Lori Alexander - Part 2

[chapstick]

Today's guest poster on Lori's blog used to have one of her own and I think she shut it down before I found FJ. She posted under the name Rightthinker, but I think her blog had a different name. Was she ever discussed on FJ? Does anyone know if she's still blogging anywhere?

[Florita]

The 40th anniversary of Roe v Wade was in January 2013. How long has Lori waited to publish this "guest post?" It's over 2 1/2 years old.

[salex]

Today's guest poster on Lori's blog used to have one of her own and I think she shut it down before I found FJ. She posted under the name Rightthinker, but I think her blog had a different name. Was she ever discussed on FJ? Does anyone know if she's still blogging anywhere?

The guest poster seems to have a current blog called freedomoutpost.

[chapstick]

You're right; I had forgotten that she writes for Freedom Outpost (or, did) but it's not her own blog. There is lots to snark on at that site, though... :angry-banghead:

From what I can gather Andrea hasn't started up her own blog again and managed to fly under the radar of FJ with her old one. She came across as a real nutter on her bog; Lori was by far the more rational and reasonable of the pair.

Edited for spelling

[Stynjen]

Lori is the nastiest bitch I've ever read. Today's post is entitled "Working Mothers Cause Emotionally Crippled Children:

A super polite commenter named KentuckyGal50 wrote:

I agree that children will have a happier childhood with one parent, usually the mom, in the home full time.

But I have to say, as gently as I can, that I think the title of this post will cause hurt feelings amongst women who truly have no choice but to go out and work. Seeing that title in my email felt like a slap in the face.

In the early years of my marriage, my husband had a number of medical conditions that made working nearly impossible. If I didn't work outside the home, there were those (including my MIL) who stood ready to take custody of our children, since we would not have been able to provide them the basic physical necessities of life.

I did not want to work outside the home. A few times it came close to breaking my heart. But God loved (and loves!) me, and He loved my family just the same.

Some people take the blessings in their lives for granted and do not realize that not everyone shares in their good fortune. Not everyone has internet, satellite tv, a full closet with a variety of outfits, and access to quality medical care and a good education, etc, in their lives at this point in time. And some people with those things in their lives feel that if everyone had those advantages, somehow their own position would be lessened.

I have been greatly blessed with three healthy children (including one that was born premature and is now a thriving twelve year old). My family is blessed to own our home, modest though it may be, without a mortgage. I have been blessed to be at home for the last 4-5 years, at a cost of 1 year of medical leave from my previous job, assisting adults with MR/DD due to two separate injuries from intervening with clients attempting to injure themselves or others.

So let me reiterate, I agree that women called to be mothers are also called to be at home to raise them. The vast majority of mothers want the best for their children. I do not believe Jesus would accuse a woman who had to work (and there were certainly enough widows in the Bible) of 'emotionally crippling' her child/ren.

Here was the godly mentors loving reply:

No, He says that women who are not keepers at home blaspheme the Word of God. I know these words hurt. Truth many times does hurt but the large number of women who work outside of their homes and leave others to raise their children is DEVASTATING! God intended for families and churches to support widows who have children and insists that the young widows get remarried because He knows the importance of mothers being home with their children. My intention is never to intentionally hurt women but to teach Truth. He hates divorce because it causes so much harm to everyone involved. We can't water down His Word so it won't be painful to hear. Something needs to wake today's women up to the harm they are causing by not raising their children.

[salex]

Lori is such an evil, condescending bitch-- sorry .... Lori Alexander is a Monster.

She is quoting an article from 1979... Christianity Today featuring someone from Harvard. And then translated from John MacArthur's sermon on Divorce and Remarriage. This woman doesn't ever write her own material, does she?

However, what I have seen over the last 36 years is that for every "Stay home or else" article from a legitimate source, there is an equal "Work, it is good for your kids" article. it boils down to there are good moms who work and who stay home and there are less good moms who work and who stay home. Lori's little brain can't understand that there is not a magic formula for success.

