I wasn�t clear enough, I meant when others bath your furkids

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My husband accompanied my son to practice. The then assistant coach was trying to make conversation with him. He asked my husband where he worked -- typical question, like how's the weather? My husband answered honestly and left it at that. This guy went on to tell his life story. My husband did not repeat this to anyone other than his supervisor when he realized it was a breach of ethics for him to be around him.

Again, my husband approached the head coach about the situation and without going into detail about the man's criminal history, asked for a transfer. The head coach referred him to the league president, who asked why he needed a transfer. He then told the league president, who does the background checks and would have found out anyway, why he needed the transfer. The league president then informed the head coach, who who told the assistant coach why he decided to remove him from his coaching staff. We certainly did not discuss this with any other parents on the team. We had also requested that the head coach not discuss with the assistant coach until and if it would be necessary. We were hoping to avoid the situation entirely by transferring our child, not the ex-convict's kid. Silly us to think we were doing the right thing?

The last thing we wanted was for any of this to come to light. We tried to handle it discretely. I'm guessing you're also one of those people who likes to make the people trying to do the right thing out to be the bad guy.

Please, no posts about declawing. I would never do that!! I have brand new furniture and right now it is covered with sheets, blankets and the like, delivered yesterday, living room full of leather at that (along with new dining room, 10 new chairs that have cloth seats). I tried the scratching posts, I tried the bad smelling stuff they sell at the pet stores, I tried the water bottle (that is effective as long as in the same room), but I want to know who has tried the cat nails and if they work. I want to enjoy the beauty of my furniture and I love my kids! I would never damage those indoor babies but I want to look at my furniture also. Are the nails hard to put on. HELP!!

THE JOURNEY

by Crystal Ward Kent

When you bring a pet into your life, you begin a journey � a journey that will bring you more love and devotion than you have ever known, yet also test your strength and courage.

If you allow, the journey will teach you many things, about life, about yourself, and most of all, about love. You will come away changed forever, for one soul cannot touch another without leaving its mark.

Along the way, you will learn much about savoring life�s simple pleasures � jumping in leaves, snoozing in the sun, the joy of puddles, and even the satisfaction of a good scratch behind the ears.

If you spend much time outside, you will be taught how to truly experience every element, for no rock, leaf or log will go unexamined, no rustling bush will be overlooked, and even the very air will be inhaled, pondered, and noted as being full of valuable information. Your pace may be slower � except when heading home to the food dish � but you will become a better naturalist, having been taught by an expert in the field.

Too many times we hike on automatic pilot, our goal being to complete the trail rather than enjoy the journey. We miss the details � the colorful mushrooms on the rotting log, the honeycomb in the old maple snag, the hawk feather caught on a twig. Once we walk as a dog does, we discover a whole new world. We stop; we browse the landscape; we kick over leaves, peek in tree holes, look up, down, all around. And we learn what any dog knows: that nature has created a marvelously complex world that is full of surprises, that each cycle of the seasons brings ever-changing wonders, each day an essence all its own.

Even from indoors you will find yourself more attuned to the world around you. You will find yourself watching summer insects collecting on a screen (How bizarre they are! How many kinds there are!), or noting the flicker and flash of fireflies through the dark. You will stop to observe the swirling dance of windblown leaves, or sniff the air after a rain. It does not matter that there is no objective in this; the point is in the doing, in not letting life�s most important details slip by.

You will find yourself doing silly things that your pet-less friends might not understand: spending thirty minutes in the grocery aisle looking for the cat food brand your feline must have, buying dog birthday treats, or driving around the block an extra time because your pet enjoys the ride. You will roll in the snow, wrestle with chewie toys, bounce little rubber balls till your eyes cross, and even run around the house trailing your bathrobe tie � with a cat in hot pursuit � all in the name of love.

Your house will become muddier and hairier. You will wear less dark clothing and buy more lint rollers. You may find dog biscuits in your pocket or purse, and feel the need to explain that an old plastic shopping bag adorns your living room rug because your cat loves the crinkly sound.

You will learn the true measure of love � the steadfast, undying kind that says, �It doesn�t matter where we are or what we do, or how life treats us as long as we are together.� Respect this always. It is the most precious gift any living soul can give another. You will not find it often among the human race.

And you will learn humility. The look in my dog�s eyes often made me feel ashamed. Such joy and love at my presence. She saw not some flawed human who could be cross and stubborn, moody or rude, but only her wonderful companion. Or maybe she saw those things and dismissed them as mere human foibles, not worth considering, and so chose to love me anyway.

If you pay attention and learn well, when the journey is done, you will not be just a better person, but the person your pet always knew you to be � the one they were proud to call beloved friend.

I must caution you that this journey is not without pain. Like all paths of true love, the pain is part of loving. For as surely as the sun sets, one day your dear animal companion will follow a path you cannot yet go down. And you will have to find the strength and love to let them go. A pet�s time on earth is far too short � especially for those that love them. We borrow them, really, just for awhile, and during those brief years they are generous enough to give us all of their love � every inch of their spirit and heart, until one day there is nothing left.

The cat that only yesterday was a kitten is all too soon old and frail and sleeping in the sun. The young pup of boundless energy wakes up stiff and lame, the muzzle now gray. Deep down we somehow always knew this journey would end. We knew that if we gave our hearts they would be broken. But give them we must for it is all they ask in return. When the time comes, and the road curves ahead to a place we cannot see, we give one final gift and let them run on ahead � young and whole once more.

�Godspeed, good friend,� we say, until our journey comes full circle and our paths cross again.

you are the type of person to love with all your heart. My sister during the last week of her cat's life slept on the floor with Mary Beth (her beautiful cat of many years) because Mary Beth could no longer jump up and down from the bed. We do things we never thought we would do for these beautiful creatures God has given us. You are such a loving pet owner. That made me cry reading your posts. I celebrate the life of your cat and the love you gave her. I celebrate the life of all the pets my family has owned, loved and still miss. We all feel what you are feeling and you are not alone. Your love enabled you to give her all those years, and I believe your love will get you through.

Unless this man's ex-wife was a non-believer, he technically can't have a relationship with any other woman at all because it would be considered adultry....right?

Maybe it's the toothpaste. Some of it tastes yucky to a kid or the mint may be too strong or brushing could be irritating his gums. Let him pick a child's toothpaste and soft toothbrush and see if that helps. As for baths, I had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the tub. What mom didn't know was that my older sister kept sneaking in and pulling the plug, telling me I was going to go down the drain. She said if I told mom she would call the adoption agency and tell them to take me back (I wasn't adopted, but at age 4 I didn't know that). Maybe he saw something on TV that scared him. Some shows are pretty graphic (news too). I recall one show where a lady was brushing her teeth and blood started pouring from the faucet. Try letting him sit in a dry tub with a bucket of water for a sponge bath. Sit down and talk with the kid (not talk to) and assure him/her that if there is something going on you can help.

I meant *generally* speaking. You seem to me to rather be the exception to the rule. MOST folks (not you, evidently and this is a GOOD THING *S*) in the deep south (and I am not speaking of places such as south Florida) - are against abortion and pro-choice - not all of them but PLENTY of them.