Real Stories - Entries for September 2008 (Best of series)

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My daughters were 19 and 20 at the time. They were in a local university and stayed with me. I couldn't afford to pay all of their university expenses, but did what I could, and their mother paid their tuition. I couldn't offer much money although every cent I had went to support them. At least I could offer my time and services. They worked part time for personal spending money over and above the amount I could give them. Of course, they spent many hours with studies and still maintained an active social life. They were popular with their friends and had no problem finding boy friends. I did all the cooking and did their laundry. I did all house cleaning, and even cleaned their rooms exactly as requested, but avoided drawers and cupboards that I was told were out of bounds. There were locks on their doors, and knew if they were locked on some days, I was not to go in -- no questions asked. They had boyfriends overnight on a regular basis: they were now adults and that was something I knew was none of my business. But I knew my daughters well. Although I knew "no man is good enough for any man's daughter" I also know my daughters were raised to select what is best for them, and if they selected a particular man, I knew he must be good.