2. I may have skimmed, but I missed the ages of asshole!Dad's kids, and Barb's age when her dad left.

I was eleven when my parents separated although my first words to my mother when she broke the news of the divorce to me were, "It's about time."

Apparently, my precociousness and cynicism go way, way back.

Connie, much ~ma for your sister.

I believe that people who are douchenozzles - or even latent douchenozzles - should not have kids. It's not about you anymore, assholes!

It would be nice if there was a little obscure birthmark someplace that would let you identify the latent ones before it was too late.

Fuck cancer, indeed.

Connie, the American Cancer Society's site is a good resource. Here's the uterine cancer section: [link] Her treatment is going to depend on her staging. It looks like they typically use several drugs I've had, so I'd be glad to send her Ginger's Guide to Avoiding Nausea and Mouth Sores. Chemo can be bad, but for most people it's not the dreadful beast they show on television. There's also a whole lot of crazy on the internet with regard to cancer and chemo. (There's a whole lot of crazy about everything, but this is crazy that can kill people.)

I was eleven when my parents separated although my first words to my mother when she broke the news of the divorce to me were, "It's about time."

Heh, I was 15, and said the exact same thing. (I also asked why they hadn't done it 10 years ago.) I had also had 4 root canals that day, and then promptly went to a hockey game.

Are hair plugs involved yet? I would love it if he got hair plugs.

Tattoo and/or earrings as well.

Don't forget the required uniform for any douchenozzle: the Ed Hardy clothing.

And that includes the night I spent in a bar with an Irishman, a Scot, a New Zealander, two Welshmen and several Brits.

Someone needs to make a joke out of that....

I have no memory of my parents being together, so I honestly can't say what difference it would or would not have made.

On the other hand, I totally agree with Jess wrt Thanksgiving green beans.

It would be nice if there was a little obscure birthmark someplace that would let you identify the latent ones before it was too late.

Totes.

Totes.

This always makes me think of umbrellas.

It would be nice if there was a little obscure birthmark someplace that would let you identify the latent ones before it was too late.

We could work out a plan to brand or tattoo the ones that have already proven themselves.

My cousin married a douchenozzle even though it was practically tattooed across his forehead from day 1. That never ends well.

wrt to fathers and divorce. My folks split when I was around 5. It was a good thing. He was a drunk, liked to argue, which would lead to picking fights, and stuff throwing about. Bless mom's heart, she never wanted to present dad in a bad light, so she encouraged us to spend as much time as possible with him. But he presented himself in a bad light all on his own. Like the time he tried to lean in to give me a hug, started to fall over (because he was leaning on me, a small kid on crutches!) and saved his beer before saving me. Ya, that bump on the head left an impression, so to speak. Also seeing how he would break the rules of divorce and truly antagonize mom didn't help his image. It helped when we moved a county away. As I grew up, my relationship with dad got better. But I still had to bite my tongue when talking with dad a short while back, when he was patting himself on the back for the great job he did with all three of us kids. Ya, that's mom's back you should be patting, but, best if you don't go near her, k? For the longest time, I was subconsciously seeking out a male role model figure thingy. Not sure when I stopped, but it was well into adulthood. To this day, I befriend women better than men, and turn my nose at booze, since I've seen what it does to people.

Now? Well, with the recent hospital visit, supposedly he hasn't had any booze. Not sure how true that is. I'd be curious what his girlfriend has to say about it all. When he wasn't drinking in the past, he was an ok person. Am I sad my folks split up? I think it was the best for us. The living in the projects because mom had to support 3 kids with no financial support from dad part sucked. But I think seeing mom getting smacked around and hearing fights all the time would have imprinted the wrong kind of behavior on to me.