Here is a newer Harvard study.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/15/news/ec ... ard-study/ it suggests that daughters of working mothers earn more as adults and sons of working mothers are more likely to spend time with their families and share household duties. Now, this means they are more egalitarian, which I view as a good thing and Lori probably views as "crippling", but since she's wrong, well, I"m not worrying about it.

It is telling that Lori (alexander is a monster) and Ken Alexander( master of misogyny), both tend to use outdated stats and ignore that more women are staying home with their kids that once were (by design or cirmcumstance) mostly because their screaming tirades make less sense with today's facts.

[2xx1xy1JD]

The real academic literature hasn't resolved whether it's better for kids if moms stay at home or work because:

1. In the real world, contact with all parents matters.

2. In the real world, parenting does not occur only from 9-5, Monday to Friday.

3. In the real world, some parents are great, some really suck and there is a whole range in between.

4. In the real world, some caregivers are great, some really suck and there is a whole range in between.

[lynn0810]

She sure loves to point out that the church is to take care of widows, etc. and then how it is legalistic to give financially to your church. How does she think churches support people? They need money to do that. They also need to people to physically go help people. She thinks charitable giving is supporting her married, adult children. Now it's their money and if that is what they want to do then great, but then don't go telling moms that have no choice that they are emotionally crippling their kids. She also apparently disregarded the go help people part of the Bible. I don't think the God off the Universe meant writing and/or copying other people for a blog. :angry-banghead:

But hey what do I know...I don't use the KJV of the Bible. :nenner:

[lilwriter85]

I call BS on this.

Lori Alexander

· 13 minutes ago

I'll never forget what a teacher at my children's high school told me. She said that teachers could tell what children had mother home full-time and those who didn't because the ones with mothers at home were much more emotionally stable. Those mothers who say those things to you are expressing what they believe to be best instead of what God's Word says.

From one of the fangirls

Tiffany · 2 hours ago

Being home with my children is a BLESSING! It is hard many days, and financially things could not be any tighter than they are. But I won't work to make sure we have enough money for name brand clothes or extracurricular activities. I truly believe that if its possible for me to stay home on my husband's salary (police officer, so it's not much AT ALL), it is possible for anyone. It's all about what you are willing to give up in order to be the one raising your children.

It bugs me when some fundie SAHMs, think that all working moms are working for brand name clothing and activities for their kids. Now, maybe some women do work to give their kids nice things and have certain activities or hobbies covered. Many two income couples focus on paying the bills, groceries, and other necessities first and sometimes they don't have a whole lot of money left afterwards. I had friends in school who had working moms and some of those friends weren't wearing name brand clothing or involved in activities because their parents couldn't afford it, even with two incomes.

I was the youngest of four kids. My father was an HR rep at a mining company and my mom was an administrative assistant and cafeteria manager at an ebil public school. My father made more money than my mom. But he and mom believed in helping out their kids during college. When I was in the 7th grade, my older sister was in college. She lived with a roommate in apartment and worked. My parents paid her car insurance, books, and other expenses that she couldn't cover and sometimes they would send her food. They did the same with my two brothers. We also had bills at our own home. I accepted and knew that sometimes there were things I wanted, but wasn't going to be able to get. Anyway, one of the social studies teachers was planning a Washington DC trip for the next year. I figured that it would be too much for my parents and i didn't say anything. But my mom found out about the trip because one of her co-workers had a granddaughter in my class. My parents said I could go on the trip, if I wanted to and said no. There were some kids who went on that trip, that came from homes with less money, but they did a lot of fundraising to go on the trip, which was fine. Looking back, maybe I could have gone, if I did fundraising. I probably wouldn't have been comfortable with it. I see it as my parents didn't have the extra money and that was it.

