It is a Crying Shame

There is a lot wrong with society, when you have (in particular) a child feeling the pressure to be thin.

Growing up as a child, I was naturally thin, but I do not remember it being a must. I simply ate home cooked meals (made from scratch) and ran around lot!

I guess times have changed, and there are foods which children have become used to, which were not the norm back in the day, such as fast foods. Treats, yes. Lifestyle, no. Due to this, I cannot blame society entirely. I have always believed, that a child’s start in life begins in the home. But then, this is just my opinion, and I am not trying to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do with their children, grandchildren, etc.

It is a crying shame that children should be made to feel like this.

It really is.

*Image from the web.

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Meeting The Soon-To-Be In-Laws

(This picture was taken less than two months after we started dating. By this point, *Steve had already proposed to me just four weeks after we got together. We were having a meal in Applebee’s with his father and step-mother).

Upon receiving a message to get on Skype, Steve and I started talking, and the trip to go see his family came up. I started thinking “Here we go again… no doubt I’m going to have to pay for this too”. As we spoke, Steve told me that he had sent me an email. Wondering what he was talking about, I logged on and saw the email. To my surprise, Steve had actually purchased return tickets, Atlanta to Germany for both of us! Wow, I was in shock. This is the guy who didn’t pay for anything. The tickets were booked from December 19th – 30th. Excited, he continued to say how he would pay for the car hire so I should pay for the hotels and food. I agreed. It was the first time we were both putting our hands in our pockets. I did however, have to get to Germany first! So,I booked my own return tickets to Munich, Germany and hotels from December 17th- 19th. Then again from December 30th – January 2nd.

Just 5 days after returning from the Military Ball, I found myself back at the airport on December 17th. There was an unfortunate turn of events. It started snowing. All fights were slowly being cancelled. Still, I had hope that I would make it on at least the last flight to Germany that night. But it wasn’t to be. I had to sleep on the airport floor. It was chaos. I called the hotel to let them know that I would not be arriving that night, but gave Steve’s name so he could stay in the room booked under my name. Staff at the hotel were very accommodating and agreed that he could stay there without me, but he would have to leave a credit/debit card on reception. I called him to let him know. I was expecting him to tell me to have a safe journey and that he would see me the next day, but instead, he said he would sleep at the airport. I told him not to be so silly. Just go to the hotel and relax. Besides, it the room had already been paid for.

I actually slept in a queue, and managed to get on the only flight that left for Germany bright and early the next morning. Passengers had called in to say they couldn’t make it to the airport. I got lucky. I was flying to the US the next day, so was panicking because I didn’t think I would make my Atlanta flight. I made it. I got to Munich, got a taxi and made my way to the hotel. I could breathe at last… Or so I thought. The room was a mess when I arrived. Steve had wiped out the mini-bar and was hung over. There were bottles everywhere. I wasn’t impressed, as all I wanted to do was have a shower and sleep for a while.

I wasn’t in the room 10 minutes when Steve started to complain about the fact that he had to pay €25.00 for the taxi from the airport. I explained to him that I had to do the same, and also realised that was the reason he wanted to stay at the airport to wait for me. He wanted me to pay. He hadn’t eaten either, no doubt because I wasn’t there to pay. I paid for all our meals that day. Just like I paid for the mini-bar tab that I did not have the pleasure of enjoying because I had to make do with the airport floor. He smiled and told me that he had no money in the account linked to the debit card he’d left at reception upon checking in, which tells me he had no intention of paying for what he had used. Anyway, I didn’t want anything to ruin our trip, so it was just left at that.

We took a taxi to the airport the next day, which cost €25.00. I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, I paid.

Once we arrived in Atlanta, we went to get a hire car. Steve actually did pay for it. Another surprise. I mean I know he said he would, but it was pretty hard to believe him at this point. We were ready to have a great time!

I met his father and step-mother first. They were lovely. Welcoming me into their home, they made me dinner and told me to relax as their home was my home. I felt a bit awkward at first because I didn’t know them and I didn’t want to give them a reason to dislike me. But I never felt that. When it was time to go back to the hotel, I wasn’t ready. I was really enjoying the chats we were having. His step-mother loved animals just like I did (and still do) and we agreed on quite an number of political issues. It was perfect.

In a few days, we would be on a road trip to his sister’s home. I was nervous, but happy. At last.

(*not his real name)