It's Not Only Children Who

For A Parent, It's Hard To Recognize The Significance Of Your Work When You're Immersed In The Mundane Details. Few Of Us, As We Run The Bath Water Or Spread The Peanut Butter On The Bread, Proclaim Proudly, "i'm Making My Contribution To The Future Of The Planet." But With The Exception Of Global Hunger, Few Jobs In The World Of Paychecks And Promotions Compare In Significance To The Job Of Parent.

As For Me, I've Chosen To Follow A Simple Course: Come Clean. And Wherever Possible, Live Your Life In A Way That Won't Leave You Tempted To Lie. Failing That, I'd Rather Be Disliked For Who I Truly Am Than Loved For Who I Am Not. So, I Tell My Story. I Write It Down. I Even Publish It. Sometimes This Is A Humbling Experience. Sometimes It's Embarrassing. But I Haul Around No Terrible Secrets.

It Troubles Me That People Speak About Writing For Money As Ugly And Distasteful.

Every Child, Woman, And Man Should Possess License To Speak Or Sing In His Or Her True Voice.

When I Was 12 Years Old, I Read Nancy Drew Mysteries And Biographies Of Madame Curie And Florence Nightingale And Books About Girls Who Love Horses Or Go To Nursing School. I Belonged To The Girl Scouts And Got A's In School And Rarely Disobeyed My Parents. I Still Kept A Collection Of Barbie Dolls In My Room, And I Almost Never Spoke To Boys.