A granddad's support for his gay grandson...

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Wednesday October 02, 2013 · 11:58 AM PDT

2013/10/02 · 11:58

I needed a break from reading about the government shutdown and teahadists' inhumanity and I found this wonderful story...

A grandfather penned a letter to his "heartless" daughter in support of his gay grandson.

theKgirls

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Thursday March 21, 2013 · 5:20 AM PDT

2013/03/21 · 05:20

To be fair, the guidance counselor didn't out her to the entire Middle School student body; just to her teachers, teachers that may see her out in the hallways, administrators, the school psychologist, her future high school teachers and administrators, two friends and one set of parents -- and me.

I'm not sure you could describe me as outraged (although that is certainly how I'd describe myself now...) I was probably more stunned. I'm not sure exactly why an 8th grade counselor felt the need to involve herself in a 13 year old's private life in this way.

And honestly, it was a bit hard to move to outrage because no one around me seemed to share my concern. When I vented to some friends and family, the comments were squarely focused on Kgirl.

"Isn't she too young to be gay?" Too young to date certainly, but not too young to know that she finds Mila Kunis way hotter than Channing Tatum.

"I doubt she's really gay, she's might just be saying that..." There are a lot of things that kids could say to impress family and friends, but somehow I doubt this is one of them...

"How does she know she's really gay?" Probably the same way you know you're really not...

Seriously?

theKgirls

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Saturday December 31, 2011 · 7:41 AM PST

2011/12/31 · 07:41

I've often considered getting a lifetime membership -- usually during those times that my screen freezes because I had the audacity to click into a diary when the screen was loaded with the wrap-around ads. But really, my desire for membership had almost nothing to do with speed or never having to look at the ads, it had everything to do with belonging.

You remember those old "Calgon, take me away" ads? I've never been a bath kind of gal -- and really, just how many bathes can one take when life starts getting stressful? Daily Kos has been my Calgon... When I encounter selfishness and rudeness; when the kids fight; when I need to get away from my own thoughts, I come here. The community diaries warm my heart and the political activism diaries warm my soul.

theKgirls for KosAbility

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Sunday November 13, 2011 · 2:00 PM PST

2011/11/13 · 14:00

Most everyone has had a headache, maybe even a horrible headache, a headache to end all headaches (sometimes known as a hangover.) But a headache is to a migraine like a bruise is to a spiral fracture; other than affecting the same body part, there is little comparison.

I had some terrible headaches when I was in high school, but I didn't have my first migraine until I was nineteen. Had I known anything about migraines I would have realized that I had some warning about what was about to happen -- I was part of the 20% of migraine sufferers that have an aura.

KosAbility is a community diary series posted at 5 PM ET every Sunday and Wednesday by volunteer diarists. This is a gathering place for people who are living with disabilities, who love someone with a disability, or who want to know more about the issues surrounding this topic. There are two parts to each diary. First, a volunteer diarist will offer their specific knowledge and insight about a topic they know intimately. Then, readers are invited to comment on what they've read and or ask general questions about disabilities, share something they've learned, tell bad jokes, post photos, or rage about the unfairness of their situation. Our only rule is to be kind; trolls will be spayed or neutered.

theKgirls

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday September 18, 2011 · 1:58 PM PDT

2011/09/18 · 13:58

Every one of us has been hungry from time to time, maybe even experienced stomach-clawing, gut wrenching hunger, but we don't usually think of it as a disability. It may not be a disability unto intself, but I believe it is definitely an undercurrent of so many afflictions. And truth be told, the word I'm probably searching for is malnutrition but, at least for me, that is too difficult a word. Malnutrition is found in third world countries and refugee camps; it is not something that I ever expected to hear about my well-fed, very active daughter. Her doctor used that word exactly once, but that word still rings in my ear. It is still a dagger through my heart.

KosAbility is a community diary series posted at 5 PM ET every Sunday and Wednesday by volunteer diarists. This is a gathering place for people who are living with disabilities, who love someone with a disability, or who want to know more about the issues surrounding this topic. There are two parts to each diary. First, a volunteer diarist will offer their specific knowledge and insight about a topic they know intimately. Then, readers are invited to comment on what they've read and or ask general questions about disabilities, share something they've learned, tell bad jokes, post photos, or rage about the unfairness of their situation. Our only rule is to be kind; trolls will be spayed or neutered.

theKgirls

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday January 30, 2011 · 2:06 PM PST

2011/01/30 · 14:06

You may not have ever heard of Fructose Malabsorption, which would be totally understandable since most doctors haven’t heard of it either. It’s estimated that 75% of those with IBS actually have FM. The good news is that there is an actual test for FM. Never again will I have to listen to someone tell me my daughter’s food difficulties are all in my head or that she's faking just to get out of eating her vegetables. She has FM; she cannot handle most foods.