Family size, cost of living in different areas, and salaries also factor in things and I think Lori's fangirl is ignoring that. A very large family might not be able to live on a police officer's salary, without constant money worries. Also law enforcement jobs in some areas don't pay well or pay increases are rare. If you live in a high cost of living area, sometimes a good paying police job might not be able to comfortably support a family. Some families just can't live on one salary. The problem is that Lori and some fundies are never going to get that.

[Koala]

They way she talked to that woman was inexcusable. I've been out of the church for a while now, but I seem to remember the book of Mark having a thing or two to say about loving your neighbor as yourself (IT, not submission, or spanking, or staying at home, was referred to as one of the greatest commandments) and the book of Proverbs talking about the value of kind words. Funny how Lori doesn't spend a lot of time talking about loving your neighbor. Matter of fact, the ONLY time she ever mentioned her neighbor was to criticize her poor housekeeping skills.

When Ken was here, this is what he said regarding working moms:

I am a practical man, and managing one child and working is almost possible, but terribly difficult on the wife. Two almost impossible without the wife being a big loser.

I think being away some of the time from a first child to work two years, will not cause great harm to the child. Much longer after the age of two makes someone else raise your child. If you cannot see that the first two years on one child is a mild compromise for those who feel it is necessary, then get the binders off and see reality more clearly.

Yet Lori (who worked during the first 2 years of her daughter's life...until she devised a plan to sabotage her birth control) had this to say today:

This is a picture name redacted, my oldest daughter

Someone else raised her the first two years of her life while I worked as a teacher which I disliked intensely.

The "someone else" was Lori's mom. In other posts Lori has referred to this arrangement as "hard on everyone".

She continues in comments:

... women who are not keepers at home blaspheme the Word of God.

So here's my question- why would Ken okay anything that "blasphemed the word of God"???

[Maggie Mae]

I know they don't "deal with exceptions" but she's really very mean and short sighted. What about women with disabled spouses? Should the men "just get better" faster so they can go back to work? What if Lori's husband had been the one with cancer? Anyone else think she was likely to leave him and find someone more "Godly?"

She's such a bitch who can't even recognize her own hypocrisy. That line about removing the plank for your own eye before trying to fix your neighbors whatever? That's about you LoriKen.

Oh. And I reported her comment. I know it goes to Lori, but I think it's funny that I can report Lori's own comments.

[salex]

They way she talked to that woman was inexcusable. I've been out of the church for a while now, but I seem to remember the book of Mark having a thing or two to say about loving your neighbor as yourself (IT, not submission, or spanking, or staying at home, was referred to as one of the greatest commandments) and the book of Proverbs talking about the value of kind words. Funny how Lori doesn't spend a lot of time talking about loving your neighbor. Matter of fact, the ONLY time she ever mentioned her neighbor was to criticize her poor housekeeping skills.

When Ken was here, this is what he said regarding working moms:

Yet Lori (who worked during the first 2 years of her daughter's life...until she devised a plan to sabotage her birth control) had this to say today:

The "someone else" was Lori's mom. In other posts Lori has referred to this arrangement as "hard on everyone".

She continues in comments:

So here's my question- why would Ken okay anything that "blasphemed the word of God"???

Ken likely was not yet as holy as he is today.

I wonder if Lori misses the minutes (hours) the nanny held her children, the hours she let them cry it out so she could sleep, etc.

I sometimes imagine what it might be like, if Lorken and the Maxwells were to get to heaven and say to Paul "I based my whole life on Titus 2" and he says "Titus? That was Pseudepigrapha, I never wrote any of that junk, that was someone faking under my name."

[Laurabelle]

What a bitch. I couldn't help myself, I had to comment on her latest blog. It looks like comments have to be approved before they are posted, so I doubt mine will ever see the light of day, but still. I was polite, just posted that as a stay at home mom with working mom friends, I hope my working mom friends don't come into contact with that type of judgement and harshness (and lies, but I left that out of the comment) from someone who is supposed to be a loving Christian.

