The Little Jewel - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I returned home to find that my house had fallen into disrepair during my absence. So much so that it took me nearly a week to make it habitable again.

I was glad for the work – it kept me occupied. I had no idea what to do! If I really was alone in the world, perhaps I should just kill myself now... What good is a life if you don't have someone to share it with?

Suicide is a huge decision and not one to be made lightly, so I decided to forage for food and gather some sticks to make a fire. Might as well take care of myself until I actually make the lethal decision.

I stretched my wings and jumped from the tree that was my home. Flying felt sooo good! I loved looking at all of the buds I passed. Soon, the buds would grow into leaves as big or bigger than me! It was simply magical to watch...

Suddenly, I spotted a nest of bird eggs. Each egg was easily half my size, but if I could manage to steal one I could easily carry it home. I closed in on the nest, my mouth watering in anticipation.

“♫ I'm such a lonely little girl.♫”

Singing? It didn't sound like one of the huge hulking human I sometimes played tricks on.

“♫ Oh how I wish there was someone for me.♫”

I was curious to see who was singing such a sad song with such a beautiful voice. I flew closer, but I couldn't find the singer.

“♫ Oh how wonderful life would be, if I just had someone, somewhere, just for me!♫”

There she is! Even though she didn't sound like a human, I had been looking for someone human sized. I really don't know why, but I was delighted to discover that she was just my size!

I snuck up on her. It wasn't my intention to startle her. I didn't want to scare her away...

“♫ Lonely lonely me, such a lonely little girl...♫”

“I'm lonely too,” I informed her.

“Ah!” She screamed and jumped to her feet.

“Don't be frightened!” I tried to reassure her by flying to where she could see me better.

She stared at me, speechless. I decided that I had better say something before she flew away.

“I was so sure I was the only fairy left in the whole world! I looked and looked, and yet here you are, practically right in my own backyard!”

“A fairy...” she stated in awe.

“Of course I am! Oh I know; you hadn't expected to ever see another one either.”

“I have only heard about fairies in the stories my mother reads to me. I hadn't expected you to be real!”

“You're mother? You mean that there are more of us?” I asked breathlessly.

“More?” She asked with a puzzled frown.

“You know, people like us,” I clarified, wondering why she was confused about this concept.

“No... my mother's a normal human, and so am I, except that I was once cursed to be only two-inches tall... I think...”

“Human?” I was the one utterly confused now. “You can't be!”

She was staring at me in awe again, but I was still upset.

“You can't be human! Tell me you're joking! Tell me – say something!” I insisted in frustration.

“You're so beautiful,” she stated softly, reverently. I was flustered! “Your hair is red like leaves in autumn, and your eyes sparkle like stars...”

I blushed. “Th-th-thank you,” I stammered. “I think you're pretty too.”

She laughed, her voice like music to my ears. “I feel like I used to hear that a lot... I feel like it used to irritate me.”

She still hadn't answered my question. I opened my mouth to ask her again, but she prevented me from saying anything by blurting out: “Will you come meet my mother?”

“Uh... sure?” I replied uncertainly. Then, I realized that meeting her mother would answer my question of whether or not she was actually human.

“Great! Follow me!” She invited me eagerly, running as fast as she could in the direction almost opposite from my tree.

“Why don't you simply fly?” I asked her curiously. “It's a lot faster, you know?”

“Silly! I can't fly. I don't have wings!”

“You don't?!” I was so boggled by this concept that I forgot to be angry that she'd called me silly.

“Nope. I told you! I'm human!” She giggled as she ran, then stopped as suddenly as if she had been frozen. “I haven't even told you my name! I'm Jewel.”

She smiled so beautifully that my heart stopped beating completely. I knew right then and there that I was in love. I blushed again, thankful that the shade from a tree hid my face at that moment.

“Hi Jewel... I'm Z.”

Go To Chapter 3 

Crashed and Confused - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Come on Alyda!You only have a few days before you return to the country. If you wait until you come back, you'll have turned 25!”

“So? What does it matter if I turn 25?” Alyda asked defensively.

“Don't you want a daughter? I clearly remember you mentioning how much you'd like to have a daughter before you turn 25,” Cheela stated.

