Welcome to Catherine Forster's WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR OF Chasing Tarzan Plus Catherine has honored us by writing a guest post about school bullying - a subject very much in the forefront these days. The long-term effects of bullying––abuse doesn’t cease when the bullying stops by Catherine Forster While enjoying my morning coffee and reading the Sunday paper, I stumbled on an article about bullying. The title, The Long-term Effects of Bullying, caught my eye. The piece examined the multiple studies conducted in the U.S. and abroad, all revealing surprisingly similar results: individuals who were the target of severe bullying (whether physical or verbal) were more likely to struggle with their relationships, suffer from depression, addiction, and suicide during adulthood bullies who were also bullied suffered similarly to their victims, and were more likely to be incarcerated bullies who were not bullied tended to continue their bulling behavior as … [Read more...]
Bullying vs abuse. Are they equal?
I Am Not! by Rachel Boehm is brutally honest!
I'm very honored that Anne O'Connell, publisher of Rachel Boehm's new memoir, I Am Not!, asked Choices to participate in this first virtual book tour. Plus Rachel has generously written a guest post for us about her mantra - "Whatever happens, I'll handle it." Here's Rachel: Whatever happens, I’ll handle it. by Rachel Boehm, Author of I Am NOT! The affirmation has been my mantra for about 13 years; said now with ease and conviction, a confidence that would surprise the person I was when I first learned it. Thirteen years ago, I began my journey of healing and reclamation after years of verbal and emotional abuse from school and workplace bullies; gender bias; perfectionism; and disordered eating as I sought to achieve societal and industry norms (I was an actor and singer). Thirteen years ago, when I walked into a therapist’s office, I could not have envisioned the vibrancy of my life today. As if my life and vision then were lived through the Inkwell filter on … [Read more...]
George H.W. Bush groped #MeToo
In May 2012, my husband, Bob, and I toured New England, Boston, New York City, and Washington, DC, as an anniversary treat. We stopped in Kennebunkport Maine for a night or two, and I joked with Bob that I hoped I'd get a chance to say hi to Barbara Bush I called her Babs at the local grocery store. Little did I know that I'd see her and her husband while we ate dinner at the recommended Italian spot, Grissini's, that night. The couple sitting at the table to our left asked for a photo with them as the Bushes were leaving the restaurant, and we asked for a photo as well. Both the president and Barbara Bush were very gracious. When we said it was our anniversary, Barbara asked how many years, that triggered a little discussion about marriage longevity these days. That year we were celebrating forty-two years. We got one of the servers to take our picture in fact, she took two shots. And during both, the former president rubbed my buttocks with the palm of his right … [Read more...]
Is life and death a game?
On a long drive yesterday I listened to a lot of NPR, including an interview with Gary Ross, the director of The Hunger Games, a movie opening on March 23 with a lot of hoopla. Since I didn't know about it it's geared to teenagers and adapted from a young adult novel series by Suzanne Collins in which she explores the effects of war and violence on those coming of age I decided to Google the book when I got home. I wasn't pleased with what I found. The Hunger Games is about youngsters as young as twelve and as old as eighteen fighting each other I understand there has been a rebirth of bows and arrows as a result until the last one is standing. Also the people who live in the surrounding area are commanded to watch this war on television. That the game of life and death is so revered in this story appalls me. Must be my age. Still with all the very young men and women killed in real wars, the gang-related youth killings, and suicides by children as young as nine … [Read more...]