[Koala]

She puts comments in moderation so she can weed out the ones that disagree with her. My guess is that she does that for 2 reasons:

1) She isn't able to properly answer for/cite sources for a good majority of what she says.

Towards the end of the "comment free for all" days, Ken had to bail her out regularly. I once saw her tell a reader who was questioning her that Christians shouldn't question each other (this was early in her blogging days and I think she was genuinely shocked that anyone would dare call her on her shit). She has also admitted that she doesn't always understand her readers' replies:

you write a bit too intellectually for me. This is why I usually have Ken respond. My posts and thoughts are fairly simple. I am not a highly academic person. I would like to think I am a wise woman and that is all that matters to me. All your interpretations of words confuse me. I do read your responses but I don't always understand the point you are trying to make.

2) It leads her readers to believe that no one disagrees with her. And we all know that no one is allowed to disagree with The Godly Mentor. In fact, I don't recall ever once seeing her acknowledge learning anything from a reader. All of the things she "learns" are a product of confirmation bias (in my opinion).

[thoughtful]

I know they don't "deal with exceptions" but she's really very mean and short sighted. What about women with disabled spouses? Should the men "just get better" faster so they can go back to work? What if Lori's husband had been the one with cancer? Anyone else think she was likely to leave him and find someone more "Godly?"

I always think of this when bitches like Lori go on and on about women needing to stay home.

Both of my grandmothers were the working partners in their marriages -- marriages that began about 100 years ago.

One was simply more the business-minded go-getter of the two. My grandfather worked in the business she started, which grew from a cottage industry to several stores that supported their children and some of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and has now branched out online.

My other grandmother had to work -- her husband contracted a devastating illness, after his service in WWI, that gradually rendered him helpless, physically, emotionally and mentally. He lived until the 1960s, and she refused to have him institutionalized. She had to go to work to support him and their children, through the Great Depression and WWII.

BTW, in the 1950s, my father wanted my mother to go to work outside the home, and she felt that staying home while we kids were young was a full time job. So they discussed it, he grew to understand, and she did so. When we were older, she went to work.

Choice, discussion, and respecting one another as adult human beings -- they are pretty glorious things.

So fuck you, Lori.

[usmcmom]

I always think of this when bitches like Lori go on and on about women needing to stay home.

Both of my grandmothers were the working partners in their marriages -- marriages that began about 100 years ago.

One was simply more the business-minded go-getter of the two. My grandfather worked in the business she started, which grew from a cottage industry to several stores that supported their children and some of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and has now branched out online.

My other grandmother had to work -- her husband contracted a devastating illness, after his service in WWI, that gradually rendered him helpless, physically, emotionally and mentally. He lived until the 1960s, and she refused to have him institutionalized. She had to go to work to support him and their children, through the Great Depression and WWII.

BTW, in the 1950s, my father wanted my mother to go to work outside the home, and she felt that staying home while we kids were young was a full time job. So they discussed it, he grew to understand, and she did so. When we were older, she went to work.

Choice, discussion, and respecting one another as adult human beings -- they are pretty glorious things.

So fuck you, Lori.

But...but...if we respect one another as adults there would be no punitive back rubs, no promises of "the best sex ever" if she disobeys him and certainly no argument over meat loaf or chicken parmesan. Where's the fun in mutual respect?? :wink-kitty:

[PrairieGirl]

You're right; I had forgotten that she writes for Freedom Outpost (or, did) but it's not her own blog. There is lots to snark on at that site, though... :angry-banghead:

From what I can gather Andrea hasn't started up her own blog again and managed to fly under the radar of FJ with her old one. She came across as a real nutter on her bog; Lori was by far the more rational and reasonable of the pair.

Edited for spelling

Well, that is one of the most frightening things I have heard today.