“Well yes...” Alyda answered hesitantly.

“And it's not like you haven't done it before,” Hannah added.

“Exactly! I have done it before – too many times – and I just don't see the point in trying anymore. Neither the visits to the Manhouse nor the Fertility Clinic have made the slightest bit of difference. The doctors, healers, and specialists all say that there isn't a reason I'm not conceiving and that I should just keep trying, but I just...” Alyda shrugged, shook her head slightly, and then sighed.

“Do you find the visits to the Manhouse unpleasant?” Cheela wondered.

“It's not that,” Alyda assured her friend with a grin. “I... I think... I want... to...”

“Yes?” Hannah prompted impatiently.

“Get married?” Alyda whispered uncertainly and fiddled her fingers nervously as she stared at her hands. She was afraid that her friends would think she was crazy!

“Married?!” Her two best friends asked incredulously, and then squealed happily for their friend. “Married!!!”

Due to the purposely low population of men, there was not enough men to go around. Therefore, most women chose to remain single or enter into lesbian relationships. However, their society was founded on the principles of tolerance and acceptance for all, so Alyda's decision to get married was a cause for celebration.

“Quick Hannah!” Cheela cried out.

“Right! Before she wavers!” Hannah agreed and they each grabbed one of Alyda's hands and dragged her with them.

“Where are you taking me?” Alyda demanded in amusement.

“The afternoon session of the Market is due to begin soon!” They exclaimed.

“The Market?!” Alyda gasped nervously.

*****

Inside the Market, Alyda had a front row seat, thanks to her overly enthusiastic friends. The session was about to start, but there weren't many women here today. This meant that Alyda might actually get to choose from a good selection. Normally, there were only three or four men to choose from and maybe about 12 women looking for a husband.

Today, there seemed to be only two other women interested and – fortuitously – the manager said they had a half dozen men available. Each man was brought out dressed in a plain white tee shirt and sturdy brown work pants. The manager gave a brief description of each, ending with:

“As for this man, not much is known about him. The woman that brought him to the Market claims that he fell from the sky! It is true that he does not speak our language.

“He has been at market for an unprecedented five days now, and if no one will take him today, we must decide whether to send him to a different Market... or kill him... Chances are good that it will be the latter. Does anybody care to save his life?”

“I will!” Alyda volunteered before she realized what she was doing. She blushed, embarrassed by her outburst, but even so, firmly repeated. “I will.”

“Very well,” the Manager said with a smile. “Please come forward and claim him.”

Cheela grabbed Alyda's sleeve and hissed: “Alyda! What are you doing? If no one else wants him, there must be something wrong with him!”

“I don't think so. Plus, I can't just let him die!” Alyda shook Cheela off, and then walked up to the manager. Her feet managed to travel the entire distance despite her inner turmoil. Even though she had decided to get married, and even though she truly did want to save this man's life, this was all happening so very quickly!

“I'm happy you chose him,” the manager smiled. “Other than not speaking our language and a few minor outbursts due to miscommunication, he has been really pleasant and friendly. We think his name is Randy.”

The manager scanned Alyda's ID chip and updated Randy's record to reflect that he belonged to her now. She gestured for Alyda to escort her new husband into the ceremony hall.

Alyda took hold of Randy's hand and gently pulled him in the direction indicated. The ceremony was simple and merely symbolic as the marriage was official the moment the manager had updated his records.

Randy had spent the last week trying to communicate that he merely needed fuel to be on his way. He had been frustrated and angry to find that not only did they largely ignore him, but that they seemed to be auctioning him off as a slave.

Every now and then, an odd computerized voice would sound in his head. It seemed to be trying to speak his language, and the word repeated most often was Market – which rather confirmed his theory that he was going to be sold into slavery.

Their auctions were unlike any he had ever been to. He was introduced with the other slaves – all men, for some reason – and rather than bidding, the women in the audience would simply indicate which slave they wanted. If there was more than one woman interested in a man, they each put their name in a box and the man drew a name at random, as far as he could tell.

The people who worked at the Market all treated him kindly and fed him well... Unless he acted against their wishes; in which case, they would isolate him and limit his food for a few hours.

