Tuesday's Topic: End of the World?

Is this weekend the end of the world? You can read more about this group at Daily Mail to get the full story. (No, I don't believe this, but would love to get your thoughts!)

Tuesday's Topic: Spanking

Is spanking an acceptable form of discipline or is it child abuse?

Tuesday's Topic

While I'm glad that the Royal Wedding is over (yes, I was one of those who could have cared less about it!) I do have to bring it up one last time. I've read several places that Kate omitted the word obey in her wedding vows. Many people thought that this was a wonderful thing as obey is outdated and shows what an independent woman she is.

Do you have an issue with the words obey your husband? Should a woman submit to her husband or is it an outdated custom that should be banished in our modern society? Does it suppress a woman or make a marriage work?

Tuesday's Topic (A Day Late!)

Are you looking forward to the Royal Wedding or are you sick of hearing about it? Your thoughts on all the hoopla surrounding it?

Tuesday's Topic: Food Control?

I'm sure by now you've probably heard about the Chicago school which banned lunches brought from home. If not, you can read this Chicago Tribune article. The Principal states that she is protecting the children from unhealthy foods they may bring from home by requiring them to eat the school lunches only.

This isn't the first time food control comes up. I've heard about extra taxes for soda or other unhealthy foods. What about the crazy lawsuits against fast food places where people claim they didn't realize overeating this type of food would make them obese and unhealthy.

Should there be rules/laws when it comes to food or is what we eat a personal right?

Tuesday's Topic: Bars

Last week on a blog the writer mentioned thinking it was silly that "some wives don't let their husbands go to bars."

That got me to thinking, "Do you or your husband have rules about bars? Are they acceptable/unacceptable in your family?"

We have no rules about bars as it's never been an issue for us. Neither Ben nor I have any desire to go to one. Ben went occasionally when he was single, but preferred to just get together with friends at home to socialize. We went together once, with several people from work, but found the environment to be awkward. People were either awfully drunk and acting stupid or flirting with one another (and even sitting on each others laps), even when married. The whole bar atmosphere seems to be a place to get attention or pick someone up. Your thoughts?

Tuesday's Topic: Teen Sexuality

Teen pregnancy is gaining a lot of notice with shows such as 16 & Pregnant. In our own town there is an 8th grader (that makes her what, 13 or 14 years old?) that is pregnant. It has brought up conversations of birth control and it's surprising to me to find out just how sexually active the teens in this high school are and how parents automatically put their children on birth control now. Do you think putting a teen on birth control is the "green light" to go ahead and have sex? Do you think parents who strongly advise abstinence can have a positive influence on their teens? What direction is the best for a parent to take?

Tuesday's Topic: Marriage & Money

It's been said that the majority of marriages that end in divorce do so because of money issues (for some reason I doubt that but maybe it's true!).
With that said, do you think couples need to be accountable to each other for what they spend? Is there a "magic number" of what you can spend without consulting your spouse? Do you agree that money is one of the biggest issues in a marriage?

Tuesday's Topic

On the radio today I heard that our state is trying to pass a bill to make it illegal (with big fines) for organizations such as PETA to taken hidden footage in livestock areas.

It was said that these videos do a disservice to farmers. That most of the videos are edited and "staged". Someone went as far as to say that these PETA workers coming in with hidden cameras are a risk to the animals and may spread disease going from farm to farm.

I could say a lot about this but want to hear your comments. Is the government trying to slide another issue under the rug instead of fixing the problem? Is PETA making a mountain out of a molehill?

Tuesday's Topic: Celebrities

Hearing about celebrities spiraling out of control (such as Charlie Sheen) brings up the question of if fame and fortune is to blame or if this type of behavior is prevalent in all of society but only brought to light more often in celebrities. Can anyone in the spotlight live a "normal" or "wholesome" life?

Tuesday's Topic: Cellphones

Have cellphones become a bit too much of a necessity? Is it rude to answer your cellphone or send texts when in the company of others?

What about children with cellphones? Ceaseless texting and constant phone calls? Is technology "dumbing us down" or are we advancing with the times?

Tuesday's Topic

The other day I was watching the television program "One Born Every Minute". It's a reality show that highlights three women while they go through labor and delivery. I also have issues with it, such as the fact that it pushes epidurals and the women are confined to bed the whole time. The one natural birth it showed was viewed more as humorous than a good/great thing.