[thoughtful]

But...but...if we respect one another as adults there would be no punitive back rubs, no promises of "the best sex ever" if she disobeys him and certainly no argument over meat loaf or chicken parmesan. Where's the fun in mutual respect?? :wink-kitty:

I guess my folks missed out on all the "fun," huh?

And I find myself with another old film to recommend to FJers.

Right now, the movie Susan and God is playing on TCM as I think of Lori -- what a perfect combination. Other than the fact that her version of Christianity is not quite as punitive, the main character, Susan Trexel, pretty much is Lori:

- she's a well-to-do woman who refuses to give up any of her comforts or do any work for others as part of her new-found religious fervor.

- she considers herself saved and ready to dole out advice, and wants everyone else to confess their sins to her and bask in her wisdom.

- she's very concerned about fashion and looks, makes her teen daughter feel like shit about her appearance, and keeps trying to make her over. It's all about being skinny and dressing well.

- she's a judgmental bitch who keeps trying to come off as being kind, self-sacrificing, and not a snob, and just can't pull it off because her real self comes creeping through.

I'm not generally a Joan Crawford fan, but she was perfect casting for this (since Lori wasn't born yet!):

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x259xy ... _lifestyle

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x259z9 ... _lifestyle

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033117/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

[slickcat79]

Well...Lori technically "stayed home" with her kids because she sabotaged her birth control and lied to her husband. If being raised in that kind of household doesn't cause emotionally crippled children, I don't know what would :?

And then of course, there's the nanny. You know, the one Lori had who, by all accounts, was more loving and attentive to Lori's children than Lori herself. But I'm sure that somehow doesn't count as "leaving others" to raise your children.

I know most fundies are raging hypocrites, but Lori always manages to raise the bar on that one

[usmcmom]

Lori is the nastiest bitch I've ever read. Today's post is entitled "Working Mothers Cause Emotionally Crippled Children:

A super polite commenter named KentuckyGal50 wrote:

I agree that children will have a happier childhood with one parent, usually the mom, in the home full time.

But I have to say, as gently as I can, that I think the title of this post will cause hurt feelings amongst women who truly have no choice but to go out and work. Seeing that title in my email felt like a slap in the face.

In the early years of my marriage, my husband had a number of medical conditions that made working nearly impossible. If I didn't work outside the home, there were those (including my MIL) who stood ready to take custody of our children, since we would not have been able to provide them the basic physical necessities of life.

I did not want to work outside the home. A few times it came close to breaking my heart. But God loved (and loves!) me, and He loved my family just the same.

Some people take the blessings in their lives for granted and do not realize that not everyone shares in their good fortune. Not everyone has internet, satellite tv, a full closet with a variety of outfits, and access to quality medical care and a good education, etc, in their lives at this point in time. And some people with those things in their lives feel that if everyone had those advantages, somehow their own position would be lessened.

I have been greatly blessed with three healthy children (including one that was born premature and is now a thriving twelve year old). My family is blessed to own our home, modest though it may be, without a mortgage. I have been blessed to be at home for the last 4-5 years, at a cost of 1 year of medical leave from my previous job, assisting adults with MR/DD due to two separate injuries from intervening with clients attempting to injure themselves or others.

So let me reiterate, I agree that women called to be mothers are also called to be at home to raise them. The vast majority of mothers want the best for their children. I do not believe Jesus would accuse a woman who had to work (and there were certainly enough widows in the Bible) of 'emotionally crippling' her child/ren.

Here was the godly mentors loving reply:

No, He says that women who are not keepers at home blaspheme the Word of God. I know these words hurt. Truth many times does hurt but the large number of women who work outside of their homes and leave others to raise their children is DEVASTATING! God intended for families and churches to support widows who have children and insists that the young widows get remarried because He knows the importance of mothers being home with their children. My intention is never to intentionally hurt women but to teach Truth. He hates divorce because it causes so much harm to everyone involved. We can't water down His Word so it won't be painful to hear. Something needs to wake today's women up to the harm they are causing by not raising their children.

