Articles written by Michelle Paszkowski

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Politics, News & Issues > US Military (Other) Should US armed services veterans be entitled to free/discounted medical services for life?: 1 of 12
As the wife of an injured veteran there's no question where I stand on this issue. To begin with everyone assumes that because my husband is in the military , life is just a bowl of cherries. I hear things like "You're so lucky he makes good money". That is laughable. My husband is only a specialist, an e4, junior enlisted. A... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Family Law Resolving the child support system in America: 7 of 46
The problem with the system is that does not take each parent's situation into consideration. Instead every non custodial parent is expected to pay a minimum amount of child support regardless of their situation. To make my point I will use two people I know personally. I'll call them Dawn and Matt. Dawn is the custodial pare... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Testimonies: Family life when serving in the U.S. military: 4 of 25
Being a military family is nothing like how I imagined it. I am assuming we are not the usual military family, and that has made it a little more difficult for us. To start, we were married almost ten years before my husband joined the Army. We already had a house, and kids and ties to community. We had already gone through t... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Parenthood Should a parent move from parent to friend as children grow older?: 3 of 12
I remember the outrageous fights I had with my mother. I remember feeling out of place when we weren't fighting or arguing. Just as my mother would throw out the famous lines such as " when you live under my roof..." I would counter with " when I have kids I'm not going to treat them this way!" There were sleepless nights, th... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Personal Morals & Values Do two wrongs make a right?: 14 of 52
I wish more than anything that two wrongs did make a right. I am the first to admit that getting back at someone who has wronged me would feel aweful good, at least for the first few hours, maybe days. Then I would have to question my actions. If someone hurts me on purpose just to be able to say they did it, then what would ... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Raising boys: 13 of 48
If ever I need to be reminded that I am raising boys all I need to do is laundry. Things you find in a young boy's pants pockets can frighten, amuse, and cause a chuckle all at the same time. There is no greater sign you're raising a boy than pulling an earthworm out of a back pocket. The great part comes when you realize the... More..
Pets & Animals > Dog Training Is crating your dog cruel?: 6 of 22
This is a tough question for me. I never thought crating was a good idea. I would always argue that it wasn't fair to the dog. I have always been an advocate for free range pets. My pets are all allowed on my furniture, and the dogs love nothing more than to pile on top of me to cuddle during a good movie. The first dog I bro... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Social Values & Norms Taking a look at stupidity in today's society: 14 of 42
I hesitate to call it stupidity, at least I hesitate right now. It is a totally different story when I am out in public. Although, thinking about it right now in a calm and sensible manner, I would rather say it is a lack of common sense. And it's not just common sense that we seem to have lost, common courtesy appears to hav... More..
Relationships & Family > Married Life Stay-at-home moms: Are they appreciated enough?: 23 of 49
When my daughter was born I was in college. I quickly decided I was not a multi-tasker and I left college life behind to be a full time mom. For the first six months of my daughter's life I spent every waking moment with her. We did all the at home mom stuff, we cooked and cleaned and took long walks every afternoon. I was an... More..
Health & Fitness > Healthy Living & Wellness Everyday music therapy: 11 of 11
Living out loudIn the song "American Pie" the question is asked"Can music save your mortal soul?" I believe the answer to that is, yes, and it can move my soul, and soothe my soul, and rock my soul. We've all done it, used music to get through the day, or even just a morning. You know what I mean, you got no sleep, spilled yo... More..