It should never, ever come to this

Many of you have a three day weekend. If you are parents of a teenager or even a tweenager, consider the extra time an opportunity for a talk. Please tell your kids that you love them dearly. Tell them that even if they flunk every last class in school, get pregnant (or someone else pregnant), pose nude on the internet, and get a DUI all in the same week that you will still love them and you will forgive them.

By all means tell them that you will be pissed. Tell them you will be pissed and disappointed and hurt, but as a parent and an adult, after you are done yelling and having a good cry, you will proceed digging the child you love dearly out the hole they dug for themselves. That's what parents do. That's the job.

Tell your kid the truth. Tell them that at one time or another we all screw up in huge, fantastic, incredible, unbelievable ways. As humans, major errors are unavoidable.

Tell your teenager that you recognize their ability to fall in love. Tell them that when someone you love abandons you, it hurts like hell. DON'T TELL THEM THERE ARE MORE FISH IN THE SEA - even if it is true. Tell them that the pain they feel is important and real and it will take awhile to subside.

Tell them the only thing most never get over or recover from is losing a child.

Your child.

I Miss Grace...

and glamour. Real glamour. Party dresses with tulle, women not leaving the house without a hat and gloves, gentlemen holding the door open and helping a lady with her coat glamour.

My faith and hope are being ever so slightly restored that Americans might one day tire of crass, tack and the nasty. My hit count went WAY up after posting pictures of Grace Kelly. Even more so than the teasers for nude Kelly Monaco and Emily Stern pics or even Scarlett fully clothed.

Don't get me wrong, I love my oldest pair of Levis almost as much as my significant other. I want to be buried in them. However, the closest most women ever come to owning or wearing a dress like this is on our wedding day.



One commenter recently stated, and I agree, that many ordinary people are as beautiful as celebrities. However, very few celebs have the poise or class as the days of old. Case in point, Angelina Jolie now admits she is prego with Brad's baby. Jennifer, Hon, you're better off. Brad is fine, but he can't act. Angelina is just rough, period. She'll probably get her kids tattoos as well. One day, as the vast amounts of silicone harden, Angie's lips are going to burst and the flying shrapnel will probably kill Brad.

It seems like manners are becoming a hindrance for living well in America. To get business done, you must shout at the top of your lungs on your cell phone at a nice restaurant. Leave more than one car length of space between your vehicle and the one in front of you on the freeway, and some arrogant ass in a Beemer driving 90 mph will happily clip in front of you.

Can you imagine Cary Grant spitting in public?!

Can you imagine someone who wears their hair like this getting a tattoo?

Once upon a time it wasn't necessary to show everything to be sexy. In fact, to be considered beautiful one needed to be fully dressed.

Imagine that!

I know the "olden days" were not perfect. Celebs of yester year were apt to drive too fast, drink too much, take pills and have affairs. Society was not as likely to condone or forgive it, however.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful that women have more opportunities to do more and I'm grateful to previous generations who fought hard for said opportunities. There also something to be said for being able to slip on a pair of sweats, pulling my hair into a greasy ponytail and running to Walgreens for a bottle of Motrin.

It's just that something is woefully missing in today's very casual world of drive thrus, overnight mail, and web surfing.

What's missing is class, good taste, politeness, good manners, trust, you know, glamour.