Wingnut

Where do you live?

We totally still have dance movies. Step Up, anyone? Everything else you mentioned is just straight up classic 80's fashion, which is (to an extent) unfortunately, enjoying a comeback currently.

A chilly 79? Lol. It was about 86 here yesterday and we were roasting! I'm grateful for the cooler 60-ish right now. I'm enjoying spring, and am not ready for summer yet. Actually, it hit 83 in my house yesterday, but I was determined not to turn on the A/C yet. I hid in the basement instead.

It's funny how different people's experiences are. I absolutely agree with the second -- SUCH a luxury!! Though at this stage of life for me, I think I'd prefer the luxury of being able to hire a professional organizer to help me get my entire house in order, because then it would be much easier to clean. The first, though...for me, luxury is eating out once a month. I definitely agree. I stay home with my kids, but it's not just because I can. My husband works and earns enough to support our family, but barely. With debt we are paying off, and exorbitant local taxes, we're barely living paycheck to paycheck. (I guess that's not entirely accurate...we're tucking away for a family vacation, but we have nothing leftover for small luxuries -- "good" ice cream, or going out to dinner, or a new skirt, just because, etc.) In some ways, being a stay at home parent doesn't feel like a luxury. It's stressful, financially. But if I were to go to work, we wouldn't be any better off in that department, because we'd have to pay for childcare.

Collect calling.

I take my daughters to the library regularly!

I didn't realize it was the kid's debate opponent who made the statement. It's been a couple of weeks since I first read the story, but I was thinking it was a professor, which is why the kid's response was so much more powerful. I had two very strong opinions on the last question. The first one gave me 105, the second gave me 100. Mostly, I didn't like the questions at all. They had very little to do with me as a person, or my history. Questions regarding my ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic upbringing, marital status, family financial status, etc would have been more effective. A few of those were in there, but not enough. Questions about what I think are first world problems aren't actually reflective of my privilege level. (For the record, I chose the Stella McCartney fashion show response. Most of my clothes are from Target or Sam's Club.) I also think that the question "How often do you go hungry" could have been the only question on the quiz, and would have given a more accurate result. Yes, yes, yes! I can't agree with this enough. I remember several years ago, I was participating in a conversation about a common social and political topic. It had been on a recent local ballot (or was coming up soon...I can't remember exactly). I had lived in the area only about 4 months, and hadn't yet registered to vote, so I was ineligible to express my opinion on the matter in a civic way. I shared my thoughts in the conversation with 5-6 other women, and also mentioned (because it had somehow been relevant) that I hadn't yet registered to vote here. The woman across the table from me looked up so fast from what she was working on (craft night) and said pointedly, "You're not registered to vote? Well, you're not allowed to have an opinion on this then." Excuse me? I'm allowed to think whatever I want. Because I'm not registered to vote yet, I can't do anything about that opinion, but don't tell me what I am and am not allowed to have an opinion on. Not exactly the same, but similar in that I was told I had no right to speak because of my political status.

No, they're asterisked from the Rainbow Brite paragraph. Hence the separation from the main body of text. :)

Wish it back: Rainbow Brite. I've seen all the other characters* I played with in my early childhood be reinvented and have second life, but not Rainbow Brite. I'm a little sad about that, but also a little hopeful that she's *doesn't* get redone. Let her stay the way she was. Calling your local radio station and asking them to play your favorite song without talking over it at either the beginning or end, then waiting all day by the radio, so you could push "record" on your tape player and make your own mix tape. Screen doors (this isn't a generational thing, but a geographic one, and I miss have a screen door for ventilation...I have a storm door instead). Good riddance: Mix tapes. (While there was a certain fun and nostalgia with the recording-off-of-radio method, I really like having all my music compactly contained in my iPod, particularly for road trips). Film cameras. I'm a portrait photographer, and (again) there's a certain nostalgia to the pre-digital era. And film is actually making a comeback. But I really am grateful that I can know right away whether my shot was exactly in focus, with correct white balance and other settings. That doesn't mean that I overshoot just because I can ("hey, it's digital -- who cares?!") but that it's nice to be able to have the instant replay. That said, I, uh, own three vintage film cameras, and several lenses. *Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids, My Little Pony, GloWorm

Like Iggy, my first thought was home repair type DIYing. My husband does a lot of that. I made dishwasher detergent over a year ago and am just barely over halfway through the batch. When my next container of laundry detergent runs out, I have the stuff already to make homemade laundry soap. The only objection I have to the dishwasher detergent is that I have really hard water, so we have to be really vigilant about making sure that our rinse aid is full. I like to garden in the summer, and am disappointed that Cleveland has such a short growing season. I enjoy canning, though, too. General provident living concepts are attractive to me. I recently tried to make this, but it didn't work for me. I couldn't get the grapefruit rind to process. I tried a small-capacity food chopper, and then also my heavy-duty food processor. In both cases, I got a little bit of powder, but mostly the rind got stuck between the blade and the bowl, and ended up actually creating an indentation on the inside of the bowl. I never could get it powdered, which was a bummer. My MIL doesn't use sponges for washing dishes -- she crochets her own cloths (about the side of a potholder). I'm about to make a foray into composting, so I'm excited about that. Toothpaste? No thanks. I don't sew either. I can fix a button or turn a hem, and that's pretty much it. I come from (and married into) a family of quilters, but it's really just not my thing. I make my own pizza dough and have (on occasion, but not regularly) made bread as well. I do a lot of from-scratch cooking.