Lori's nasty responses make me physically uncomfortable. I feel like I'm watching somebody fall victim to a bully and I can't do anything about it. I get this same feeling when I'm in a restaurant and I see another customer treat the server horribly. In that situation, I often try to catch the server as he/she walks by and say "I think you're doing a great job tonight." If they are also serving my table, I'll try to increase the tip a bit. But with Lori, I can't do a thing. Even sending a comment doesn't matter because, even though she might read it, she's so arrogant she can't comprehend that she might have been downright mean.

In the above comment, for instance, the typical Christian blogger would have started with "I'm so sorry your husband was ill and I hope he's doing well now...." But Ken and Lori have zero compassion, zero empathy. I really have never encountered people like them and I used to work in the mental health field :? .

Also, regarding her "mentoring," I've always wondered why we have never heard from any of her satisfied customers. I don't recall one woman commenting on her blog about the amazing work Lori did to save her marriage. I wonder if it's exhausting to live a giant lie like she does.

[chapstick]

Well, that is one of the most frightening things I have heard today.

To wit:

freedomoutpost.com/2012/11/forcing-earth-worship-a-socialist-theology/

[usmcmom]

Lori's nasty responses make me physically uncomfortable. I feel like I'm watching somebody fall victim to a bully and I can't do anything about it. I get this same feeling when I'm in a restaurant and I see another customer treat the server horribly. In that situation, I often try to catch the server as he/she walks by and say "I think you're doing a great job tonight." If they are also serving my table, I'll try to increase the tip a bit. But with Lori, I can't do a thing. Even sending a comment doesn't matter because, even though she might read it, she's so arrogant she can't comprehend that she might have been downright mean.

In the above comment, for instance, the typical Christian blogger would have started with "I'm so sorry your husband was ill and I hope he's doing well now...." But Ken and Lori have zero compassion, zero empathy. I really have never encountered people like them and I used to work in the mental health field :? .

Also, regarding her "mentoring," I've always wondered why we have never heard from any of her satisfied customers. I don't recall one woman commenting on her blog about the amazing work Lori did to save her marriage. I wonder if it's exhausting to live a giant lie like she does.

Quoting myself to say I'm really sorry about that humble brag I did up there. There is just no excuse....*slinking away to prayer closet now*

[heagleca]

Quoting myself to say I'm really sorry about that humble brag I did up there. There is just no excuse....*slinking away to prayer closet now*

LOL. I do the same thing. I hate seeing waitresses or store clerks being treated badly and I always say something nice if I'm next in line or whatever. I worked retail for a while and my husband is a manager of a large retail establishment and he has stories upon stories every day of how people act so horrible. Lori seems the type to act cold and rude to the heathen helping her.

[2xx1xy1JD]

I call BS on this.

From one of the fangirls

It bugs me when some fundie SAHMs, think that all working moms are working for brand name clothing and activities for their kids. Now, maybe some women do work to give their kids nice things and have certain activities or hobbies covered. Many two income couples focus on paying the bills, groceries, and other necessities first and sometimes they don't have a whole lot of money left afterwards. I had friends in school who had working moms and some of those friends weren't wearing name brand clothing or involved in activities because their parents couldn't afford it, even with two incomes.

I was the youngest of four kids. My father was an HR rep at a mining company and my mom was an administrative assistant and cafeteria manager at an ebil public school. My father made more money than my mom. But he and mom believed in helping out their kids during college. When I was in the 7th grade, my older sister was in college. She lived with a roommate in apartment and worked. My parents paid her car insurance, books, and other expenses that she couldn't cover and sometimes they would send her food. They did the same with my two brothers. We also had bills at our own home. I accepted and knew that sometimes there were things I wanted, but wasn't going to be able to get. Anyway, one of the social studies teachers was planning a Washington DC trip for the next year. I figured that it would be too much for my parents and i didn't say anything. But my mom found out about the trip because one of her co-workers had a granddaughter in my class. My parents said I could go on the trip, if I wanted to and said no. There were some kids who went on that trip, that came from homes with less money, but they did a lot of fundraising to go on the trip, which was fine. Looking back, maybe I could have gone, if I did fundraising. I probably wouldn't have been comfortable with it. I see it as my parents didn't have the extra money and that was it.