KosAbility is a community diary series posted at 5 PM ET every Sunday and Wednesday by volunteer diarists. This is a gathering place for people who are living with disabilities, who love someone with a disability, or who want to know more about the issues surrounding this topic. There are two parts to each diary. First, a volunteer diarist will offer their specific knowledge and insight about a topic they know intimately. Then, readers are invited to comment on what they've read and/or ask general questions about disabilities, share something they've learned, tell bad jokes, post photos, or rage about the unfairness of their situation. Our only rule is to be kind; trolls will be spayed or neutered.

theKgirls

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday February 17, 2010 · 4:17 AM PST

2010/02/17 · 04:17

My eight-year-old daughter needs to take nineteen pills a day. Nineteen. Every day. But there is only one pill that people feel obligated to question. My eleven-year-old needs to take an injection everyday. She also uses an inhaler and when the pharmacist showed me how to use it I said "basically, I'm teaching my kid how to take a bong hit?" He confirmed that is exactly how to use this inhaler. Yet again, it is the pill she takes that have people concerned enough to openly wonder if I am endangering her.

No one ever expressed concerns that Kgirl1 would become a heroin addict when she began growth hormone injections. No one was concerned she'd start smoking marijuana when she learned to use an inhaler. No one was concerned that Kgirl2 will turn into an addict because she must take several pills each and every time she eats. And yet one green and white pill is certain doom.

My kids have ADHD and I choose to treat it with medication.

theKgirls

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday January 27, 2010 · 3:59 AM PST

2010/01/27 · 03:59

Morning Feature is a year old! Wow. And what a year it has been...

We've learned a lot over this past year -- sometimes from the diaries and sometimes from witnessing that sausage-making of real life politics (can anyone say healthcare reform?)

But we've made it through the year, a little older, hopefully a little wiser... And today we gather to pay tribute to Morning Feature; its creator, one NCrissieB; and the entire MF community. Coffee and cake for all!

theKgirls

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday December 23, 2009 · 4:05 AM PST

2009/12/23 · 04:05

'Tis the season to be of good cheer. Myself, I'm feeling a bit holiday impaired. I've been searching, but coming up empty. It's the first time in a decade that Santa isn't coming... The "baby" of the family is eight and she semi, sort of, believes, but not really. That changes things in a way I hadn't anticipated or prepared for.

When did the holidays turn from joyous to an obligation? And therein lies the problem, I have been looking for the joy rather than creating it. I've been looking to all the tinsel and trappings to somehow lift my spirits, but it's remained elusive. I can't get it at the mall.

There is no holiday spirit in parking lots. None.

But I know the spirit lurks somewhere. What was your best holiday ever?
For me, well, there was that time we skipped that day...

theKgirls

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday November 25, 2009 · 4:01 AM PST

2009/11/25 · 04:01

"What nobler employment, or more valuable to the state,
than that of the man who instructs the rising generation."
^{~ Marcus Tullius Cicero}

There are a lot of overworked and underappreciated professions, but I believe that teaching probably tops the list. Too often, parents expect teachers to work magic with our kids, motivating them in ways we've been unable to do ourselves.

My daughters have been privileged to have very good teachers and a couple of exceptional ones. A simple thank you was not enough to convey my deep appreciation for the positive influence they had on my girls' lives. Rather than giving another "Worlds Greatest Teacher" mug or ceramic apple, I put together a book of quotes coupled with my photographs for Kgirl1's favorite teacher. I wanted to share some of those pages with all the teachers here. And offer my humble thanks for all you do.

theKgirls

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday November 04, 2009 · 4:12 AM PST

2009/11/04 · 04:12

As a wise ten-year-old said, "It's not adoption that's a problem, but what everyone thinks of it." We are long past the time when adoption was considered a shameful secret. Although adoption is gaining a wider acceptance, adoptive families still wrestle with misconceptions and negative stereotypes.

Some images throughout the media are just mind-numbingly stupid... Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist Mike Seate called Asian children "‘must-have’ fashion accessories for upper middle-class Americans." NBC and Telafora held a Mother’s Day contest and created a category of "Non-mom Moms", then renamed it "Adoptive Mom", still missing the concept that adoptive moms are, you know, just moms... King of Queens sitcom ended their series with the couple adopting, then discovering she was pregnant and were now "stuck" with a baby from China. Even the Social Security Administration has a check box for "Natural or Adoptive Parent".

November is National Adoption Month, created to raise awareness of adoption. Adoptive Families suggests that today we should get to know adoptive families, inviting them over for hot chocolate and cookies or a multicultural buffet. So join me and I’ll provide the hot chocolate and borsht...

theKgirls

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday September 16, 2009 · 4:02 AM PDT

2009/09/16 · 04:02

There was a brief time that I was an outspoken liberal -- happily, proudly irritating people. My first foray into irksome liberalism was my high school government class "debate". My high school was in a small Texas town (population 2,000) where taking a week off for the opening of duck season was an excused absence. (By the way, taking that same week to visit my brother in Manhattan and visiting museums was not.) I got to pick my own topic and I chose gun control. I was for it. I made some outstanding points, but my opponent presented a blueprint for how to build a gun with something like baling wire, lugs nuts and flint. Apparently that was considered a superior argument; he won with 100% of the vote. I knew going in that I never had a chance, but god I loved it.

But eventually it stopped being fun to infuriate people and I stopped talking politics.

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Morning Feature: Tis the Season...

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