One of the sad realities of being a parent is that the same stuff you know is exciting, educational, and enriching in your child'slife is often messy, smelly and exhausting to deal with.

The word NO, carries a lot more meaning when spoken by a parent who also knows how to say yes.

My job is writing. I get paid to do it. When was the last time you heard someone challenge a doctor for making money off of cancer?

I compromised my ability to tell my story, at the most basic level.

It's not only children who grow. Parents do too.

As for me, I've chosen to follow a simple course: Come clean. And wherever possible, live your life in a way that won't leave you tempted to lie. Failing that, I'd rather be disliked for who I truly am than loved for who I am not. So, I tell my story. I write it down. I even publish it. Sometimes this is a humbling experience. Sometimes it's embarrassing. But I haul around no terrible secrets.

She felt everything too deeply, it was like the world was too much for her.