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Dear Reader,
"Girls Don't Need Boys for Nothin'" is the subject of this week's guest author, Diane Fanning's, column. Sounds intriguing...let's get right to it.
Welcome Diane Fanning, author of the new release, Treason in the Secret City, a World War II series...
Girls Don't Need Boys for Nothin'
My journey into the hostile environs of s ex education began with Liz, my daughter, on her fifth birthday. I got her what she most wanted: a six-week old, longhaired girl guinea pig. This simple decision put me on a collision course with the birds and the bees.
Once she stopped squealing with delight, she asked, "Mommy, when will my guinea pig have babies?"
I explained to her that her guinea pig would not have babies because she needed to have a girl and a boy guinea pig to have babies.
The joy on her face turned to thunderclouds of rage. Indignantly, she stomped her feet. "Stop it, Mommy! When will my guinea pig have babies?"
I explained that she had a Mommy and a Daddy and baby guinea pigs needed to have a mommy and daddy, too.
Her face turned brilliant red. Her fists clenched at her side. "Girls don't need boys for nothin'!" She stomped down the hall and slammed her bedroom door.
I deduced that she was not quite ready for the facts of life. Over the next few weeks, I heard her tell her little friends that her guinea pig was going to have babies. I held my peace. I assumed that time was on my side.
Then, one peaceful morning, my daughter came running out of her room screaming, "Mommy, my guinea pig is having a baby!"
That was not possible--something must be wrong. Oh, something was wrong all right. I was wrong. Her guinea pig was having a baby. My first thought was that everything my mother had ever taught me was wrong. Then, I decided there must be a logical explanation.
So, I called the pet shop. The shopkeeper informed me that guinea pigs, with the help of a littermate, occasionally did conceive as early as five weeks old. Now she tells me.
The shopkeeper invited us to the store where she introduced a male guinea pig as the daddy of the baby. My daughter held him, stroked him and seemed quite content.
On the drive home, I was pleased with myself until I asked, "Liz, now you understand all about baby guinea pigs, don't you?"
Her sweet little face turned to me and beamed. "Yes, Mommy. Girls don't need boys for nothin', not even babies!"
Defeated, I slumped in my seat and wondered where I went wrong.
Actually, it didn't seem so wrong when Liz entered her teens--I wanted her to embrace that philosophy. Instead, she just laughed whenever I said, "Liz, girls don't need boys for nothin'."
--Diane Fanning
More about Diane Fanning The author of twenty-five traditionally published books including the second book in the World War II series, Treason in the Secret City. Diane was born and raised in Baltimore, but moved to Virginia and later to Texas. "Now, I am back in Virginia, in the town of Bedford, with an inspiring view of the Peaks of Otter. I share my home with my husband, Wayne, and my two-year-old sheltie, Mister Emmitt Otter."
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
AUTHORBUZZ: ADDRESS TO DIE FOR (Mystery) by Mary Feliz
Maggie McDonald may be a professional organizer, but that does not stop her life from falling out of sorts. Despite her history of perfect neatness and order, moving into a beautiful new home in the hills leads Maggie and her family into a messy murder scene, in a dilapidated, century-old house. With the killer still on the loose, this will be Maggie's most difficult job yet....
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on ADDRESS TO DIE FOR to find out more about the book and the author, Mary Feliz. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.
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