Family size, cost of living in different areas, and salaries also factor in things and I think Lori's fangirl is ignoring that. A very large family might not be able to live on a police officer's salary, without constant money worries. Also law enforcement jobs in some areas don't pay well or pay increases are rare. If you live in a high cost of living area, sometimes a good paying police job might not be able to comfortably support a family. Some families just can't live on one salary. The problem is that Lori and some fundies are never going to get that.

Figuring out how to balance the need for money with other family responsibilities is an issue for everyone, not just Lori or other fundies.

What makes Lori and her group different, though, is the magical belief that mothers, and ONLY mothers, are capable of caring for children. The role of the father is completely discounted. Ken didn't even think that his own babies were particularly interesting, and doesn't seem to think that his lack of interest in his own children was a problem. The fact that Lori stayed home allowed Ken to spend half the year away from home traveling when they had young children. Again, not seen as a problem. There's also the magical belief that parenting is somehow different if it takes place within the home. Kids may be ordered to go to their rooms for 2 hours each day - but that's still considered to be mom parenting the children. There could be a nanny helping out - but if mom's still home, that's not daycare. Kids may need their mothers - but if the babies cry for mom at night, well, mom needs her sleep. Babies crying themselves to sleep is fine because they are magically comforted by the fact that the mother who doesn't come to them is still in the same house.

I'm not a great fan of mothers feeling the need to explain and make excuses for not being home 24/7, because it often starts with the false notion that we need to justify ourselves to others. The biggest thing I realized with my kids was that the ONLY people who really counted in our decisions were me, my husband and my kids. I also realized that they were influenced by both parents and by everything else that was in their lives, 24/7. For example, if I found that by working, I was able to afford cleaning help or any other convenience, that was time that was then available to spend with my family. If I was able to afford to live in a safer area, or send them to better schools, or afford activities and summer camp - those are all things that have a profound impact on my children. I am not the only influence in their lives. Peers play a huge role, and part of my job is to provide a setting where school, activities and peers are positive and contribute to their growth. I suppose I could have stayed home in the early years - if we had gone further into debt, if we had moved to a building with less security and more pests, if we had watched every single penny and denied any recreation, if we gave up our only vehicle, if we never built up savings or a down payment and never moved out of our one bedroom apt. How, though, would that have benefited my kids?

[Luvmyskinnyjeanz]

Lori's nasty responses make me physically uncomfortable. I feel like I'm watching somebody fall victim to a bully and I can't do anything about it. I get this same feeling when I'm in a restaurant and I see another customer treat the server horribly. In that situation, I often try to catch the server as he/she walks by and say "I think you're doing a great job tonight." If they are also serving my table, I'll try to increase the tip a bit. But with Lori, I can't do a thing. Even sending a comment doesn't matter because, even though she might read it, she's so arrogant she can't comprehend that she might have been downright mean.

In the above comment, for instance, the typical Christian blogger would have started with "I'm so sorry your husband was ill and I hope he's doing well now...." But Ken and Lori have zero compassion, zero empathy. I really have never encountered people like them and I used to work in the mental health field :? .

Also, regarding her "mentoring," I've always wondered why we have never heard from any of her satisfied customers. I don't recall one woman commenting on her blog about the amazing work Lori did to save her marriage. I wonder if it's exhausting to live a giant lie like she does.

My first thought was, Michelle dumbggar stayed home- if her spawn are what Is considered emotional stable then I want my spawns to be emotionally cripple. Worked till 6:30pm today just to make sure it cripple then properly; stupid Lorri #*%^ :angry-banghead: