I have never smoked but most of my friends do or did. At all the eating disorder inpatient programs mostly everyone smoked. They feared too the weight issue. I know for myself up to this issue that didn't get better quickly I took health for granted. Like I said I'm 28 but before this I had bad health problem due to my eating disorder and had been in a cardiac unit twice but bounced back quickly. I recovered last year weight and behavior wise. Young people don't realise there are sometimes no easy quick fixes cause they either don't feel the effects now or don't think it will happen to them. They assume everything can be fixed. I have a friend who because of her ed has to wear a bag because she can't control her bowels. This nerve issue has taught me how important health is and also to not stress about things that really have no meaning. If you don't have your health the rest of things don't have meaning.

Glad to be informative. I love learning stuff!!!! And I especially like LEARNING HOW TO LIVE LONGER!!!

These teens today, well they don't have a clue. If it doesn't look like a cell phone, or an IPOD, they won't even touch it. No one goes to the library anymore. No one bothers to read. I wonder how Barnes and Nobles and our local book store even stays in business. All you really have to do is go to Yahoo or Google and you get the latest info on ANYTHING.

But the sad truth is our teens and young people are yahooing anyone or googling anyone. They're doing the myspace thing and doing text messaging.

Want to know what I found out yesterday while Alan and I were in Dr. Fred's office waiting room??? I was sitting next to to teenagers who were both on their cell phones. Smart looking gadgets, blue flashing lights, all bells and whistles. (Now I have a $19.99 pre-paid little cell thing that only makes phone calls, CAUSE I DON'T NEED IT TO DO ANYTHING BUT MAKE PHONE CALLS OR RECEIVE PHONE CALLS), so every 4 months, I put $50 on it and Alan and both use it for the Access-a-ride or if I go shopping and I have to phone home to see (Alan, do you want this kind of cereal or whatever).

So I start a dialogue with these two teenagers (thank god, I know how to talk to kids, they don't diss me or dismiss me, they seem to be interested when you ask them questions, IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU ASK THE QUESTIONS.. And because I like to learn stuff, well, teens are FULL OF NEW STUFF!!!

So I'm asking questions about text messaging and I get "oh we don't know how much the bill is, our parents pay for everything". I said "how many text messages are you allowed?" and she goes "Oh I have no idea, my parents are in charge of paying the bills, we just use the phone, (and they're giggling up a storm like two complete idiots). So I just smile and say "do you ever use these in the classroom?" and GET A LOAD OF WHAT I WAS TOLD!!!

She leans over conspiratorily and whispers "yeah, we do, but we're not supposed to" I said "really?? how come?" and she whispers, "They search us before we go into class, they make everybody walk through metal detectors and if they find the phones they take it away from us". So I said "why, whatever for?" and she says:

"Well, if one class takes a test, then they take a picture of all the answers and send them to their friends, or they do the text message thing and they ask their friends what the answers are". Try imagining a bunch of kids in one room, giving each other the answers because they are all text messaging each other!!!! But the best was when she said, (still whispering), "Oh, the best part of having a phone that can go on the internet is that if you are taking a test, you just go on yahoo, and type in the questions and you can find out what you need to know, you don't have to study anymore. My friend does this all the time in Spanish Class".

I said "what do you mean she does this in Spanish Class"? She said "well, she has to translate stuff and she can't learn spanish so she just goes to a translation service online and gets the answers".

I just looked at these two (very smart cookies) and said "wow, how original". and they were beaming like the two clueless idiots they actually were.

AND THESE ARE OUR FUTURE DOCTORS AND SPECIALISTS????


Give me a break!!!!

I never smoked nor did my brother,who is 18 months older. But my parents
sure did. I think they smoked 2 packs a day,they never coughed,by
brother and I chronic anything to do with second hand smoke. I still can't
stand the smell of second hand smoke.

Bob who smoked,i think he said when he was a senior in high school when
he started,1/2 pack a day. He stopped 38 years ago,he's 78 now. His
Pulmornary Dr. is married to my Neuro. Bob does have a pstch of
emphasema and uses a puffer. The Dr. said it was good he quit be some
almost always shows up when you get older. But he said he probably
would of been on oxygen or died if he didn't. As i said never smoked but
was always sick with colds,broconchitis,ect. My brother and his wife
never smoked like my husband and me. But his children both do. And
guess who smoked,my child who had Thyroid Cancer. When he found out
he was going to be a dad in the fall,he gave his wife a video cam. We
watched him quit,his first gift for his child. My son gained a little weigh
but he lost that fast when he starded at the gym and has the breath
to run,umm walk first. And i can hug him now without choking.

The diabectic center here just got a ton of money from old man Walton's
( walmart) child who lives here. To do research on Children and diabectes
2. If a child who if born in the year2000 they are likly to have diabectes 2
by the time they are 15 especially boys.

1 thing when we were little we played,i hated going in i loved to play,
of course it could also have been all that cirgarette smoke. Sue

I just wish someone would put the Tobacco companies out of business. I have no idea why they are allowed to make a product that already has a warning label on it (and they are the ones who put the warning label there). So how come Congress doesn't pass a bill putting Tobacco companies (like RJ Reynolds, etc. etc.) out of business.

We'd be breathing a lot healthier, that's for sure!!!!!!!!

Take care.

P.S. I called Dr. Fred's office to get Alan's latest blood test results.
Wouldn't you know it, the office closes at 4 p.m. on Friday.

oh well, Monday, bright and early.

Melody, not all kids use their phones to cheat at school. All it takes is a parent who knows how to track everything that they do. I can see who they talk to, who they text to and exactly what times they do these things. If it is during school hours they better watch out for the wrath of mom.

The best part is they know that I will snatch that pretty little phone out of their hands faster than they can say "but mom???"

Oh and they know how much the phone costs because they have to pay half of their text messaging plan. I say if you need to talk to someone pick up the phone, if you want to send them a text you pay for it.

I like the texting because they keep in touch with me better because to their friends it looks like they are texting someone cool when actually they are texting mom to check in. Not that I'm not cool ya know...Sue

You're cool all right!!! And I love your little dolphin!!

Melody