Getting Back to Normal Photo Walk - Springtime in the Arboretum after 12 Months of Lockdown3/28/2021
Finally – signs this wretched pandemic is winding down!
Vax’d and masked, I recently wandered the newly re-opened J. C. Raulston Arboretum on a fine spring afternoon with my BFF. I hadn’t seen her *IN PERSON* for nearly 14 months! Join me on a photo walk to reset your lockdown life with sights and signs of hope from spring 2021. I once led Sunday tours around this free-to-the-public 10-acre arboretum and botanical garden. It's an oasis tucked behind a busy street in Raleigh, NC, that's administered by North Carolina State University. But the arb has been closed per our state’s pandemic guidelines for more than a year, and I’ve missed it! This is a magical place, where you can walk on water … Get married in the White Garden gazebo … Check out a bee hotel … Or just enjoy being outside in nature and out of lockdown on a perfect spring afternoon. More than 200 dedicated volunteers maintain the garden’s nearly 5,000 different kinds of plants collected from around the world. Today is even more special because I’m meeting my BFF at the arb, and it’s the first time we’ve met face-to-face in more than 14 months! We’re still masked, as everyone must be on state property, but we don’t care. It’s sheer joy catching up IRT and strolling together. We chatter away, passing happy daffodils watched over by a towering green giant, who waves at us with massive, outstretched limbs. I think the gardens are just as happy to see us as we are to see them -:D Nearby, the green giant’s pal, Cousin Itt, nods with approval ... as merry waterfalls dance for visitors. Looking up … Bending close … or looking down … ![]() you never know what you’ll discover around any corner at the arboretum.
Your Turn
I hope you’re finding signs of your #BackToNormal life, too. If so, please share in the comments. We're all eager for good news and hope -:D photos: by Cat Michaels
10 Comments
A message pops up on your screen from an author you follow, asking you to be a beta reader for her new book. She encloses a book cover and chapter draft and will send you the full manuscript if you’re interested in helping.
Are you excited? Curious? Skeptical? Flattered? Hesitant? All of the above? Read on to discover what a beta reader is, what it means for you, and why beta readers are like gold to authors.
Be sure to scroll down for your *free* download of the
Guided Questions for Beta Readers I use with my team. Then catch leadership and writing coach Jennifer Milius and I in convo about beta readers, my writing struggles during Covid, and more on the Tutfish Show podcast and YouTube channel.
1. What’s a beta reader?
Besides being the second letter of the Greek alphabet, beta refers to the second in a series of events. As a beta reader, you’re the second set of eyes on a manuscript after the writer is satisfied with a first draft. That precious draft represents months of toil, but as author Louise Penny says, it's typically “smelly” and ready to be made better. That’s where you come in as beta reader. The author is entrusting you with that smelly manuscript in exchange for your honest feedback they use to tweak their tale. In essence, you’re agreeing to be an unbiased second set of eyes to help craft a final book that’s the best it can be.
A beta reader is someone who....
reads an unfinished (but polished!) manuscript and gives the author honest feedback on how the story, characters and plot hold up.
2. What does being a beta reader mean for you?
Being a beta reader is an honor AND a big ask. It requires a chunk of time and willingness to offer honest, concrete feedback beyond I like the book. Consider the points below to decide if beta reading is right for you:
Are you comfortable accessing a double-spaced, 8x11 portable document file (pdf) online? Most manuscripts are in pdf because its fixed format works across different software platforms and ensures your feedback references are literally captured on the same page as the writer's master copy. Some people print the pdf and read it as a hard copy, but most download to a tablet or computer for a virtual read.
Once my beta readers are on board, I send them a downloadable MS word worksheet with about 2-dozen guided questions to keep handy for jotting down their feedback as they read.
What kind of feedback do authors ask of beta readers?
Check out how I work with my team. Download my free Guided Beta Reader Worksheet from my website HERE.
My beta readers handwrite comments on a separate sheet of paper or keystroke directly onto the worksheet. I ask them to include page numbers or chapter references, so I don't go crazy looking for suggestions in a 30K-word manuscript.
While I appreciate hearing positive comments, I encourage ideas to make my books stronger. I want my beta readers to be brutally honest in their feedback and not pull any punches.
3. Why are beta readers like gold to authors?
As a beta reader,
you partner with the author. You become a crucial part of the writing process. Your feedback is invaluable in morphing that smelly first draft into a stellar tale that’s ready for everyone to read. I adore my beta readers and am beyond grateful to them!