The rest of the men all seemed happy and excited about their impending slavehood, and Randy couldn't figure out why. He also wasn't sure why no one had bought him yet as apparently no other man lasted longer than three sessions. Not having anything to do but listen to the other men talk in their unknown language was downright frustrating!

Randy had decided to play along for now. After all, his “owner” might try to understand him, and anything had to be better than staying in this prison-like place! He followed his new “owner” curiously. She was trembling slightly, and seemed to be extremely nervous about this new slave of hers. Yet, she held his hand firmly, as if she knew she had no reason to be afraid of him.

She stopped them in front of a man who was dressed elaborately and spoke to her with the tone of a wise counselor.

“This is a blessèd occasion. I sincerely wish for happiness in your union, and hope you may be blessed with as many daughters as you desire. Have you brought some rings with you, or would you like to choose from our small selection?”

“I... I rather jumped into this quite suddenly,” Alyda murmured, glancing at her two friends that were standing witness. “So, I did not have time to select rings. Please, feel free to choose whatever you think would suit us the best.”

“Of course,” the man smiled and mentally pondered the selection of rings. He turned and pulled out a small drawer from a small cabinet full of small drawers behind him. “I think these will suit you well.”

Alyda watched as he placed the rings on her palm. One was a thick gold band carved with a manly design, and the other was a breathtaking opal set in a dainty yet sturdy gold band. Alyda smiled, nodded, and then turned to face her new husband. She handed her to him and placed his on his left ring finger as the priest recited blessings.

Randy's jaw nearly dropped as he watched her slide the ring on his finger. This ceremony of slavehood was eerily similar to marriage ceremonies on most planets; an echo from a long ago common ancestry.

Randy noticed his new “owner” wiggle her left ring finger expectantly. Taking a deep breath, he took a moment to steady his hands, and then carefully slipped the ring onto her finger.

Alyda blushed as the ceremonial wise man bade her to kiss her groom. She placed one hand on the back of his neck and stepped closer to him. Raising up on tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his for three heartbeats, and then stepped back.

Randy was pale from shock. What kind of Master kisses her slave? This now felt even more like a wedding ceremony, and Randy had never been interested in getting married.

The hall was actually full of people – most of whom worked at the Market. They all clapped and cheered, and then a woman showed them to a dining area featuring six or so tables, each laden with a banquet and a small but unmistakeable wedding cake. Randy was more confused than ever!

He followed the pretty and petite woman who held his left hand, sat at a table next to her, and then tried to figure out how a man could get married without saying anything or signing any documents.

He briefly studied the two women sitting at the table with them as they filled plates for the newlyweds. Mostly, his eyes kept returning to his “owner” or “wife” or whatever she was supposed to be. She continued to hold his left hand with her right, which meant that she was eating with her left hand, which seemed a bit awkward for her.

Gradually, the dining room filled up with people, and the computerized voice in his head would utter one word fairly frequently: Market. Slowly, it learned another often repeated word: Marriage. And worse! The two went together: Marriage Market!

The two other women set the small wedding cake in front of them and there was no denying it any longer. I'm married!!!

Go To Chapter 4 

The Little Jewel

Prologue

I am the last of my people. My parents had hoped to have another child to be my companion and mate so that together we might save our people. People make desperate decisions in desperate times, and my parents were facing the extinction of our race.

Despite their best intentions, their plan didn't work out because they were very old when they had me. Too old... My mother died as I was born, and my father lived just long enough for me to learn how to take care of myself.

For years, I did just that; stayed home and took care of myself. Then, it occurred to me that it was stupid to wait for someone to come and find me. If I wanted to find someone like me, I'd need to go out and look! With determination, I packed up and left my home, praying that I would find someone close enough that I could come back and visit here someday.

For years, I searched the world and found no one. Nothing except the places where my people once lived. Nothing but graves and long dead bodies that needed burying...

Discouraged, I decided to return home.

Chapter 1

“Please!” The elderly woman begged. “I know I am too old, but I desperately long for a child to care for. Please help me!”

“What do you want me to do? I am merely a witch not a God! But still... Perhaps...”

“What?”

