Hi all. I am fairly new to this forum. I think I used to post with an old email address. I have been enjoying the chat too.

I guess you could say most of the bad stuff is behind me now. My father expected a lot from us. When I was in college, I always did well in my classes and started out a music major, but I changed to pursue a teaching degree, so I had to do my student teaching which, in short, was a nightmare. I was criticized so brutally and given an evaluation that pretty much said I was mentally unstable and unfit for teaching. So what could I do? I took a temporary clerical job at a bank when I graduated (they did allow me to gradute). Every night when I got home from work at the dinner table, my dad would start in on how so-and-so graduated from college and is a mechanical engineer and makes $50,000 a year. Every night. Someone else I didn't know was doing great. And he'd say it in a nice voice, like I was supposed to be happy. I was making six dollars an hour and not even full time at the bank! What a loser! Gosh, it still haunts me.

I am glad I'm self-employed now and married. I'm doing exactly what I want to do and quit trying the please my father. Even just last year, I almost took the MCATs because he just bragged and bragged about a classmate of mine who is a doctor and NEVER asked me a thing about my music, which I happen to be great at.

I am a big believer in forgiveness, though, and it takes a long time sometimes.

Anyway, that's whats on my mind tonight. I hope to enter some good insights sometime in the future.