Mother Jailed for Wanting Children to Get Good Education

Kelly Williams-Bolar of Ohio and I (formerly of Ohio) are both mothers who have our childrens' best interests at heart and we will do whatever is necessary in order to make sure they have the best opportunities in life. Yes, that means LYING if we have to.

Ms. Williams-Bolar did the same thing two years ago that I did seven years ago. We both lied to ensure that our children would get a better education.

Fortunately for me, my lying went undetected---but not so for Ms. Williams-Bolar. Her lying landed her in jail charged with defrauding the school system for two years of educational services for her girls. She is also ordered to pay back $30 thousand dollars in tuition--a figure the court decided was the cost of sending her children to the wrong school.

Certainly, the fact that Ms. Williams-Bolar is a black woman had nothing to do with it,right? Whatever happened to the "no child left behind" that former President Bush kept harping on? Maybe it means don't leave them behind in the wrong school district.

No white parent has ever lied to get their child in a better school because they already go to the BEST schools.

The sad thing is her felony conviction keeps her from being able to get her teacher's license---which she was going to school for. Shame on that school district!

On the other hand, kudos to my school board for not wasting time investigating whether I was lying or not.

In my case, I initially told the truth by asking that my daughter be removed from the school she was attending in the district we lived in because I wanted her to get a quality education and it wasn't happening there. That request was denied. I appealed, went before the school board again with a well thought out lie and my request was APPROVED. To find out what that lie was you can read all about it in my new book, Don't Ask and I Won't Have to Lie.

I may have to resort to lying again since I now have a grandson coming up in the ranks.

So What Is This Baby Boomer Blog Really About

More often than not, I get emails from folks who are interested in being a guest blogger or offering something they think would be of value to my readers. Normally, I don't respond to them if I don't think it pertains to me but today I was feeling a little feisty and decided to challenge the recipient to the following email:

Baby Boomer Talk & other stuff
Ms. Beverly Mahone Blogger

Can we interest you in taking a look at this wonderful and unique pregnancy planner? The creator Pam (last name withheld) is also available for interviews.. She is a recognized professional organizer, has lots of really helpful ideas and advice, and is a great guest. If you'd like to receive a review copy, please verify your best street address and let us know how we can help you.

Paul (last name withheld), Publicist for Pam (last name withheld)

PREGNANCY PLANNER??? WHAT?! OK--so there is a picture of a little boy on my blog but he's my grandson and the blog header clearly states BABY BOOMER TALK and other stuff.

So here's what I wrote back:

You obviously haven't taken a look at my website because it has nothing to do with BABIES at all!

To which I received this response:

So sorry for the inconvenience. I work closely with media and try very hard to meet their needs.

You are absolutely correct. I didn’t look at your blog to see if it was a match, since over time I’ve learned that values and focus change so fast as publishers (yes even blog publishers) respond to what their audiences want and like. Basically targeting precisely sometimes is simply a bitch so I hope you can forgive me if we bring you something that’s not strictly in your desired area.

I bet he won't make that mistake again.

Older Women Younger Men

According to a recent survey by SeniorPeopleMeet.com, Match.com’s online dating site for boomers ages 50+, 94 percent of woman are itching to date a younger man.

Also according to the survey, 71 percent of women have already dated a younger man- with nearly 96% saying they would like to again!

I dated a younger man once. I was 17 and he was 15. It was OBVIOUS even back then that I was much more mature than he was. I was on my way to college. He was trying to pass 10th grade. I was a high school debate champion. His style of debating kept getting him suspended from school. Of course, there was one area where we seemed to be on the same page---or at least that's what I thought until I went to college and started hanging out with young men my own age and older.

According to this survey, I appear to be in the minority when it comes to dating a younger man. I am not a cougar nor do I have a desire to be one. That's because I am perfectly content with what I have, and, yes, he's OLDER.

Celebrity couples like Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, and Madonna and Jesus Luz may be the envy of many baby boomer women but my question is, just how long will they be able to hang onto their prey?

All Grandparents Need a Back Up Plan in Case of the Flu

What's a poor grandparent to do when it comes to taking care the grandkids? If we keep them at home with us 24/7, they drive us crazy. If we send them off to daycare or pre-school, they come home with nasty germs and other bacteria that they are bound to pass on to us.

That's what happened to me last week as I was trying to nurse my grandson back to health from some flu virus he had to receive at his daycare. As he got well, I found myself flat on my back with all kinds of aches, pains, congestion and a headache that wouldn't quit.

The flu virus is usually prominent from October through May, the time of year typically known as "flu season." I should've known that but since I haven't had the flu in more than 10 years, I figured I had to be immuned from it despite all the reports that indicate older adults, young children and people with specific health conditions are at higher risk for serious flu complications.

On average annually in the U.S: 5 percent to 20 percent of the population gets the flu; over 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications; and about 23,600 people die from the flu-related causes.

No, I didn't die although there are times I felt like I was on my way.

If you are the primary caregiver of a small child and you get sick make sure you have someone who can help out while you recover. And by all means, make sure your grandchild can stay in a healthier environment so you don't keep passing the germs back and forth.

I was blessed to have a husband to nurse me back to health and the great-grandparents also pitched in by keeping our grandson.