Their feedback majorly improved the first draft of Just Between Sam and Me, co-written with Rosie Russell. For instance: ![]()
Discover more about authors and beta readers
in my conversation with writing coach Jennifer Milius on her Tutfish Show. We discuss co-writing (0:17), my struggles authoring during Covid (5:17), making lockdown life brighter with a fairy garden, (10:08), and lots more.
Catch Jen and me on the Tutfish podcast HERE
or Watch us on YouTube
Your Turn
Is beta reading for you? That level of commitment is not for everybody. My potential beta readers know right away in my ask that there are no worries if they decline my invitation. Bibliophiles, if you’ve been a beta reader, how was your experience? If you haven’t been a beta reader, would you consider being one? (oooo….let me know if you’re interested in my adult women’s fiction once I finish it! -:D) Authors, what strategies have you used with your beta readers? How have beta readers helped you? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
Bummer.
2021 hasn’t been better than 2020 so far. On top of political turmoil and skyrocketing Covid numbers, my anxiety shot through the roof during a 48-hour span when my car battery died, a front molar cracked, and a leaky water pipe flooded our laundry room and adjacent hallway. I know I'm blessed to be healthy and have a roof over my head when so many struggle. Still, it takes every coping strategy in my tool box to push away worries, and I constantly battle to stay upbeat. Here’s what I've done to shake off seven funks in Covid 2021. Hope something here helps you, too. Funk 1: I am glued to the news, and it is mostly AWFUL Like many Americans, I can’t get my head around the takeover of the U.S. Capitol, and I fear more civil unrest and division. Plus, global updates on Covid and its variants are constant gut punches. ![]() Fix: I know what you’re thinking. Nope. Can't totally turn off current events. This is history in the making, and I want to be present. Instead, I decide on a "newsfeed-light" – quick morning and evening check-ins, plus lots of good-news feeds. Funk 2: I can’t sleep Always a night owl and light sleeper, the strange dreams and restlessness I experienced at the start of the pandemic return to haunt me. It takes forever to nod off, and I get up a few hours later, exhausted and edgy, moving through the day like a zombie on 3 or 4 hours of sleep. Never a nap person, I don't consider a daytime snooze. And since I devour books digitally, reading to chill before bed doesn’t help, either. Fix:
Funk 3: I don't feel like posting on social media I don’t feel I have anything engaging or uplifting to offer my friends and followers. Can't bring myself to post on my Facebook or Instagram pages, despite a FOMO. Fix:
Funk 4: My heart isn’t in writing There’s a school of thought that advises authors to write every day, no matter what. That doesn’t work for me. Authoring is hard and lonely during the best of times. In Covid days, I'm beyond weary and mind-maxed to write a jot. Fix:
Funk 5: I worry about our nation’s divisiveness Fix:
Funk 6: Everything feels hard; where's the joy? Fix: Aside from not sleeping, this is the worst. So even if I don't feel like it, I make myself find something fun to make those happiness endorphins kick in: ![]()
Funk 7: I fret about surging Covid rates and mutations Fix:
![]()
I'm beyond lucky to be one of the first in my circle under new CDC guidelines to get my Covid shot. YIPPY!
I encourage eligible friends and family to keep trying for theirs despite the frustrating process and limited supplies. My dearest wish is that everyone gets vaccinated as soon as possible, and we return to a more-normal life. I can't wait to see family, give hugs and go out in public!
Ups and Downs
So far, my fight against the funks is mostly successful. But they always loom like Pigpen’s cloud, threatening to bring me down. I can’t always fight them off. But I'll keep trying. My wise author pal, Julie Gorges, suggests finding one inspirational word to pursue for personal and writerly growth in 2021. My inspiration word is perennial.
Like the hardy perennials resting now in my garden, I'm hunkering down to survive a pandemic that feels like a million winters. Like blooms that return each spring, I'm determined to pop up when Covid goes away, refreshed, healthy and blooming gloriously among others who kept me company in long, dark months.
Your Turn
What makes your heart happy in hard times? If you experience stress and anxiety during Covid, I hope you, too, can keep your funk to the curb. Please share in the comments what’s working for you. I’d love to hear, and give it a try.
Once upon a time, two children’s book authors met in cyberspace and discovered they had much in common. As their friendship grew despite the 1,500 miles that separated them, so did a story idea for tweens.
In 2018, that story idea crystallized, and the two writers started working together to create a purr-fect tale of courage and kindness for tweens:
Shy Olivia just wants to do her best in 6th grade
and care for the animals on her family farm. But the new girl at school is determined to turn that world upside down. So Olivia pours out her heart in a journal to the only one who truly understands … her cat, Sam!
