On “The Oprah Winfrey Show” today, Taylor Swift said she doesn’t need a boyfriend. She was interviewed by the sweet, 11-year-old Jordan (a big Taylor Swift fan), Oprah’s “co-host” for the show. Jordan asked Taylor if she has a big crush right now and Taylor responded by saying that she doesn’t have a boyfriend and doesn’t feel the *need* to have one. She explained that she’d rather be single than in a relationship just to be in one.

How refreshing.

As a parent, and now to a girl, it’s great to hear. It’s especially important coming from a young woman that so many tween and teen girls admire. Taylor is beautiful, talented and rich. Any man would want to date her, yet she’s choosing to fill her life with other things, saying she’d make room for a relationship if the right man came along.

It’s great for 11-year-old girls to hear. Too often I see women, not just girls, dive into relationships that are wrong. They are always in a relationship, moving from one boyfriend to the next without taking a break just to “be.”

Last year I wrote a post inspired by the people at Dove who continue to promote the importance of teaching a sense of self esteem in girls. They said, “only three in every 10 girls feels worthy.” Wow. It’s important to teach girls, from a young age, how important they are. They don’t need a boy or a man to feel worthy. That while being in a relationship can be a great thing, it shouldn’t be the only thing in your life.

Maybe Taylor will inspire young girls to have confidence in themselves and to be comfortable with who they are — boyfriend or not. If it’s cool for a pop star like her to be single, maybe other girls will not put so much emphasis on whether or not they have a boyfriend. We need to shift the focus on needing a boyfriend, to wanting one if it allows them to continue to be who they are. And, that if they don’t have a boyfriend, they are OK.

Josh and Anna Duggar welcomed baby girl Mackynzie into the world yesterday. She is the first grandchild of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, the couple famous for having 18 kids, and counting. (It appears from the short video she gave birth at home.)

Josh and Anna have said they may follow the elder Duggar’s example and have as many children as “God would bless us with.”

Read the full story on msnbc.com.

Last week I had the opportunity to hear Stedman Graham speak. If you are asking yourself, “Who is Stedman Graham?” click here. OK, for the 22 million of you who know who he is, let’s move on.

So, Stedman, he was talking to students at Full Sail University, the school where I work. He gave a speech based on his book, “You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan for Succes.” The lecture is interactive and engages the students for two hours. There’s a lot that he discusses that will help these students get a jump in their careers, but I think where he really helps is by planning your life.

I’ve had time to let the talk sink in, and here’s what I recall most vividly:

• Everyone has the same 24 hours in the day. What did you do with yours?
• You are important and can do anything.
• Too many people just do the same thing day in and day out. One day after the next. It all blends together after awhile. Don’t let life slip by you.
• Don’t let people box you in — this is where he mentions Oprah. People try to box him in by his relationship and not by who he is.
• You either live by love or live by fear.

How do you live?

Related:

• Stedman Graham Joins Full Sail University.
• Interview with Graham on MyFox Orlando.com.
• The Orlando Sentinel’s Hal Boedeker’s take on the class

Photo courtesy stock.xchng by artist benkersey.

The Internet is all a twitter with people being “over” all this Michael Jackson “hoopla,” but I’ve go to say that I think it’s a good reminder for all of us. He was larger than life for sure, with lots of friends and family. His life had its ups and downs, but one thing is for sure, his kids love him.

At the end of the memorial service at the Staples Center today, Paris took the mic and told the world what a great Dad Michael Jackson was.

Isn’t that all we are all searching for at the end of our lives — to be known as a great Mom or Dad?

“The Orlando Sentinel’s” TV Critic, Hal Bodeker posted on his blog tonight that Jon and Kate Gosselin have been living apart for two years. TWO YEARS! Not the 4-6 months they have both mentioned on their show. This makes me mad.

That makes their Hawaiian wedding renewal ceremony a big, fat fake. The photos of them dressed all in white with beautiful Hawaiian leis around their necks, fake. Adorable, happy children dressed in matching outfits, fake. Smiles all around, fake. Fake, fake, fake.

I know it’s reality TV and I shouldn’t trust it, but I fell for it. I didn’t watch the show very often, but guess that I watched it enough to care. I believed what I saw. I felt it was a real portrayal of a young family dealing with how to cope with eight children. I wanted to get tips on how to organize my own family life.

Now, I find out it’s a “ruse” as Hal says.

*UPDATE*

Thanks Slopez for commenting and letting me know that Hal updated his blog with corrected information from the Associated Press — Jon and Kate were living apart for two weeks not two years.

So, maybe I won’t be quite as mad about the reality of the show not being real, but I still think the wedding was a poser. I think it was probably TLC’s idea to have them renew their vows and they did it for the fanfare and the trip to Hawaii.