The Rules

Growing up my life didn't have all too many rules. This may strike you as funny since I am a preacher's kid, but seriously my parents were way cool and very trusting...as long as we didn't abuse that trust.

My parents raised me with an "everything in moderation" type of mentality. When it came to boys the rule was "the bathing suit rule". Which means that I wasn't supposed to touch or be touched anywhere a bathing suit covered. I think that's a pretty good rule. It's reasonable and not too strict. I wish I could say I always stuck to this rule, but that would be a lie. But...if I have girls, or boys for that matter, I think it's the guideline I will offer them on the issue...fully realizing there is no way they will every stick to it. But hey, you gotta give em something.

When it came to curfew, again, it was very fair. Everything was a case by case basis, and really, by the time I was 15 I had no set curfew. As long as my parents knew where I was, what I was doing and who I was with, I was allowed to be out to all hours. If the plan for the evening changed, and I would be home later than was originally planned, we had a system where I would call and leave a message on the 2nd phone line at home giving them my newly anticipated arrival time. That way if mom or dad woke up and I was not home, they could check on my status and then return to a worry free sleep knowing I was still safe and not missing.

This middle of the road mentality carried over to my mom's opinions on drinking. She always had a set of rules for when drinking was "allowed". I still remember them, and although I think even she has relaxed these at this point in life, this is what they were:

--Drink if it's free
i.e. - open bar at a wedding, free mimosas with brunch, etc.,

--Drink if you're on vacation
cause who doesn't love an umbrella drink by the pool

--Drink if you have cramps
seriously - no better cure for Aunt Flow's woes than a glass or 2 of wine. And...with the whole trying to get pregnant thing, sometimes you just need wine when the disappointment of another period arrives

It is possible I am missing an allowance or 2 here. I will have to ask Mom again to be sure. But here is my plan: get back to the original rules. I haven't drank anything in a few days, and you know what? I feel pretty darn good. I feel good mentally since I haven't craved it, and I feel physically good by not being as bloated. I do think this will help in my quest to shed the poundage put on since going off birth control 2 years ago. At least this is one of my main hopes in this dryness.

You know what they say - rules are made to be broken - so I'm sure there will be cheating when necessary. And I'm not going to be hard on myself for caving in. But this will be my game plan for the summer. To see how this goes - to see if I can do this - to see if I can feel better about myself.

So from my calculations my next drink will be either in 2 weeks 2 days when I head to NYC for a trip, OR, when my period arrives. Whichever comes first. Or, I will tomorrow wake up and say "what was I smoking when I wrote that!?" and say "nevermind". But hey, that's my perogative.