Read on for my answers to four cool questions readers asked about my writing journey and new release, Just Between Sam and Me. Then scroll to the end and click over to co-writer Rosie Russell to find her answers to four different questions from our readers.
1. Were you inspired [to write] by your English teacher in High School? – Peggy, Wisconsin
Mr. Nelson, my sixth-grade teacher at Tracy Elementary in Norwalk, Connecticut, was first to recognize my passion for music and writing.
My 7th-grade English instructor at West Rocks Middle School, Mrs. Martinson, was the one who truly encouraged my writing and taught me the elements of grammar and sentence construction. I remain grateful to both of them, and hope they know how much they’ve done for me. 2. Have you experienced tornadoes? They must be scary! – Ariane, California For sure! I dodged tornadoes travelling between rural schools as a resource teacher outside of Wichita, Kansas. I spent many spring evenings in my basement while tornado sirens wailed. ![]()
sHowever, it wasn’t until I moved to North Carolina that I experienced two tornadoes that claimed lives, touching down within miles of my house. I was alone both times, so I understand the terror that one of our characters feels when she faces a similar situation.
I also lived through Fran, a Category 3 hurricane that spawned tornadoes and toppled about two-dozen trees in our yard. Incredibly, those giant oaks missed hitting our home by inches. We were lucky they didn't crash through to the bedroom as we slept. The trees also blocked our driveway, so we couldn’t drive our cars to get help until a neighbor with a bobcat arrived and pushed them aside.
Since we lived in the country then, we were also without well water and electricity for 10 days. It was absolute misery in late summer's heat, humidity and misquotes.
And yes (no spoilers), Rosie and I weave several of these stormy experiences into our tale. 3. What’s your favorite middle-grade book you read as a tween? – Sue, Connecticut I still smile remembering The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet. A smart children's science fiction novel by English author Eleanor Cameron, this book enthralled me with its mix of adventure, fantasy and whimsy while featuring brave kids who take risks doing the right thing.
And my all-time fave middle grade read as an adult?
Hands down – JK’s tales! 4. You write realistically about Olivia’s horse, Star. What experiences did you have with horses that helped you? – Theresa, North Carolina
I knew enough to know I didn’t know enough!
I spent a weekend at a working horse farm in Southern Pines, North Carolina, to experience these animals up close and personal. I learned they are beautiful and BIG! (Hey, take a photo walk through my equine weekend HERE.) Rosie and I are grateful for the many equine insights shared by our very own Horse Whisperer, Judy Hart, who once raised horses in the Pacific Northwest. Judy's insights helped us write realistic equine scenes.
Sam and Friends
Just Between Sam and Me is making its way to young readers around the world. Best, Sam is sparking important convos between kids and parents about kindness and bullying.
Hey, see for yourself what the buzz is all about. Click the video link below to watch a preview of Just Between Sam and Me. Find links to order your copy of Just Between Sam and Me from your favorite e-book retailer or in paperback from Amazon HERE Don't forget ... before you go, click over to meet Rosie Russell in Kansas City for her reader questions HERE
Your Turn
How have experiences from your childhood shaped your professional life? What other questions might you have for a children’s book author? What was your favorite book as a tween? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
This year has been a marathon of 365 days that tests our humanity. We’re sooooooo ready to kick 2020 to the curb! Our world has a way to go before we defeat covid-19, but we’re gonna make it.
In my last post of 2020, you'll find ideas to keep your spirits raised with an attitude of gratitude AND:
Show Gratitude Some days, I want to scream. Then I take a deep breath and remember how lucky I am. During a global disaster when many have lost everything, I have food on the table and a warm place to sleep. I am learning to be grateful to wake each morning without a cough or pain and my sense of smell intact!
This year heightens my appreciation for each moment and every simple gift. I admire the way my writerly pal friend Julie Schooler always puts such a positive sparkle on her approach to life. She makes me smile as she shares three things she’s grateful for in what she terms "our banana-pants crazy 2020."
