Shared Links (weekly) Jan. 25, 2026
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Found this review over at the Santa Monica Daily Press as part of a column by David Pisarra. In it, he talks about an app for domestic abuse sufferers to document what is happening secretly, but he also mentions this book by James Sweigert. I’ll let David’s description speak for itself: I recommend “If You…
Middle School can be a trying time for kids. They are getting older but aren’t teenagers yet. They are going through changes and dealing with big issues without much experience dealing with emotions. Luckily, Sarah Zellner offers up these suggestions for books about mental health targeted at this age range.
It’s not directly child abuse-related but one story that stuck around during the start of the year is that of homeless man Billy Ray Harris who returned an engagement ring to someone that placed it in his cup by mistake when giving change. It’s an understatement to say that the story became a worldwide phenomenon…
This is why that quote above rang true for me. You can’t act rationally if acting doesn’t feel safe, and many of us grew up never feeling safe. To our mind, staying silent and still was the rational choice. Doing something different could have been more dangerous. It was also the natural reaction because we were simply overwhelmed.
Kindness matters, and kids who see kindness not just directed at them, but acts of kindness that they witness second-hand, have fewer signs of anxiety and other issues.
But, as in most things, some groups are much more likely to see kindness and support directed at them, while others, especially minority and LGBTQ kids generally don’t see kindness around them as often.
Seems to me that is a simple fix for this. Work at being kind to everyone. It clearly matters to kids, and even though this study doesn’t show it, I would bet it matters to adults as well!