Normal......

I think all my life; I have been searching for normal. The funny thing about that is my life has been anything but normal, and even funnier for someone who craves normal, I have pretty much taken it all in stride. I remember feeling very different at young age, not in an abnormal way but in a way that spoke of purpose.

What is normal? Webster says it is according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle. As a teen, I would party with my friends and then stay up the rest of the night reading a book. I wanted to appear like everyone else, which was the partying because that is what teens do. Family life proved to be anything but normal so I tried to control what I could. Some things I could make look very normal like being the typical teenager, college student and young adult. I partied but got good grades and I always had a plan, a plan no one else knew.

After college and during my stint in the military, I finally settled down, I still kept trying to be normal. When I joined my church 10 years ago, I was having babies and most of the women I met were in the same situation, we all were homemakers. I pretended homemaking was to be my life forever but deep down inside I had a plan to return to work as soon as I put my youngest children in school. I never said a word because it would have appeared not normal for my particular group of friends.

It took me a while but realized, I am made in His image and He has many images. I still do not know what normal is but I am starting to love that am not!

Sex

Who would have thought, that teenage sex would be staring us in the face during the presidential election? We have a 17-year-old pregnant girl (the daughter of the Republican VP candidate) and the alleged father a self described 18-year-old red neck planning to marry. Yes, I keep asking myself is this for real?

I cannot imagine ever requiring my 17-year-old daughter to get married. My daughter at 17, a wife and mother, it would make me incredibly sad! The sad part of this and any situation like it is the child is going to have bare the brunt of the two of them trying to grow up way too soon. I am the product of teenagers forced into marriage and I was never allowed to forget it. I was the reason that both of their lives should have been so different. I had a front row seat to their immature decisions and discussions.

I believe, the Palin's have the many problems that we all face, I just do not agree with how they choose to handle them. I do think, like many people, they have made sex this naughty thing. We all know that when you make something naughty it becomes even more desirable. I think people also make sex the only means to communicate love, leaving teenagers to believe it has to be the next step in the whirlwind of emotions that they may be feeling at the time.

I do not know why the Palin girl decided to have sex at 17 but one thing is for sure she is going to need her mom more than ever...