Read Julie's uplifting post HERE Be Happy In addition to Julie’s top three on her gratitude list, my guilty pleasure and happy place has been bingeing on Hallmark’s Christmas movies. Conventional and formulaic, Hub and I giggle over dialogue cliches and laughingly predict the disastrous turning point that happens 30 minutes before the Big Kiss Final Scene. We know there will be a happy ending. where kindness always wins along with cocoa drinking, tree trimming, and cookie baking. btw: also happy to see more diverse actors and story arcs in this year’s offerings! 50+ Fab Free Children’s Books Many budgets are tight this holiday season, so I’m sharing a way to light up your Littles with literacy. I teamed with more than 50 children’s book authors for an awesome December Children’s Book Giveaway. Check out the our collection and download your FREE faves by clicking over to Book Funnel for your HERE Offer ends 5 January
(btw….you'll spy a familiar feline face in this #DecemberChildrensBookGiveaway collection ... free chapter download of Just Between Sam and Me -:D.
Free Streaming Event: Messiah from Duke Chapel This year, our holiday traditions are morphing into virtual streams we can safely enjoy.
Now in its eighty-eighth year, the annual presentation of G.F. Handel’s Messiah at Duke Chapel is one of the oldest and most beloved musical traditions at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. This year, that tradition continued with a livestreamed Messiah concert on Sunday, December 6.
You can listen to this blissful recording of that concert until 6 January by clicking over to Duke Chapel HERE
Catch you in 2021
I'm taking a break from authoring and social media until 4 January. I want to enjoy our downsized holiday celebration for two instead of despairing we won’t be with family for the first time EVER.
Maybe we'll bake cookies
(like they do on the Hallmark channel - Tee Hee) Or set up Gear-Head Hub’s funky transportation ornament tree, We'll sprinkle more jolly holiday villages throughout our home to warm the season.
Your Turn
What's up for you these last weeks of December? Whatever it is, my wish for you is to ... JUST BREATHE, BE HAPPY, SHOW LOVE, GRATITUDE and STAY WELL!
Sitting here, happy, tired and stuffed-brain, but taking a moment to share insights into my crazy-busy-hectic-happy book launch week with co-author Rosie Russell.
It's been an endurance test of stress management with an attitude of gratitude.
Stress Management Roller-Coaster
Co-writer Rosie Russell and I are over the moon that our new book for tweens, Just Between Sam and Me, debuted on 2 December at #113 in Amazon’s ranking of children’s books about bullying.
But what a journey to get there! Our tale has been 22 months in the making - delayed by my Covid-stalled muse during lockdown. Plus Rosie and I always fought tech gremlins; however, nearing our 2 December finish line, those tech gremlins attacked with a vengeance. Of course! – Our paperback was stalled in review process, so it was not available on the first day of launch. – Rosie’s Facebook account may have been hacked, and she couldn’t access important launch day posts. – The day before launch, I started working at 4.30 a.m. because my mind wouldn’t stop spinning about everything that needed to get done. – 10 minutes before a podcast interview with Jedli on Reading with Your Kids, a ginormous pressure washer truck pulled up to my neighbor’s house and started pounding out its super-water-shooting motor. I tore out of my office and raced to the closet in the back of our home. Hunkered down by Hub’s shirts in that tight space, the WIFI dropped. Sigh. I scurried back to pressure washer mania. ARGH! I stress over these things, But I know. Yep. Minor first-world problems. I remind myself to be grateful for the ability to hassle with them. Keenly aware that millions are struggling with serious issues of health, finances and social inequities. Haunted by the image of a young girl, crying and clinging to her blankie-wrapped baby doll being forcibly evicted from their home. Gut-punched as I learn of Covid deaths among family and friends just these past weeks alone. Teary-eyed by staggering numbers of Covid deaths rising. Sickened by political divisions battering our nation. Remembering these things snaps my launch anxiety into perspective right quick.
Attitude of Gratitude
Dad once made a habit of writing down all his blessings, and I Iearned that trick from him.
I will never take for granted having a roof over my head, warm place to sleep, food on the table, or ability to pay my bills on time. Nor my fab family and friends, whom I long to see in person but doing so only over ZOOM these days. My work on Sam has been rich with a co-writer, launch team, writing pals, and blogging buddies who support my authoring journey. I'd be lost without them. They raise our purr-fect tale of courage and hope for tweens and help it score fab book buzz that makes authors do the happy dance. Speaking of book buzz .... Will you kindly bear with me for a moment of shameless self-promotion as I share review snippets that have my buttons bursting?
