The sequester may have shut down White House tours, but it hasn’t stopped the president from opening up a new national park. On Monday, President Barack Obama will designate five new National Monuments, including one for abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

In the midst of one recent mother/daughter battle, I felt the room start to spin like the farm house in the Wizard of Oz. By the time my child and I brought our discussion in for a landing, I was sure I wasn’t in Kansas anymore.  I had arrived in a strange new land called “Leave it alone”.

My daughter’s early days in high school were tough for both of us. She struggled with homework, hormones and fitting in. Really she was struggling with her parents’ divorce. I was struggling with the divorce too and the laws in this state making assault a crime.