The witch sighed and rummaged through her belongings. Finally, she located an egg-shaped jewel the size of her palm. There was a thick cloudy streak inside it that completely obscured anything that might be hidden within. She held out her empty hand in a silent gesture for the Elderly woman's hand.

The elderly woman did not hesitate a second before holding out her hand. The witch inspected it briefly, and then placed the jewel in her hand. She stared at the old woman intensely in silence for a few moments to convey just how serious she was.

“It is said that – once upon a time ago – a young woman was fated to marry a man she did not love. Unable to accept her fate, she refused and would not change her mind. In return, her would-be husband cursed her with an extremely diminutive size, promising to return her to normal if she agreed to marry him. He held her captive for months, but when she still refused, he decided to imprison her in this jewel for all eternity.” The witch paused to take a breath before continuing.

“Whether that is true or not, it is true that there is a powerful spell on this jewel. I have tried to break the spell for nearly two decades just so I could see if it is indeed true, however... I do not love her. I'm certain the key to breaking the spell is to truly love the tiny girl inside. That should free her.” The witch smiled, finally releasing the Elderly woman's hand that now held the jewel.

“You should give it a try. If the story is true, and if you can manage to break the spell... She may be the answer to your prayers,” the witch finished with a hopeful sigh.

The elderly woman nodded happily, thanked the witch, and then brought the jewel home with her.

Every day for six months, the woman cherished the jewel, carrying it in a pocket next to her heart always. She talked to it and made clothes that she hoped would fit the tiny girl inside. The cloudiness inside gradually faded until she could clearly see the prisoner inside.

Finally, under the full moon of the seventh month, the jewel cracked in half leaving the tiny girl laying there as if merely sleeping.

“Please wake up!” The woman prayed. “Please!”

The tiny young woman began to groan and then stretched.

“Thank the Gods!” The elderly woman praised wholeheartedly.

The tiny one turned her head to find who had spoken. She found the woman who towered over her and frowned.

“I don't remember you... Do I know you?”

The old woman smiled, finding it funny that she didn't seem to be concerned over their difference in size. “Well, not yet, but I have prayed for a child for so long and here you are!”

The young woman sat up and looked around. “I don't remember anything... I feel like I was asleep so long that I have forgotten everything... even my name! Do you know my name?”

“No, but I have an idea. Since you were asleep inside a jewel, why don't I call you Jewel?”

“Jewel...? I like it!”

The old woman made happy little noises and immediately poured hot water into a deep clay dish from a tea kettle. Then, she began to temper the it with cold water until it was perfect.

“There's nothing like a relaxing bath to wake you up after centuries of sleep! After you're done, you can try on all the clothes I've made you to see if they fit. I can easily adjust anything that doesn't.”

“A bath sounds wonderful!” The two-inch tall girl – now named Jewel – agreed. She climbed into the makeshift tub, closed her eyes, and sighed in contentment.

A moment later, she opened her eyes and looked at the old woman. “You know, I think I do remember you. Your voice anyway. You talked to me as I slept, didn't you?”

“I did!” The old woman stated with a grin.

“What shall I call you?” Jewel asked.

“Would it be too much to ask for you to call me mother?”

“Not at all! Having a mother like you would make me happy.”

*****

Jewel tried her best to help her mother around the house – keeping it clean and doing chores – but found that it was very hard to do anything useful. She was only two-inches tall in a house designed for people five feet or taller! Not even the ladders and tools made specifically for Jewel made a difference.

Her mother didn't mind though. “I didn't pray for a maid!” She laughed. “I prayed for a companion to keep me from being lonely. A daughter to cherish and love!”

“I know,” Jewel replied with a sigh.

Jewel never really got her memory back, but occasionally she'd blurt out things from her past like: “Curse that man for making me this short!” Deep down, Jewel knew there was no one else in the whole world as small as she was.

During that winter, Jewel's mother got sick, and though she got better again, it was clear to Jewel that she needed to learn how to take care of herself before her mother died.

“Oh don't worry about that, love!” Her mother assured her. “I've still got a few good years left in me,”

“Yes... but then what? If I can't take care of myself by then, who will?” Jewel asked with a frown of concern.