Smiling wide here -:D! One last bit self-promotion, please? (Promise that's it for the year <wink>.) ![]() Sam, Rosie and I would be honored if you'll click below to learn more about Just Between Sam and Me and where to find a copy at your fave bookseller. btw,,,,We're running a launch sale through 10 December: ebook slashed to $.99 US paperback discounted at $7.99 US December Bookish Giveaways for Young Readers I’m teaming up with an amazing slate of 58 authors to bring you free books and chapter samples for holiday giving. Winding Down 2020
During the Reading with Your Kids podcast taping today, host Jedli asked what'd I'd be writing next. I’ve had a feel-good women’s fiction rattling around in my head for over a decade. It’s time to get it out of my brain and onto paper. But not until Just Between Sam and Me winds down. Then I’m taking off the end of December to watch the sun set over the river, write my Christmas cards, and gratefully enjoy a Covid-Safe Holiday for Two with Hub, And we'll say 'good riddance!" to 2020! I’ll crank it up again in 2021 with the next step on my writing road, whatever that is.
I hope you'll stay well
and enjoy special times to make your heart happy with your loved ones. 2021’s gonna be a better year for all of us!!
Sliding toward December means launching the new tale for tweens I’m cowriting with Rosie Russell is just a few weeks away. We started collaborating on Just Between Sam and Me in February 2018, and we're over the moon to share our book with you at last. Read on to...
Stay tuned for our Dec. 2 launch, with links to your fave print and digital booksellers posting here on Cat’s Corner and across social media.
|
Ride alongside our characters in a wintry scene in the American Midwest on a snow-packed horse trail, and see how an upstander gets a mean girl to back off in this sample chapter Rosie Russell reads for you on her website HERE
|
Take a break from lock-down to your happy place at the beach with 7 travel tips to KEEP IT safe
10/11/2020
Could such a place exist? YES!
Join me on a photo walk of my safe-distancing expedition to an old-timey fishing cabin near the small coastal town of Shallotte, NC.
I search online for places outside populated areas
but close enough to fun spots to explore.
(tbh...browsing vacation rentals
has been one of my greatest, safest Covid escapes.)
I book only with super hosts,
who receive stellar reviews for their communication and housekeeping.
Oh yeah, and provide strong wifi, too,
so I can continue writing my stories.
Traveling with travel kids?
Many homes have kid-friendly amenities,
like bikes, board games and corn holes. A few even allow pets for a small fee.

Our gracious host assures us of a stringent cleaning regimen, but Hub and I carry our own wipes, linen, towels and pillows.
The cabin is sparkling clean when we arrive, but we open windows, make the bed with our linen and wipe down surfaces just the same.
We're desperate for a change from looking at the same four walls
during months of lock-down.
We seek places off the beaten path
with amazing views.
belonged to the owner’s great-grandfather.
It was his fishing cabin back in the day
before Brunswick County was “discovered”
and developed as a coastal paradise.
Located off a dead-end country lane and down a dirt road,
we’re surrounded by trees and the salt water creek.
We don't see a soul during our stay.
First light is perfect for wandering with my camera to catch Sauce Pan Creek’s wondrous tidal flow and changing moods. I stumble barefoot and half asleep to the dock at dawn. Thumb-sized black crabs thunk-skitter-thunk under the crossbraces and startle me. But we’re soon good friends. Note to self: Wear shoes to dock. Don't step on cute little crabbiesI |
A fully-stocked kitchen is another must for our Covid escape.
Our cabin is fab for cooking meals and dining in.
Only a few miles from groceries and restaurants,
we still pack the cooler from home with breakfast, lunch, and dinner staples.
But we can't pass up a few take-home meals from amazing local seafood places.
We feast in picnic splendor on the deck.
Plus, we want to support small businesses and restaurant workers.
We stay out of the action during Covid, though not too far.
A pleasant 10-minute drive down country roads deposits us by the nearest beach,
Ocean Isle Beach (or OBI, as locals call it).
The it's just a breath-taking jaunt over the bridge
and across the Intercoastal Waterway to this barrier island,
Signs posted all around before we hit the sand
remind us to be cautious.
Arrive by 10 am or early evening
to avoid crowds and blazing heat.
We have the place to ourselves.
Gulls screeching
Sea breezes cooling
Shore birds scampering
Shrimp boats catching
HEAVEN!
Hub and I splash in warm waves
and walk for miles on sugary, hard-packed sand.
Growing up along the Connecticut coast,
I have salt water in my blood.
The ocean is my happy place.
The best part of a Covid escape is wandering into
delightful unexpecteds
that come from being in the moment
and discovering the wonder of every day things.
I collect shells for my fairy garden.
Hub shows me a starfish before waves claim it.
Tucked in the dunes, these nests are exactly like the one I wrote about in Sweet T and the Turtle Team My heart is doing another happy dance. |
One of these days,
I'll get lucky
and time my beach excursion with seeing a sea turtle's nest boil.
