Memorial Day Plans?

[Gunny]

I am totally OK with this. Everyone has the right to live in their own shoes and observe their own culture. Everyone is a product of their environment.
My parents and my husband's parents held traditional American 8-to-5 jobs. My dad was very committed to spending time with his kids. Which is why he had a job when he would be home every night and weekend. My parents still live in the same house where I was raised. Same with my in-laws. They wanted to provide a stable environment.
Dinner was when my parents caught up with the everyday activities of my sister and I (or however much we decided to tell them ). We were not marched in formation to the chow hall and given 20 minutes to eat. You sat there until you were dismissed.

My daughter lives in happy, positive world. Which is, ideally, where every 15-year-old girl should be. Everyone she meets is her friend until they prove otherwise.
At the same time, she respects her elders, refers to everyone as "ma'am" or "sir" and appreciates that everyone makes a different contribution to society.
Best of all, she knows that she is free to choose her own calling. If she wants to be a musician, she knows her parents will support her ambitions. She is not predestined (and thus obligated) to become a physician, lawyer, police officer or member of the military.

Some kids are given choices. Others are not. Neither path is wrong.

I wasn't predestined. I had a scholarship to the University of Miami as a journalist provided I worked nights on the Miami Herald. I chose my own path.

But, we are ALL predestined to certain things based on our upbringing. You just can't help it. When my daughter told me she was joining the Army I freaked out. I did not push her into that at all. We had good order and discipline but I never once told her what she could or could not be. I let people make their own decisions. I may point out to them the consequences, but I let them make them. I learned THAT from my grandfather not my parents.

[Elessar]

I wasn't predestined. I had a scholarship to the University of Miami as a journalist provided I worked nights on the Miami Herald. I chose my own path.

Your writing ability reflects that talent.

[Gunny]

Your writing ability reflects that talent.

I couldn't stand the lies. You can call me an a-hole, mean, hardass or whatever, but I do NOT lie, cheat nor steal. In case you haven't noticed, I'm the in your face type. And I'm telling it like it is. Me and some editors, to include my senior year teacher, the Vice Principals and the Principal didn't get along real well. They wanted us to paint this happy world picture and we wanted to tell it like it was. They weren't into that because it exposed a lot of BS on their parts.

So when the opportunity came up, I just said no. My integrity is worth more to me than a job. People can and have called me stupid for choosing the Corps over a free ride at UM, but I'm completely cool with that decision. I'm not going to be a lackey for liars.