Jewel's mother shuddered at the unpleasant thought. “If that happens, go to the witch. I'm sure she'll care for you.”

“Yes mother,” Jewel replied dutifully, secretly vowing to always take care of herself, no matter what!

Go To Chapter 2 

Crashed and Confused - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Uhh... Mom! Dad! Look; quick!” A teenaged boy shouted as he pointed to a burning streak in the sky. His parents quickly emerged from their house.

“This had better be important!” His father stated. He knew by the tone of his son's voice that it was; otherwise his would never have called them out during the hot part of the day. This made him snippy with irrational fear.

The three of them watched the bright streak as it stopped burning and then crashed into one of their pastures.

“What in the world?!” His mother demanded as they rushed to see what had landed on their property. They were followed by the three younger girls in the family.

Once they reached the crash site, they discovered that it was a large cylinder; larger than a person, but not by much.

“There's a door!” One of the girls exclaimed needlessly as her brother was already opening it.

“There's a man inside,” the teenaged boy announced.

Mother and Father exchanged a concerned glance. “Is he hurt? Is he alive?” The mother asked.

“He's alive, but unconscious. I don't think he's hurt...”

“What should we do with him?” The father asked his wife. She responded with a grave sigh.

“I think that – by law – we are supposed to end his life, but I cannot do such a thing... I say we bring him to the market and let them deal with him. Take a few photos of this so that we can prove he fell from the sky if asked,” the mother ordered.

“Yes mom!” Her children replied, excited to have found something so out of the ordinary on their farm.

Later that evening, the family packed the crash survivor into the bed of their truck, and then drove him to the market in the city a couple hours away. They were thankful and yet worried that he had not yet regained consciousness.

“Are you dropping off an unwanted man, Ma'am?” A male worker asked.

“Yes. He was in a large cylinder that crashed onto our property, and we have no use for him. As you can see, my daughters are all too young still.”

“Understandable,” the worker said as he looked over the three young girls in the backseat of the truck. “Does he have a name,” he asked as he looked over the man in the bed of their truck.

“I'm sure he does, only he hasn't woken up to tell us what it is,” the matron of the family stated a bit acerbically.

“As you say,” the worker murmured with a shrug. He signaled for another worker to come help him. They scanned the unconscious man for an ID chip, and were puzzled when they didn't find one. The second worker pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. A second later, he handed the phone to the first worker.

“Ma'am, we have an unconscious man being dropped off without an ID chip. The family dropping him off claims he crashed from the sky,” the were explained succinctly.

A bored sounding woman replied with: “Then process him as you would any other man. Meanwhile, I'll send for a technician to come give him an ID chip... Wait... If he fell from the sky, is he even alive?”

“Yes Ma'am.”

“Fine, I'll have our resident healer come examine him for any injuries.” The woman indicated that the conversation was over by hanging up.

Randy woke up a while later to find that one woman was examining his naked body while two men stood by... presumably to be on hand if he woke up and needed to be subdued, Randy supposed.

A second woman seemed to be preparing a few surgical instruments.

“Whoa ladies! I don't feel like I need any surgery. I just need to find some fuel for my ship, and then I need to find a way to get back to it,” Randy held his hands up in a gesture that could mean: “Wait,” or it could mean: “I surrender.”

The two women exchanged glances. “He doesn't even speak our language. I guess he really did fall from the sky,” the healer remarked.

“I think I should be able to program the chip to learn his language so that it can translate ans teach him ours,” the technician said.

“Sounds like a good idea, but is that even possible?” The healer asked.

The technician shrugged. “According to the manual, yes. Apparently a strange man who can't speak our language appears on our planet every few years; just enough that the chip has this feature if necessary.”

“I didn't know that,” the healer remarked with a tone of cool!

Randy strongly wished he could understand what they were saying as he watched one of the women fiddle with one of her pieces of equipment. When she was done, she held a vial under a scanner for a moment. Next, she transferred the contents of the vial into a big needle.

“Chip active and ready for implantation,” the technician announced.

“Would you two please hold him still for us?” The healer asked with beguiling smile. The men complied and Randy felt helpless as they injected him with whatever had been in the vial.