I long to watch the babies flipper over the sand
along a sea turtle highway to the ocean.
We miss this hatch by just one night.
Maybe next time.
until this ocean escape
brings me back to
gentler times.
I finally relax.
Soul restored.
Feeling better
about handling
what's ahead
for our world.
#Thankful

With so many people
out of work
or battling Covid and its fall out,
I am
beyond grateful
for this getaway.
Thanks for
your company.
I hope
this photo walk
offers
*you*
a slice of calm
in this turbulent world.
Illustration: Irene A. Jahns from "Sweet T and the Turtle Team"
Today's post highlights five ways you can stop bullying and includes...
- A personal story about how bullying affected my family and set me on a new writing direction
- Tips for opening the conversation about bullying with your child
- Excerpts from Just Between Sam and Me – the upcoming book for tweens I’m co-writing with Rosie Russell
- Convo with Bookworm for Kids about social bullying themes in Just Between Sam and Me
My Family's Experience with Bullying
My sweet 8-year-old niecelette, B, had been bullied at school by two girls in her third-grade class. She cried continually and was anxious just thinking about school. My heart sank. I wanted to support her, but I didn't know what to do, feeling powerless living 500 miles away.
Fortunately, her teacher and parents stepped in immediately to stop the bullying. I still wanted to learn more about how I might help as a writer. I turned to research and asked friends to share their experiences and wisdom. And soon a book idea was born.
I share my five biggest take-aways from that research.
five ways you can stop bullying now
1. Be Persistent
High school teacher T advises being relentless:
Keep asking questions to the school, to the parents. Don’t let this slip through the cracks.
2. Intervene Immediately
R observes from her years as a substitute teacher in elementary school:
It takes the students, school, counselors, teachers, and parents to nip it in the bud as fast as they can. The longer it goes on, the worse it will be for all of them. I'm sure you are reassuring B. That's what she needs the most right now.
As an auntie, I didn't want my niecelette or any child to be the target of bullying.
As an author, I dreamed of writing a story for tweens that a delivered strong message – bullying in any form is never ok.
Just Between Sam and Me centers on shy 11-year-old Olivia, who only wants to read her books and tend to her farm animals. But Olivia feels like a social outcast when mean girl Candace turns on her.
Olivia starts believing the cruel taunts about her are true, so she is ashamed to tell anyone about the harassment. Small, constant jabs, like those in the excerpt below, erode Olivia's confidence and self-esteem.
4. Look for the Upstanders
Rosie and I sprinkle elements of mischief to lighten our content for kids and bring hope. Olivia’s bestie, Isabella, often takes on this role as she demonstrates how to be an upstander and stop bullying in its tracks, as in the following excerpt:
5. Talk with Your Child
Pacer.org – founder of the National Bullying Prevention Month movement – offers guidance for parents in opening a conversation if they suspect their child is being bullied.
Acknowledge your own feelings first:
Parents may feel a range of emotions, from anger to fear and sadness. These reactions are natural for parents who want their child to feel valued, protected, and loved. To be an effective advocate for your child, it's important to work through your emotions before developing an intervention plan.
When you’re ready and have your emotions in check:
Listen without judgment and remember that children may not be ready to open up right away. They, too, are dealing with the emotional effects of bullying and may feel insecure, frightened, vulnerable, angry, or sad.
When children begin to tell their story:
Listen and avoid judgmental comments. Learn as much as possible about the situation, such as how long the behavior has been happening, who has been involved, and what steps have been taken.
Encourage your child to talk:
Let them know they are not alone and emphasize....
- It is NOT their fault. They are not to blame.
- They are NOT alone. You are here to help.
- It is the adults’ responsibility make the bullying stop.
- Bullying is never okay, and they have the right to be safe.
- No one deserves to be bullied.
- They deserve to be treated with respect.
- They have the right to feel safe at school.
more About social bullying on Bookworm for kids
Learn more and join us HERE.
Free First Chapter

Meet Olivia and Candace.
Find out who Sam is
(he's not who you might think!)
Download your
FREE Chapter 1 of
Just Between Sam and Me
HERE
Book arrives at your favorite bookseller
2 December 2020.
What’s your experience with bullying? What tips can you offer to stop it? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Cat Michaels
Blogging about books, writing, family life, travel and more good stuff.
Meet Cat
INSIDE the pages
Be an Insider. Download your FREE e-short story about love and new beginnings today!
Archives
October 2021
September 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013