A letter to my stepdaughter to be. On boys. And self-worth.

A few weekends ago we cleaned the house like a couple of people possessed so that we could scurry to the beach for a few hours before the bad weather came back.

After spending 3 glorious hours without kids, laying on the beach, and watching all the other parents chase their children around - we decided to pack it up and head to this local dive that had live music for a burger and a beer, not necessarily in that order.

While Vance ordered, i ran to the restroom and when i came out of the stall, there were these 2 girls - young women of drinking age - standing at the sink.

One of them was sobbing, and from how the conversation was going, it didn't take long to determine it was over a young man. Her cheeks were stained black from all the maybelline mascara making her cheeks look like an atlas.

Girl #1: "...and then i said, Jjj..uhh..ssttii..nnnn, sniff, we just nnnnee-eed, sniff, to, like, and work on it..., and like, NOT SEE OTHER PEOPLE..."

Girl #2: "..look, you just need to TALK to him, and not, be like, all EMOTIONAL..."

Girl #3: "... I knnnoo..wwwWWWW"

And for just a split second, i thought about pulling a Miranda in the SATC episode where she overhears a conversation between girlfriends about why a guy hasn't called - all he's just not that into you- and telling this sweet, sobbing co-ed to suck it up, get over it, and get on with having fun.

Good lord. If i was her age and (and weight again) - I would SO be rockin my worth and NOT be sobbing over a man. What you learn at 30 versus 20 amazes me still.

Anyway, before i got the opportunity to insert myself unnecessarily, girl #2 walks over behind her sobbing friend and places her hands on each side of mascara dripping cheeks and tilts her friend's head so they're both looking in the mirror....and says:

"you are SO bringin' sexy back"

and i about peed my pants. i laughed, the masacara mess of a girl laughed and for a few split seconds, Justin whatever his name was, was forgotten.