That's not the debate today though. During one part of the program the nurses were chatting amongst themselves and brought up the topic "Just imagine how bad your life could be if you had ended up with the one you dated when you were 18!" They all shuddered and laughed. I'm assuming they meant that the men (boys?) they dated when they were 18 were grossly immature. I can't relate as I did end up with the one I dated at age 18 and have no regrets.

So here's your question "What do you think your life would have ended up like had you married the one you were dating at age 18?" Are you breathing a sigh of relief right now? Laughing at the thought of what could have been? Any regrets?


I also bring this topic up because I just finished reading the book "Time of My Life" by Allison Winn Scotch. It's about a woman who is stuck in the drudgery of a stale marriage and the mundane tasks of motherhood. She always images the what ifs of her past and if she had stayed with her previous boyfriend. She then finds herself waking up one morning 7 years in her past and being able to live life over again. At first I hated her...she didn't want to go back to married life and planned to stay with her previous boyfriend. I about put the book down. She finally realizes that she loves her husband and can't imagine life without him and can not fathom a world without her daughter. So my question above is not do you wish you had done things differently but rather just what do you think your life would have turned out like had you done things differently? (Or not so differently in the case of people like myself who did marry their childhood sweethearts!)

Tuesday's Topic

For years there has been talk in our state that funding for Headstart and Pre-School will be dropped or drastically cut. Some view these as a "must" for a good start to education and socialization and others view Headstart and Pre-School as "cheaper than daycare option". Do you think that these programs are essential for children or no? Your thoughts?

Tuesday's Topic

(Disclaimer: Tuesday's Topic is solely a distraction method to get my mind and blog off the topic of cancer. Topics will be random; there is no right or wrong answer. I want to hear your opinions and thoughts. Play nice, debate and have fun.)

MSN reports in 2007 that a CDC study found that the average median number of sexual partners that a person has in their lifetime is 7 for men and 4 for women. What is your immediate reaction to this? Do you think it is high/low? Good/bad? Your thoughts?

Edited to add: Many of the comments questioned the number, thinking it was extremely low. This is the "median number" but the study also found:

• About 96 percent of U.S. adults have had sex.
• Sixteen percent of adults first had sex before age 15, while 15 percent abstained from sex until at least age 21.
• The proportion of adults who first had sex before age 15 was highest for non-Hispanic blacks (28 percent) compared to 14 percent for both Mexican-Americans and non-Hispanic whites.
• Six percent of blacks abstained from sex until age 21 or older, fewer than Mexican-Americans (17 percent) or non-Hispanic whites (15 percent).
• Black men and women were more likely to report having 15 or more partners in a lifetime (46 percent and 13 percent, respectively) than other racial or ethnic groups.
• Seventeen percent of men and 10 percent of women reported having two or more sexual partners in the past year.
• Twenty-five percent of women and 17 percent of men reporting having no more than one partner of the other sex in their lifetime.
• Taken from an MSNBC article
  

Any additional thoughts?

Tuesday's Topic

Do you think the feminist movement helped or hurt us? Your thoughts?

Tuesday's Topic

At what age do you think it is appropriate for a teenager to start dating? What rules should be enforced for what ages?

Tuesday's Topic

I'm sick of cancer. I was sick of cancer before Jacob even got cancer. In the past four years I have had a Grandmother die of cancer (just three months ago), and a father, aunt, and uncle diagnosed with cancer (all are in remission now, thankfully).

My blog has focused on cancer the past month, and will continue to do so for awhile, whether I want it to or not. That's just the way cancer is. But I would like a break every now and then. Since I don't have the energy to think of other topics to write about at the moment, I'm asking you dear readers to make this blog interesting for me once a week.

Tuesdays will be "Tuesday's Topic". I will post a question and would love you all to share your opinions in the comment section. Debate away, if you so choose...anything goes as long as you are respectful of each other. If a topic holds a real interest to me I will even join in or write a post about my opinion later. Basically, Tuesday posts will be a distraction for me. Won't you join in?

Today's Topic: With shootings becoming more and more common, what is your opinion on stricter gun laws? What are your views on gun ownership?