IS KARMA REALLY A B*#CH?

Hey All!!!
I was discussing the craziness of The Apprentice with my mom (who religiously watches said show), and we got to talking about Kenya Moore and how she's been acting on the show. Supposedly she's up to her normal tricks and mess, which hasn't gotten her any friends (her and Vivica Fox butted heads quite a bit), but she continues to get work. And that got me thinking...does karma really come back on folks?





I think in a lot of books and shows the folks who are awful, horrible people often get what's coming to them, but in the real world that's not often the case. So why do we often like to see the villain meet his (or in this case her) end? Because it personally vindicates us. 

That's why the mean girl in a lot of YA novels gets put in her place - even though that hardily ever happens in real life. It's because we are able to live vicariously through these stories and are able to see these representations of the folks who hurt us get their due. It's not perfect. Hell, it may not even be right. But I'll continue to gain a gleeful sense of satisfaction from seeing these folks bite the dust!



Happy reading and writing!

BULLYING STOPS HERE: GETTING MY NIECE TO SEE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BULLYING COIN

Hey All!!!
Late last week I found out some really horrifying news from my sister. She told me my niece - my sweet, always helpful, ever loving niece - has been hanging around with the wrong crowd in her after-school program and they've been mean to other kids. When I found this out, it broke my heart (almost as much as her telling me that she wasn't the biggest fan of reading, but I digress).

As someone who's vertically challenged, I spent a large part of my middle school, and some part of my high school, years being picked on. It was a difficult time, and one I would never want to inflict on anyone else. I was so upset when I first heard this news that I didn't know what to do.

After throwing out all of my ideas on strict punishments ("No birthday party for you!"), I decided that maybe the best way to handle this is to build a bit more empathy in my niece. So I'm on the lookout for ways to show her what it's like to be on the other side of bullying, and to encourage her to use her size (she's bigger than most of the kids her age) to protect others and not the other way around. I remember that there's a documentary on bullying in America, so I'm going to pull that out, and try to find a few children's books on the subject. Any suggestion y'all might have are more than welcomed.

I just want to show her that J.K. Rowling really did have it right in Harry Potter, when Dumbledore stated that, "...sometimes you have to choose between what is right, and what is easy."

Happy reading and writing!!!