God knows I am not going to judge her. She's not the one who got herself into this miserable position, so I think she can say whatever she wants with impunity. John and his ex-mistress own any of the fall-out.

However, I will say that I doubt this is doing her any good. I think in the early-ish days after a betrayal has been exposed it can be hugely tempting to spew or unburden yourself. And I'm guessing that the push-pull between divulging her feelings while also guarding them reflects a woman who feels possessed to get her story out, is wanting to vindicate herself, and is trying to make something good out of a bad situation even as it's too soon for her to have the necessary perspective.

And that last bit is the real sticking point. Under normal circumstances, Mrs. Edwards would have a year or two to heal, to figure out what she wants to say or do, and--if she's interested--to repair her relationship. But she doesn't know if she has that time, so the entire emotional fallout is happening on a compressed time schedule.

The time that may make her less guarded or less eager to speak is a luxury she can't be sure of. It is an uncertainty that adds to the current mess. But is it her fault? I don't think so.

Well, I hate to rain on the "it's society's fault" parade here, but I could not disagree with this piece more.

Let's start with the basics. Menstruation is a pain, literally, for some of us. From 14, when I started, until 37, when I had my baby, menstruation guaranteed two days of severe, debilitating, forehead-sweating pain. I fared better when Advil hit the market, but still, if I didn't medicate early enough and often enough, I was in for it. With schools restricting what medications can be brought inside, I'm sure many girls and young women suffer monthly as I did.

And let's be honest, it's messy, too. At 39, I've got a handle on it. But it's hard when you are young. Is there anyone who didn't worry about staining clothes in school and being mortified by it because of a heavy flow or forgotten supplies? Or see it happen to a friend? I'm betting no.

Menstruation can be a lot to deal with alongside school work, athletics, extra-curriculars, etc. And as far as I'm concerned, unless it's put off by malnutrition or disease, the later it starts the better.

As for the rest, I think the data is inconclusive. Are we maturing earlier now than thirty years ago? Sounds like that's not clear. Are our attitudes to girls' sexual development confused and unhealthy? Absolutely.

But pointing that out does not answer the key question at hand, and blaming "society" alone is an equally unhelpful solution. Actually, it's a non-solution.

And by the way, before you laugh at the "hormones in our food" as a bogeyman too much, you may want to read up about what we think is happening to women in places like Greenland, whose diet contains much estrogen as a result of their eating sea life exposed to our pharmaceutical dumping. Last I read, they had stopped producing boys at the naturally occurring rate.

If that doesn't make you sit up and pay attention, nothing will. I appreciate much of the writing here that points to our crazy attitudes towards bodies and sexual development, but I think this piece swung wide off the mark.

What a complete ass.

There are lots of reasons to choose not to have an epidural. And I know whence I speak, because I labored and delivered without any pain meds. I also had a great, pretty short (8 hrs), easy delivery.

But an epidural should be a choice that comes with no judgment. And had my labor been induced or gone on for much longer, I would have asked for an epidural and been thankful it was available.

This guy is either ignorant or worried about the money. Either way, he needs a clue or a better lie.

Where I live, I see people worshiping the sun and the tanning bed all the time. They go to tanning beds before social events, before vacations, and just to get ready for swim-suit and shorts season. They talk about how much "color" they have, and they mock me for being "pale" and a "sun avoider."

In fact, I love being outdoors, but I always always always wear sun screen and often a hat, too.

I do it because even though I love the look of a nice tan, I do not love the look of the wrinkles they will surely bring along for the ride. I've also seen someone die from melanoma, and being teased for paleness is well worth it to avoid that terrible end.

I can't believe tanning beds (or cigarettes) are legal.

Just what I needed. What, exactly is the take-away here? I just measured my thigh at its fullest. I'm three inches off the minimum. I'm sure I could and should work out more, but I doubt any regimen is going to add 3 full inches.

I'd consign myself to an early death, except that the skinniest legged in my family have also lived the longest. Like, my thin-limbed grandmother who lived to 89 and her REALLY thin limbed brother who is still kickin'it at 100.

So I think I'll just carry on and wait for the next study. But I wonder, how many years will anxiety over skinny thighs cost me?