My 21-year old daughter moved into her own apartment near her office. Of course it makes a lot of sense, except that it scares her dad half to death. “She has to find her own way,” my wife said. “She has to build up some independence,” she added. “She will meet a lot of new friends,” she also said. It was that last comment – those “new friends”-- that bothered me. Would they all really be “friends”? Or would they be predators – thieves, rapists, even killers? Of course I am not the first father to worry about his young daughter striking out on her own and living by herself in an apartment. But this was my daughter, and I was going to worry as much as I wanted. But beyond that, I wanted to make sure that she was as safe as I could possibly make her. After a few weeks went by, I asked my daughter, Melinda, how things were going and if she had encountered any problems or ...

i second that :)

Great tip. Five stars. I'm a writer and I know there are young writers out there that don't know how to start writing a romance novel. Thank God they have this article to help.

Good advise and suggestions. One thing though that I have found is that if you are not sure how long you can drive in one day and do not really know where you will end up because you hope to keep on pushing yourself before stopping to sleep...you can almost always get a good deal at a decent motel along the way in the wee hours. By that time they figure that if they have a room still vacant, the chances are that the room will not be rented at all. So...at least give it a chance! Ask how much and then if it's too much, say well, thanks, I think I'll see if I can't find something else for just a few hrs. sleep. It works more often than you would imagine! 5*'s for a great article.

This is a tough one to read, but oh so important. I wonder too about the elderly in nursing homes...how well are they being taken care of? If family members do not visit often, there is no telling how neglected or perhaps even abused their loved one has been from visit to visit. As you said, we often think of dementia when we visit someone who is confused and/or withdrawn. Really a tough one! Thanks for the suggestions on things to look out for that 'could be' signs of neglect or straight out abuse! 5*'s and a recommend.

All of this is so true. I am a fibro survivor and the one of the worst parts is feeling like no one around you understands. Having supportive friends and family is key to wellness!

Hey. I just wanted to thank you for this. I am a fibro sufferer and in all honesty...even though we can't always do what we want to do or even need to do, and may not ask for help, but when you can see that help needs to be given...just do it!!!! This was an awesome how to. Than you.

We have always had citizens who are intelligent, civic-minded, unselfish, informed, and logical voting faithfully. In recent decades, there's been an intense push to get self-centered, politically correct, and ignorant voters to the polls. The result? Carter, Clinton, and Obama.

Steps 3,4, and 5 are certainly the most important. What a candidate has done is more important than what they SAY they will do. ALL politicians are liars. Good article.

This would have been a good article to have featured about a month or two ago, giving people enough time to do the research suggested. A faster method might be to google the issues for both pro and con views. I'm surprised nobody suggested watching the debates! These are still available on YouTube, if you have a few hours to spare. Another method might be to call local campaign headquarters of both candidates and ask their staffers about the merits of their candidate -- not the dirt on the other candidate. They can usually give a little deeper content on the issues than you will see featured in the media and save you some time researching 900 votes. Personally, I like to read the Huffington Post, which draws from many different reputable sources and is updated many times in a day. They can be accessed at www.huffpost.com