“He's in perfect health, except for a couple of bruises,” the healer informed the workers. “You can probably even put him on the market today, if you wanted. However, I would probably wait until tomorrow or the next day to give him a chance to rest.”

“Yes Ma'am,” the workers chorused.

Go to Chapter 3 

Oh Squeal!

I keep seeing a picture reposted on facebook that makes me squeal every time I see it, so I decided to copy the pic and post it here.

The reason this makes me squeal is that is so perfectly represents half of what I write, lol! Imagine: A secret love. He's considered to be from the "wrong" side of town, and she's from well to do parents who have done everything "right." The two of them met by accident and fell in love. They met in secret whenever they could, and then one day, she has something important to tell him...

Or this could represent impossible love such as back when a black man couldn't be with a white woman (and vice versa). The possibilities are simply endless! How did a dog get a cat pregnant? Did they seek out a specialist to help them? lol!

Maybe now you can see why this picture always makes me squeal :-D

Random Thoughts about Sex and Kids

Over the last week or so in particular - but my whole life in general - I have noticed something that kinda disturbs me. To give some background info on recent events, I had to call the cops on my neighbor because he was shouting obscenities at me and demanding that I go out and confront him.

Also, I read an wonderful blog post about a mom who decided to breastfeed her 4 year old adopted daughters.

Both incidences have a common theme: the belief that kids should not see nudity. To clarify, the blog post was about overcoming the stigma society has about older kids breastfeeding because of the rampant belief that breasts are sexual objects. However, this also means that people are typically against nudity in general because naked body parts are sexual objects.

One of my neighbor's complaints against me is that I walk around my house naked and his son might/has seen me. His belief is that his son is too young to see nudity. This is the same as all those mothers who complain about ads such as for Victoria's Secret in which the models are naked or nearly so. They don't want their kids to see that!

I sigh... I do understand wanting to keep kids from seeing (and having) sex. I still get skiddish when I'm watching a movie with the boys and a love scene suddenly arrives. The funny thing is that if they were to show both people changing their clothes. Say that - for whatever reason - the movie showed someone strip completely naked and then put different clothes back on; I'd have no problem letting my boys see that. Lets also say that the entire movie (or play or whatever) was performed by naked people. I STILL wouldn't have a problem with that. It's when they start groping each other and getting hot and heavy that I pause the show and kick the boys out of the room!

Here's the thing: I don't think sex is bad. I think sex is sacred. I think that it should not be hidden from kids - in the sense of talking about it and perhaps letting them read or see certain examples. (Reread the previous paragraph if you somehow think I am advocating letting kids watch porn!) I think that teaching teens how to have sex responsibly is probably THE most valuable lesson a teenager could have.

But... our culture has long believed that sex is bad. Sinful. Shameful. Perverse...

Therefore, even in the blog I linked, it is stated several times that: "Breasts are not sexual objects. They were created to nourish children."

That line frustrated me to no end because it is EXACTLY the same as my neighbor saying that his son should not be seeing me naked. (When said like that, it makes it sound like I am strutting my stuff outside for the world to see, but I'm not. I'm in my house trying to make sure that the neighbors aren't traumatized by my fat ass!)

So basically, in a push to define what is acceptable for children to see, overprotective parents have decided that anything that can possibly be considered a sexual object - such as breasts specifically or a naked body in general - is simply unfit. Therefore children should not see naked people and breastfeeding should be done in private. This is maddening and frankly wrong!

In this day and age, there are actually a lot of women who grew up thinking that breastfeeding was shameful. That it was dirty and should only be done at home. Heaven forbid that the baby needed to eat in public!!! Go to the bathroom! Don't do that where my child might see you! I don't want to see that!

In my opinion, it's like a war has been declared and on one side we have sex. On the other side, we have kids. The two should never ever ever ever ever ever cross! If a child saw sex or a sexual object, he or she would be traumatized for life!!!

However, sex sells. Therefore, ad companies are constantly pushing the boundaries of what they can and can't show. Lots of ads show barely concealed nudity, and or couples about to have sex. This makes the whole situation WORSE because then understandably upset moms push back. They shriek in outrage - How dare you expose my child to sex?!!!

