Reply #38: Morning Marketeers...

[AnneD]

:donut: and lurkers. Today's MommaD's birthday and a cause for celebration in our house. I love Mom and despite the fact that her mother had horrible maternal instincts and her upbringing was far from ideal-she proved to be an excellent mother and provided me with a great example of what maternal love and nurturing is all about. She is someone that I frequently consult to this day-she is wise in many areas. We have been shaped by different life experiences-but we share a strong bond, a bond greater than our differences.

For some time she raised us (there were 4) as a single mom. She sometimes did not have the time to coddle us as much as she wanted to but she was always there when we needed her and tried to carve out time for each of us. One of the things she was most ingenious at was in her punishments. If you broke a window, you fess up and knew you would be paying for it out of your piggy bank and work the rest off. She did not abide lying and theft. If you did something bad-yes she might punish you, but if you lied about it-she would punish you twice as much. I remember doing some real bone head things-but if I confessed and promised not to do it again-I got off fairly easy. And I usually mended my ways.

I learned many lessons from MommaD. I learned to take responsibility for my actions. I learned to be honest to others and above all-to myself. I also learned that when I made made a mistake, it was better to admit it upfront, take my lumps, and mend my ways. Too bad some of these folks on WS didn't have my mom in their childhood. If the did, they probably would not have been dishonest in the first place. They would have admitted the error on their ways at the first sign of trouble. And most importantly, they would try to make amends and try to do better. Would they need a bailout or help from the government-maybe. If I knew they would mend their ways and follow the rules-I wouldn't mind helping them. But if they can't follow the new rules-I have no use for them. They can only bring chaos, shame, and sorrow to my house. And I have the feeling that many other knowledgeable small investors share my feelings.

Happy hunting and watch out for the bears.