for me. I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to not be able to be how you…well…are. That would be like me pretending I never had an opinion, except I could imagine sexuality is obviously about 100X’s more serious than that and a lot more painful. Sadly following these stories I came upon an article about a 14 year old boy who had taken his own life. It wasn’t the first time I’ve seen a story like this, he had been bullied and just couldn’t deal with the pain despite him actively seeking help. He had submitted a video for the “It gets Better Project” sometime prior to his death which is what gave this story a particularly heartbreaking edge. The It Gets Better Project aims to help struggling LGBT adolescence and let them know that there is life after high school that it gets better. 14 years old. Life is hard enough at that age without adding the isolation that someone who was constantly being verbally attacked must feel. We hear all the time how cruel children are. Indeed they can be heartless little monsters and at one point every single one of us was that age and some may have even been like the bullies that lead to this child’s untimely death. I can remember being picked on for being small very early on. That hurt. Hell when someone criticizes my size now it still hurts. We are the way God (or genetics if you’re an atheist) made us.

Every single one of us has flaws. I’m too skinny. My nose is too big. My toes are too long and my teeth aren’t perfectly straight. The abuse I endured was nothing compared to what the kids who gets called “Gay” go through, every, single, day. There are so many homophobic, racist and just plain mean people out there. Some are open about it and others keep it to themselves. Some people are just flat out hateful and it doesn’t matter if you’re gay, a certain race, religion or gender, they’re going to be as malicious as possible. They feed off other people’s pain. People like that baffle me; people who hate someone who is in no way hurting them or even affecting their lives. Baseless hatred. Now I know that I’ve said unnecessary things to people that have hurt them and in the heat of the moment I felt like a jab in the most tender spot was more than enough to bring the argument to an end, leaving my opponent wounded and what I can only assume is feeling pretty low. Chances are at some point you’ve done it too. Call them fat. Call them stupid. Call them anything in the book you know will hurt. I hate that I’ve done it. In my particular case do I take it back? Not at all. But…it had circumstances. I do feel bad about stooping that low and at this point I’d apologize if I ever felt inclined but chances are I’ll leave it in the past and it was not a common or repetitive thing. Right now I want you to think about something, think about every time you called someone a name. Even if you said it to a friend or thought it to yourself. Think about every time you stared at someone who was impaired in some way.

Got the memories good and tuned up? Now think about a baby. A helpless newborn baby. Every person you have ever been mean to because of something that they can’t help was once someone’s child. At one point that kid you just called a fag was a curious toddler, completely innocent just wanting to be held and loved just like you were at that age. A child that a parent only wanted the best for. Now imagine that that was your baby. How would you feel if a person called your sweet innocent child fat? Or ugly? Or GAY? Imagine someone making your child feel like they were worthless because they weren’t societies “norm”. Now think about it like this: you once made someone’s baby feel insignificant, like they weren’t good enough because in your eyes they were flawed. We all start out the same, with hopes and dreams and as we become our own people we are faced with judgment every single day, but chances are that someone out there is dealing with it on a much worse level; a level where they feel there is no hope and it hurts worse to be told how blasphemous their existence is than it does to pull the trigger of a loaded gun. Remember that Baby at the beginning of the paragraph? So does the Mother now planning its funeral. Parents who once held a baby in their arms looking at it with wonder and hope are now looking at pictures of that same beautiful baby to put on a remembrance slide show. Trying to figure out how someone could be so hateful to a child that in their eyes was perfect. How could someone call the kid that they once read bed time stories to and colored pictures with “weird”. How could someone call the child that they sang playfully in the car with “gay”. How could another child make the child that was so full of joy and excitement on his birthday or Christmas morning feel like he wasn’t good enough to live on this earth. Imagine how helpless that must make a parent feel. How bad that must hurt. In this case a suicide is just a Murder by proxy. Something that was 100% preventable if only tolerance was taught and not hate. If only everyone put themselves in the shoes of a parent or even a child struggling with being different.

Sure, this article isn’t going to change the world. It may not even change the minds of people but I just want to ask one thing of individuals: put yourself in the person you hurts shoes. Put yourself in their siblings shoes, in their parents shoes. In their best friends shoes. Hell, in their dog’s shoes if you need to. When you hurt someone, you’re not just hurting them, you’re hurting the people that love them. People that are human just like you. Now, the most important and impressionable thing, teach your children the right thing. Show them that just because someone is different does not mean that they don’t have feelings. Let them know how serious bullying can be, how words really DO hurt contrary to childhood rhymes. Don’t let your child be the reason a mother is crying about her own. Treat others how you’d want to be treated really is a golden rule and it’s never too late to start.