This gives me serious pause. The fact that an obviously rebellious and instigating teenage girl had virtually no reaction to such a stringent list of consequences tells me that she's not done yet. And that she doesn't care. That does not bode well for her in the future. And honestly, one more incident like this, and I think I'd make her prove the last statement: The OP was shocking to me, but not entirely out of the realm of possibility. The follow-up posts have had me more suspicious, though. I just did a Google search of mormon bishop teenage girl recording interview and after four pages, couldn't find anything. Most hits referred to record-keeping, and those that referring to this topic did so vaguely ("someday some teen boy/girl is going to record the interview...").

I'm not sure. She's only 27, I think, so she's really young still. I've heard her say that she doesn't understand why they didn't just give her a hysterectomy when they had her open for the emergency C-section for her son. She was only 24 at the time, so that wasn't an option then because it would have thrown her hormones into a craze and brought on a very early menopause. I don't know about getting her tubes tied, though. She's rules out IUDs (I don't remember what her specific objection was), but it looking into other non-invasive options, primarily Essure.

I have a friend who can get pregnant, and desperately wants more, but has been told that she'll die if she tries to have more. On top of that, birth control doesn't agree with her body, so she gets really bad anxiety every month, hoping and praying that she's not pregnant, even though she really wants more kids.

I think that when most people talk about bishops having inadequate training, they're typically referring to things like the engineer bishop being completely clueless about teen psychology. At least, that's what I think of when I talk about bishops needing more training. Leaving the door cracked open is just plain common sense.

Maybe it's just me, but aren't we all adults here? The site is open to ages 14+, but even the teenagers here know what "it" is that we're talking about. Is there a reason we can't just say "sex?"

There's no one way or right answer to the question, "how did you know...?" It's different for everyone. My husband knew we were done about six months or so before I knew. We've stopped with two, which is still fairly small in LDS circles. Sometimes the Lord gives you specific promptings or direction, and other times He waits for you to make a decision, and then lets you know either of His approval or disapproval. And still other times, as someone else mentioned, He's okay with either decision. But I've learned that sometimes you have to make your choice, and say, "Okay, Heavenly Father, this is what I'm doing...if it's not right, it's up to you to stop it. But I feel good about the choice in the meantime." And then don't be a guy who lived by a river (story ends at 3:08).

I agree with TFP that the absolute answers lead people to not even vote...I didn't. Neither is accurate for me. "No" isn't truthful because I have read some. "Yes" is imprecise because I don't read all of them, nor do I realy any of them with any regularity. But I have read some.

The interviews are prescribed to be twice-yearly. For youth aged 12-15, one interview per year should be with the bishop, while the other may be with a counselor. For 16-17-year-old youth, both interviews should be with the bishop. They are not required. However, not participating in these interviews can have consequences, such as not being able to obtain a limited-use recommend for the temple*. You mentioned in your OP that you didn't force your daughter to go to the temple with the ward. The temple should never be forced. If she doesn't want to attend, she probably shouldn't. If she wants to attend, she needs to meet with the bishop. If she refuses to meet with the bishop, then she needs to accept the consequence that she will be unable to attend the temple. As I think about this more, it sounds to me a little like your daughter is just rebelling for the sake of rebelling. As the oldest child, she is likely given the most responsibility and blame, but the least amount of freedom and control. She may be acting out simply because she feels she is under your thumb and (like a toddler during the "terrible twos") simply is trying to assert a level of control in her own life. The sharing may just be to get your attention. Or, she may not have a testimony or want one. Despite your own efforts and the way you've raised her, she may genuinely want nothing to do with the Church. The more you push her into it, and force her to "do what's right," the more you may be pushing her away, in reality. I don't have any advice for you on this issue, because I've often thought to myself that as long as my children live in my home as minors, they will go to church with the family, whether they like it or not. When they're 18, they can make their own decisions. Thinking about your recent experience, I'm not certain that I agree with myself on that anymore, though. But it is an angle you should consider. *Other things might include broadcasts of local temple dedication services, ecclesiastical recommendations for college, letters of recommendation, and other local non-official things (in my stake, youth have an interview with the bishop prior to attending Trek for youth conference every four years, and they sign an honor code contract). Additionally, she would not be able to have a calling if she refuses to meet with the bishop or a member of the bishopric.

Since this was an adult male, if he had been ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood (and particularly if he was endowed, whether currently active or not), the Stake President would have to be involved...that's church policy.

Which JFS? F or Fielding?

+1 to everything you've said here. If this was my daughter, she'd be in so much trouble! I would not be concerned about the bishop -- I'd be focused entirely on her manipulation. I'd also be concerned about where/how she's learning such detail that she can just spout off extemporaneously.

Depends on the headline and the photo. Mostly, though...no.

So...hell isn't other people?

Well, I'm usually skeptical of NDEs, so that colors my reaction somewhat. Overall, though, I'd have to say that I disagree, mainly because I think the most precise response possible is "we don't know." I agree with the LW's friend (and disagree with the accounts given in the NDE) because cigarettes and alcohol (for example) are cravings and addictions of a physical being. At the same time, I understand that all addictions have a psychological side to them, and I believe that it's possible that even once the body stops craving nicotine, alcohol, etc., the mind may still desire it. So to reiterate, I disagree, mainly because I think the most precise response possible is "we don't know." :)

Others have offered good advice regarding writing to him and filling your time in the meantime. I have a couple other thoughts to add: (1) Don't automatically rule out dating for yourself because (a) you have romantic feelings for him, and (b) you're "not a dater." Your friend will experience a tremendous amount of personal growth, very concentrated, during his mission. If you want to still hold his interest* when he comes home, you need to grow as well. Dating can be a big part of personal growth. (2) Have you considered serving a mission yourself? *You should engage in activities that will promote personal growth regardless of your friend. You should do it for yourself. I chose the wording I did only because of the context of this discussion. But nothing you do should be because you're trying to impress/win/be with him. It should be for you.