Monday, November 19, 2012
"Facebook is our escape. For a few hours, we can hide behind that Mac and be whoever we want to be."
Facebook. Some people believe that it’s “of the devil.” I’m serious. I’ve actually heard those words come from their lips. And I think: Hello?!! Facebook is nothing more than an electronic medium. A neutral entity. A tool. Tools can be used for productivity or as weapons. This has always been true. It’s not Facebook that gets us in trouble; it’s our humanity. Just this week, I vented and posted. Within the hour, my words came back to bite me, in the form of a text. “Friends” aren’t necessarily our friends (don’t expect confidence!) and those whom we’ve "removed" miraculously are able to decode even the most encrypted messages. Some things are better left unsaid. Yet, I still believe in self-expression, “To thine own self be true,” and all …
Monday, November 5, 2012
All of us have a "Life in the Middle" story to tell. Today those stories can be spread exponentially through social media. And I say, let the Voices be heard.
This week, I listened as some young teachers reflected on some of the names they’ve been called lately. Though their conversation was lighthearted, I know from experience that no matter how many times we shake the dust from our sandals and walk on, we still limp just a little from the words that have been hurled our way. Instantly, I remembered the words a student wrote in his journal about me some 20 years earlier, when I was a 22-year-old high school teacher: “Mrs. Noble is a skinny, flat-chested b****…” Though I didn’t share that specific memory in the staff lunchroom, I did say to my young counterparts: “Unfortunately, you will probably remember some of those comments 20 years from now. But try to forget what you can. The words don’t…
Monday, October 22, 2012
People have always agonized over and often given into sexual temptation, but the “new spin” on this age-old struggle has dangerously severe consequences, especially for teens
A New Spin on an Age Old Struggle According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, about 20 percent of teenagers (one in every five young men and young women) have sent “sext” messages. The issue of sexting has been in the news for years, and it is an issue that originated with social media sites then found its way to cell phones, which “feel” more private. The term “sexting” was officially defined in 2010 in United States v. Broxmeyer, as “the exchange of sexually explicit text messages, including photographs, via cell phone.” “Sexting” (“sex” + “text”) might involve sending nude or partially nude pictures or sexually-oriented written messages. Teens might also choose to use social networking sites like Facebook. Illicit pictures to …
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
New to Ohio, Stephanie Precourt and her family are finding their groove in North Canton.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Does today’s teens use of technology disprove the adage: “There is nothing new under the sun?” Perhaps the issues surrounding social media have existed for ages ...
Your heart pounds. Your hands tremble. You hide in the basement where there is more privacy, even though you suspect your mom is listening down the clothes-chute. Your mind is racing with what you need to say to get to the object of your crush. How can you even think about how you’ll word the invitation? You pick up the receiver, place it behind your ear, then dial. It seems an eternity until each number rotates back to its spot, making way for the next turn. All the while, your head is spinning with words. “Hello?” All your perfectly articulated words have turned to mush. “Uh, helllloo? Is-uh- I mean, Mrs. Smith? I would like to speak at—to—your daughter Cindy. Is she—er-available?” Fortunately, the voice on the other line is kind. Mrs., …
Monday, October 1, 2012
In my quest to open up discussion on how parents deal with an “Empty Nest,” I
discovered that there are many kinds of “empty." This article is for parents whose nest feels empty out of season.
Parents who go through a divorce begin to feel “empty nest” feelings in a season that feels as though it is too soon. Adjustments are difficult for both parents and kids. This week, I interviewed four parents who have experienced divorce. These men and women, whose stories I am sharing under pseudonyms, have faced getting used to living without their children, at least part of the time, and survived, even when they felt as if they might not be able to. If you are going through a divorce that includes the adjustment of shared parenting or partial custody, I hope that the stories shared here help you not only to cope with your current situation, but to find hope for the future, for both you and your kids. The Questions: I interviewed two …
Monday, September 24, 2012
When it's "too soon," the emptiness feels "out-of-season," but even in such a season, there's a story that begs to be told
One of the things I love about this column is that I get to hear and disseminate and retell real-life stories. It is one of the highest honors of what I do, because each story is a treasure. Each person is precious. There is purpose in every experience. Telling a story allows others to partake, to be a part of someone’s life experience, to gain wisdom and to feel compassion for what a person has gone through. Being part of the story reminds us of our own humanity. Part of my “training ground” for “hearing” and “telling” came from years of meeting people and listening to them — asking questions, investing in the moment and thereby, in the person. This happened around dinner tables, during breaks at training sessions and conferences, in …
Monday, September 17, 2012
Your world has centered on taking care of your “peeps” from the time they first came into the world. Suddenly, they’ve flown. What now?
I’ve been talking to “Empty Nesters” — Mama Hens and Papa Roosters whose chicks have come out of their shells, grown, spread their wings and gone off to discover the world. All in a matter of — oh, say, five minutes? In retrospect, the season is short, parents agree. The Empty Nesters I interviewed, though shy about their identity, were forthright in sharing their hearts. Some of the conversations took place in a thread, so the “experts” were able to respond to one another as well as to my questions. I knew I couldn’t possibly do any better than to give my Patch readers the gift of their precious voices, so here are their responses: raw and heartfelt, in their own words. Real parents making real adjustments. Empty, yet somehow full. …
Monday, September 10, 2012
Single parent Linda Zifer reflects on how her children "defined her role" in life, and how she came to embrace who she is now as "Mom"
Last week, I had the opportunity to share the story of a couple who had planned carefully for the day when their nest would be “empty.” I hope that Will and Kim Adamczyk’s story will inspire younger Patch families to plan for and anticipate new stages life has to offer. I also recognize that many of our readers have family situations that distract or preclude them from such planning. To round out this series, I felt I needed several perspectives, and I wanted to interview a “Single-Parent Empty Nester” to share his/her story. When my initial lead fell through, I did what any objective journalist would do: I scrolled through my contacts and prayed for the Right Person to jump out at me. Behold: Linda Zifer. I couldn’t have been happier for …
Monday, September 3, 2012
During their 31-year marriage, the Adamczyks have worked hard to build their "nest." Parents for 24 years, they've taken their job seriously, but this holiday, they’ll be resting from their labors (right after they refill the chip dip!).
They’ve paid their dues as PTO parents and as Coach and Kool-Aid Mom, and now, the “end of the dock” has come and gone. Over the past several years, the birds of their flock have flown (right off the end of the dock — or was it their diving board?), but this couple is not the type to stand on the last plank and ponder sinking or swimming. Instead, they, too, intend to fly. Besides, there are days when the Adamczyk nest doesn’t feel exactly empty. When I stopped by, feathers were flying everywhere, as 24-year-old-daughter Erica chatted in the kitchen with some long-missed girlfriends, her son perched on her hip. A picture-text had just come from 19-year-old Ethan, a Lake High School graduate and basketball scholarship recipient at Lake …
diana ritchie
1:02 pm on Monday, November 5, 2012
hurting people hurt...how true that is more ›