Someone once said, "there's no such thing as boring places, only boring people." In other words, maybe you are the one with the problem. How could an intelligent, driven, creative person be bored? Anywhere? How is it that you can't think of a way to make your life, and work, more interesting. Not enough to do at work? Start a blog. Better yet, start a foundation. Come up with a creative idea to save the world. If you are so amazing, why are you holding out on us? Why are you waiting around for other people to interest you, maybe you should try to be the interesting one. Maybe you should try making yourself happy instead of waiting for your co-workers or your boss to supply you with the life you want. But to be fair, it seems like your problems go a little deeper than intellectual laziness...It seems like you have some issues about growing up. You mentioned that people at your work are...gasp...getting married. Sounds like you are a little scared of getting older and settling down and these people you work with are somehow giving you this foreshadowing into what you life may become someday if you settle down. Listen, you're 23. No woman in her right mind would settle down with you at your age. Just calm down and appreciate your co-workers for who they are and move on with who you are. Maybe work is not the most important thing in the world to some of your co-workers. A lot of people have lives that are in no way reflected by their work. So don't be so quick to judge. If you start paying attention to them instead of focusing on your own boredom, you might find something or someone interesting.

Not only am I not convinced, I don't think the author convinced herself. She has a bad tattoo, and she hates it. Occasionally in the shower she thinks its OK. If anything, I think this piece would be good to send to someone considering getting a tattoo. Its pretty poignant that her tattoo bothers her so much and so frequently that she has to write an article trying to convince herself that it is OK. After all that, she then has the audacity to say that others shouldn't use impermanent ink. She has to deal with her crappy, fuzzy tattoo and thus, she thinks others should punish themselves in the same way. Her argument that it is somehow a positive experience to go thru tattoo-regret is unconvincing. Seems like sour grapes to me. I give her six months before she forks out for the laser removal.

They provide information, advice and resources for caregivers in all 50 states.

http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=344

I may be wrong, but it didn't really seem as if the purpose of your letter was to seek parenting advice. Yet, of course, all those amazing parents out there couldn't help themselves with their advice on your child's diet, discipline, and options for therapy.

I really liked your article. What I took from it was the question about nature versus nurture. I think the responses to your article, heavy on the parenting tips, shows that we are going thru a time period where we are leaning toward the nurture side of parenting. Where we feel that we can change everything about our child, if we are just responsive enough parents who discipline consistently and make our children feel safe. I disagree. Having two children myself, I strongly feel that each human is born with a certain personality, and there is really not much we parents can do (short of full on trauma) to change that. Was you kid born with this personality? My response would be yes. Your child was born this way. If you want to call it being a "dick" so be it.

But I do think it is helpful to look at their inborn personalities from the perspective of them as adults. For example, my oldest is just happy to be alive. He has a very sunny, happy, content personality. Things go wrong, he doesn't get his way? He's still happy. It makes for an easy toddler, but how does that translate into adult life? Will he ever feel the need to achieve anything or will he be happy being a 50 year old barrista at a coffee house wondering why he's not fulfilled?

Conversely, my youngest was born with a chip on his shoulder and an iron will. We call him our "glass half empty" child, and I am certain he will struggle with this tendency for the rest of his life. On the other hand, he makes sure he gets what he wants by holding out to the bitter end. While we as parents try to help him modify his behavior, I do think it is a quality that will work in his favor later on in life. He will have an easy time identifying what he wants out of life and he will get it.

So have a little faith that your son's tendencies, which make him a challenging preschooler, may look a little different when he is older. Sounds like he has a great sense of humor!