[Wneighbor]

I only had my Granny (Mama's Mom)when I was growing up.

I'm spending my Granny-life in an attempt to live up to my mom's mom too. She's still alive, the one I am often gone from the Hobbit Hole to check up on. She was the reason I grew up thinking I could do more than be an abused female. Encouraged me in EVERYTHING I ever did when pretty much the rest of the family wanted to keep you in the victimization situations. If I can be to my grandkids half of what she has been to me I'll be a successful Granny.

(and the shotgun is essential, it was a great awakening when I finally spined up enough to decide that if drunken hubby laid a hand on me one more time he was going to be on the receiving end of all the shotgun had to give. I was only 20 then and it was a great revelation.)

[SuziQ]

I'm so glad your revelation came so early in life. I don't remember my Daddy ever being explicit about it, but somehow I knew all during my growing up that girls didn't let guys beat up on them. My younger sister says that he TOLD her that, but I don't remember that. I just know that HE came from a situation where his Mother was abused, but didn't want that for his daughters. He even got one of my brothers by the throat up against a wall once because he got a little TOO fresh mouthed with Mama. My Daddy told him "She was MY wife before she was YOUR mother, and you don't treat my wife that way." I guess that's why I've never put up with crap like that, and made it clear to the kids how they are supposed to act! I had a talk with our daughter a few weeks ago about just this subject, that NO man should ever treat her that way. She's heard me talk about my Daddy enough, so it was no surprise to her!

[2Jedismom]

I'm so glad that Steve is such a gentle person...the worst thing he does is pout (which is annoying at the most).

But then again, he is well aware that I know, as a nurse, exactly where to smack a cast iron skillit on his head to keep him in diapers the rest of his life.

:-D