I had an epiphany this weekend that was accompanied by a great deal of tears. I finally realized that no matter how much I try, I cannot protect my children from themselves. Life has too many pitfalls and once they have reached a certain age, they have to go it on their own. It doesn't mean that you can't be there for a shoulder to cry on or to help out where you may, but overall, they are on their own to make mistakes and live with the consequences.

I won't go into details. Anyone who is a parent of a legal adult knows what I mean. There are relationship issues, job issues, and yes, financial issues. This world that we live in is far from forgiving on mistakes. I've come to conclude that with one slip up (espcially where credit is concerned), it sets our children up to fail.

Don't be mistaken! I can tell you that my child is to blame for the predicament. What I'm saying is that one mistake shouldn't ruin someone's entire life. If you are hard working, you should be able to turn it around. But our society has made that as hard as possible.

I look at my infant grandson. Heaven only knows what the world will be like when he's an adult. Heaven help him if he makes one misstep.