Yes, she is growing up way too quickly... bittersweet. The subject isn't taboo in our family. As with all issues of a private nature we just prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to discussing each other's personal business with people outside the family. We are very open within our family. You all know how anti-taboo I am and don't shirk away from the hard issues. There is a difference however in blurting it out to the world like my mother did... that destroys trust. Infact because Verity knows how strongly I feel on respecting the dignity of everyone within the family she trusts me with a lot more information than I ever did with my own mother. My mother though it was a huge joke that I was embarrassed to talk about personal issues and would raise the subject deliberately when her friends were over. "Tell them how we went shopping for your first bra the other day!!!" This was her way of teaching me not to be a prude... because that was her agenda, that I not grow up to be a prude. She thought that the way to get me used to discussing sensitive subjects was to make a joke about it... yeah, very funny, ha ha Now all those friends of hers have obviously been embarrassed by her too and she's growing old alone never having had learnt to respect people.