Ginger, if I were the one writing your post and you got the pleasure of reading that, I know you well enough to know you'd say this to me:
1. You have a great friend. 2. With a minor age daughter, you can't be too careful.
That being said, I check out EVERYONE for my D19 for the same reason. I can promise you if I waited too long, one of my cop friends would do it for me.
Just maybe you're getting a "hold on tight" message because you are supposed to be focused on furthering your own self interests? That might be a move... or anything, really.
I found that in my late 30s, I was the one who was unsettled, not very in tune with what we all know now and looking for that magic bullet to make myself look like I was much happier than I was. If only I had learned by your age what you know now! My friends were exasperated with me. Hell, looking back, they were right to feel that way! I'm exasperated with me through that lens. Anyway, it wasn't exactly an enlightened decade for me.
So get in the habit of googling people. You'd be surprised at what you find. And even if you don't come up with anyone, ask people who know that person. I found out early on that someone who had his eyes on me and vice versa was a meth addict. I'm pretty good with knowing the signs, but he came from a wealthy family who paid big bucks to buy him new teeth and skin care regimen. I was seriously disappointed in that one. It's not a reflection of me OR you. It's merely a blessing in disguise that we have the ability to get information rather easily. I don't want a meth addict, and you don't want a pedophile.
So tell anyone who asks what Don said. It's a fabulous response.
"There are only 2 ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
