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    Sharing – The Fun Is Why

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 3 minutes

    I feel like this is something that has gotten continuously worse over the years too. Kids who never get to just play, but are fully booked with one after-school activity after another. Teens are under constant pressure to spend their time doing things that look good on college applications. College-aged young adults are about filling out the resume or getting into the best graduate school programs, only to graduate into jobs that expect them to always be on call, to learn and grow themselves on their own time, all while social media culture tells them they should also have a side-hustle or three.

    Having fun is time that could be spent on any of these accomplishments.

    I’d flip that around. What’s the point of all of those accomplishments if you never have any fun?

  • Another Tool in Abuse Prevention – Community

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 3 minutes

    This is where the community comes in. Kids with strong connections to safe adults are less likely to be targeted and more likely to tell if they are. LGBTQ kids are less likely to struggle with suicidal ideation when they have adults who accept them as they are. Kids dealing with anxiety and depression have better outcomes when they have safe adults to talk through their emotions with, who can support them through difficult times. I’ve discussed at length the importance of strong relationships with parents as the best preventive measure we have for keeping children safe and supported. I’ve also discussed, on my other site, the importance of work-life balance and inclusivity in the workplace for parents. That’s what being a community that supports families’ needs to succeed includes.

  • Andrew Toles and the LA Dodgers Are Another Case Where This Shouldn’t be What is Necessary

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    That’s the question we need to ask ourselves. Great, the Dodgers are keeping him under “contract” so he has medical coverage that helps him as an individual. What happens to everyone else in the same boat? Who’s getting them treatment and the coverage to pay for it?

  • Headlines that Show Us How Bad our Mental Health Systems Are

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

    Both articles tell the stories of people who can’t get the mental healthcare they need, and both dig into some of the political decisions that have caused this. Both also demonstrate how complicated the issue is and how much damage is being done behind the scenes by some of the same leaders who claim to support mental health.

    They don’t. There are a lot of political and industry leaders who benefit from the status quo. Many people are also left behind due to a lack of affordable care. Those patients, their families, loved ones, and society pay the price when mental healthcare is lacking. It doesn’t have to be this way. It will take more than words to fix it.

  • Sharing – When the world stops

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    We all need people who will stop and be with us. I’ve been lucky enough to have that, and I’ve had the privilege to be there for others during difficult times. I have also probably missed many an opportunity to stop and be with someone because of the hectic pace of life, and I’m not proud of that.

    The question is, what do we do as a society to allow people’s worlds to stop? How do we reach a point where it’s acceptable and the expectation that we will stop when necessary?

    We’ve seen the alternative. We’re living in it. A world where we rarely stop and listen to ourselves, let alone each other. Where people are hurting all around us yet afraid to talk about it. Afraid of what happens if we stop while the world moves on.