It was March, and I was in about week 4 of my depression. I have always had a tendency toward depression, though in the last few years I had been pretty consistently happy. But then that kid shot up a high school in Florida. Of all the social media outlets, …
Read More »Facebook Is My Significant Other
On a recent Thursday, I found out I wasn’t dying. And before you get all literal on me: Yes, I realize we’re all dying from the moment we’re born, that life is one big death march, blah blah blah. I mean to say: I found out I wasn’t dying imminently. …
Read More »Hey you, right there. You’re a good mom! Now tell me why!
From news headlines to friends’ Facebook posts, it sounds like 2016 was a pretty rough year all around. Mine wasn’t great either. I had personal losses, professional disappointments, and parenting challenges. I spent a lot of time in 2016 questioning how I’m doing as a mom, a wife, and a …
Read More »Selfie Away, Mamas
Tomorrow is a Celebration of Life service for my aunt. A few days before Thanksgiving, she lost her courageous battle with cancer. After six short months of chemo, endless treatments, nausea, exhaustion, and more than anyone should have to endure, she was gone. In preparation for what she knew was …
Read More »Here’s What Happened When I Quit Facebook for a Week
Honestly, I don’t know what would happen if I quit Facebook for a week because since I got my account in 2008, I think I have checked into it at least once a day, every day, for eight years. I even was on Facebook in the delivery room… twice. How …
Read More »Dangers of Social Media and Technology for our Kids
There are some obvious dangers of social media that as parents we know exist. We all must protect our children and teach them that there are predators everywhere and their social media accounts need to be kept private. As much as we try to do this, have you ever looked …
Read More »To My Future Self…
I have a love/hate relationship with social media. Honestly, I love to hate it, hate to love it, and spend too much time debating on whether to delete my social media accounts or keep them active. I’ve taken plenty of social media breaks over the years, but have always found …
Read More »Communicating Respectfully as we Enter the Election Year
Social media is a frightening place these days especially as we enter into an election year. As a columnist, any opinion that I express is always met with some agreement and some disagreement. Respectful debate is enlightening and can even help us learn how to get along even though we …
Read More »‘Tis the Season for Political Posts
If you’ve been under a rock for the past couple of years, you may be unaware of a little app known as Timehop. Well, let me introduce you to your very own social media time machine. Timehop pulls up posts you wrote on this day 1, 2, 3, etc. years …
Read More »Social Media Makes Me a Better Parent
A few weeks ago, my teens and I sat at a table covered in a rainbow serape at a crowded restaurant called Fiesta Mexicana, chomping on chips and salsa, all with our eyes glued to our smartphones. It was a typical scene played out at restaurants throughout the developed world: …
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