My Toddler Can Get Married?? Now??

I just couldn't resist getting this on here this morning. It's like God was saying the timing was right. Funny...especially given the one topic at hand.

This week there seems to be a focus on weight and fitness. Big time focus. I think it's great because way too many people just sit on their backsides and wish for something better. They don't actually get out and work at it. I LOVE being capable of working toward that better body! Besides, feeling the muscles burn just a tiny bit feels good to me! Anyway, this morning I heard mention that the average woman gains 30 lbs during pregnancy.

I was in the middle of taking a drink and nearly choked from laughing. I've heard all of this before, of course, but considering I am REALLY self-conscious, working at getting into a more fit shape, and wanting to lose just a few more pounds, it caught my attention. It made me think of the mention of a cousin's wife who just had a baby a few weeks ago and was upset at the 50 lbs she gained....it was still less than my weight gain. It made me think of another someone I know who was upset over the 15 lbs she gained with son #1, then the 30 lbs with son #2. Oh, poor baby!! (said with a laugh, of course...)

Then there was me. If 30 lbs is the AVERAGE, then I gained more than two average women. I gained 65 lbs!! That was more than half of what I weighed to begin with!!! I had made it my goal to be back in my old clothes before Luke was 2, and I did that....for the most part. I finally have those hips I always wanted, so some of my pants will never fit again. No big deal. I still want to lose a bit more, but I'm pretty pleased with getting back to within 5 lbs of my starting weight (I as 115, am now 120). I didn't want to be like the hoards of women I've watched just let themselves go.....and the selfish part was that I wanted to get back into my show clothes. Those are expensive, and I REALLY like my coats!!

Now I need to finish getting rid of the bust that I hate....

The other thing that caught my attention this morning has to do with toddlers. Mention of those little beings always piques my interest because I have one. Sometimes it's health stuff, sometimes it's toy stuff, sometimes it's just some obscure thing you'd never think of.

Did you know that until earlier this week it was actually legal in Arkansas for a parent to marry their toddler off?? Seriously! A toddler....a little person who is capable of toddling around without help....was legally capable of marrying someone, with parental consent, until earlier this week!

Okay, in their defense, it wasn't a thing put on the books on purpose. Nobody seemed to notice the single word in the bill that caused this particular anomaly. The word? "Not." The wording should basically have said anyone under 18 who was pregnant could marry with parental consent. Instead, "not" slipped in there and it said anyone under 18 who was NOT pregnant....which basically opened the door for any age. Very funny..

And I used to think it was crazy that Utah's law books made the legal marrying age 14-years-old (with parental consent). That age is now 16, still very young. But even that doesn't come close to being able to marry your 1-yr-old off....

Even backwoods West Virginia isn't that weird......