Hah! I noticed the same thing about the nail salon. What a way to spend the kid's college fund.

I wouldn't encourage this type of thing, and frankly, the subject never came up when my 21 year-old son was twelve (or any other age). But if I was responsible for a kid who got silly and painted his toenails, I'd hand him a bottle of nailpolish remover and some cotton, and tell him to listen up. I'd tell him what could happen if he forgot to remove the polish and one of the guys at school happened to notice his toenails in the locker room after PE. That could make the hell of junior high school twice as hellish.

But what really concerns me is Christie's lack of good judgment. Why did she find it necessary to put that kind of photo of her brother on the internet. What is she thinking? IS she thinking...about anyone besides herself?

Christie's new web site makes the claim that she has had extensive background in family services and she calls herself a Family Specialist who has had experience in the support and advocacy of people in need. Given Christie's long history of substance abuse, her incredible selfishness, and the personal qualities we saw her display on SO, I find it difficult, if not impossible, to believe that this woman was ever a "Family Specialist".

I googled "Family Specialist", and I looked at the first FS position listed on an employment site. This was a position with a non-profit organization. A Family Specialist should have a bachelor's degree in a related field and she makes $21-28K/year. The responsibilities of the position include: "provide intake and interview of clients, assessment of needs, homestudy, placement, post-placement with foster or adoptive parents, teach life skills, crisis intervention, coordinate community services, physical intervention, and participate in treatment plans and implementations. The candidate should be able to work in a fast- paced environment of growth and change." I'm surprised that Christie wasn't called upon to mediate the Cassie/Dustin meeting. She would have had so much to offer with this background...right?

I almost forgot the kicker! The candidate must have strong writing skills, and a sample of the candidates's writing must be submitted as a part of the interview.

We watched Christie pushed to her limit when she was asked to plan a "pre-planned" (all supporters set up in advance) 5K. She had support from everything with two legs. Left to her own, the pressure of that responsibility would have done her in. As recall, she didn't know the difference between an itinerary and a to-do list. How is that possible? I see no evidence that she would ever be able to work in a fast-paced environment of growth and change. Actually, I see evidence to the contrary.

The saddest thing is that Cain is going to hear a lot of speeches throughout his teenage years. Most of them will start with the opening line, "Cain, I just don't feel like you're supporting me......."