This is a war that hurts everyone, IMO. I completely agree that kids should not be having sex. (And in this sentence I refer to anyone who hasn't gone through puberty yet - or is JUST going through it. They simply do not have the hormones to make sex interesting to them yet.)

HOWEVER, I also think that it is only natural for kids to want to talk about sex with each other. Their curiosity will make young kids "play doctor," and they are NOT little perverts for doing so! In fact, it is the parent who is a pervert if they think that there is ANY possibility that young kids even know what sex truly is! My older son is 8 and we've talked about sex enough that he does know what it is and why adults have it. He is even old enough to realize that mama and daddy have it more than he wants to think about.

To him, sex is about making babies. End of story!

He was raised by nudist parents, and he sees nudity quite often. This has not made him want to go around molesting people! When he gets into arguments with his friends, it's ALWAYS about toys/possessions. "He wouldn't let go of my blanket, so I punched him!" It is NEVER about inappropriate touching/flashing. I have never gotten a complaint about my boys trying to touch their friends in ways they shouldn't. Nor have my boys ever just stripped naked in public. They have clearly defined boundaries.

When others come over and tell them things like: "Put clothes on, I don't want to see you naked!" I get mad! How would they like it if I went to their house and said: "Take your clothes off, I don't want to see you dressed!"

When I said that to my mom, she rolled her eyes and basically ignored me. WHY? Because society says that wearing clothes is right and that being naked is wrong. Therefore, in her opinion, someone telling my boys to put clothes on in our house is right and me even daring to suggest that this is equal to me demanding that someone take clothes off in their own home is wrong.

I.E. nudity = sex, and sex+kids is wrong!

It makes me want to pull my hair and bang my head on the wall! I don't want EVERYONE to think and believe the same things I do, but in this one instance, studies prove that children who grow up seeing nudity (most societies had communal bathing before the modern convenience of showers) have better self-image. They aren't as concerned about how they look. They don't go on dangerous diets to look like barbie dolls and supermodels.

More and more we are overprotecting our children. We are declaring war on anything that makes us even slightly uncomfortable. We are trying to put our kids in a little bubble until they turn 18, and even then, a lot of parents don't want to let their kids go. Some parents even go so far as to make their kids so completely dependent on them that their kids CAN'T leave them when they grow up!

Childhood is a period of time when young people are supposed to be learning how to be good and responsible adults who are self-sufficient enough to live their lives on their own. They learn how to interact with others by playing. WITHOUT parental supervision!!! Only when their parent is not there watching their every move and trying to solve all their problems for them, only then can children learn how to act around others and solve their own problems. They need their parents to be role models, not puppet masters...

Getting back to sex. There is absolutely no reason that sex should be hidden from kids. (Again, not advocating letting them watch porn or even parental sex, stop thinking that's what I'm trying to do!) Sex should be fully acknowledged as part of life. A BIG part of life.

That means that rather than bitch about a sexual ad on a billboard, simply tell your kids why it's there. "They just want to sell cigarettes, honey. The sexual tension of the ad makes cigarettes seem cool when they're really not. They harm your body and give you cancer."

That's really not so hard, IMO, so I wonder why so many parents would rather try to prevent their child from seeing the ad instead of simply talking about it? Oh wait... that war thing again. Kids should never ever ever ..... be exposed to sex, so rather than talk about it, I'll just remove the "problem."

Sigh... too bad it doesn't work that way...

(Here's a long article that references multiple studies to confirm that parents are overprotecting their kids.)

My Boop Background

I admit it, somewhere over the years, I have become a fan of Betty Boop. I think it's because they dress the icon up in just about everything - much like they do Barbie - only I'm not sure why I love Betty and not Barbie, lol!

Anyway, a while back, I ran across this pic, and now it's my background :-)

Mind you, I do not own this pic. I did not create it, but I also don't know who did. I like the artwork, but I do have one bone to pick about it... It looks like Betty has no chest!!! She's a curvy girl, not a washboard, lol!

Here's another sexy vampire to brighten your day :-)








This one I DO know where it came from, so let me share that link with you: DeviantArt

Have a happy day :-)