Teens Crown Disabled Girl Homecoming Queen and Warm Our Hearts (VIDEO)

vrijdag 27 september 2013

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por Adriana Vélez hace 10 horas

A veces he leído historias de adolescente "sexting" y beber y me preocupo por nuestro futuro. Y luego leí historias como ésta y sólo tengo que creer... los chicos están muy bien. Estudiantes en Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School en Waverly, Ohio eligieron a una muchacha con parálisis cerebral como su reina. Courtney Tharp sorprendió, luego me alegra ser coronado por sus compañeros. "Ella estaba muy emocionada," dice Subdirector Jeremy Langner. "Al principio era reacio a responder, pero empezó a dar a todo el mundo choca. Su rostro era impagable. Fue un momento muy lindo."

Esta historia tiene resonancia especial para mí porque mi hermana menor, Marisa, tiene parálisis cerebral. Conoce algunos discriminación desgarrador. Pero el amor, bondad y aprecio que es experimentada por sus compañeros hasta ahora ha compensado sus encuentros negativos. Como Courtney, se Unido positiva energía a cada comunidad que ha estado en, y la gente ama. Langer describe la contribución de Courtney, y por qué tan bien merece su corona.

El cuerpo estudiantil goza de estar alrededor de Courtney. Ella realmente encarna la comunidad, con su amor por el aprendizaje y la pasión por ser un Go-Hawk. Sobre una base diaria trae la actitud correcta.

Pero no se trata sólo de Courtney. Se trata de todos los estudiantes de. Es increíble que todos estos niños reconocen y valoran a alguien como Courtney. Esto habla bien de ellos. Sus padres deben estar orgullosos. Podría han votado en alguien "cooler", más popular. Pero en cambio, votaron en sus corazones.

"Honestamente, estoy más entusiasmado por Courtney que por mí," dice rey Kaleb Staack. "Es decir, sí, es un gran honor, pero para alguien como Courtney a ser mi reina, que es perfecto." ¿Oh Dios mío, quien crió ese niño dulce?

No recuerdo quién ganó reina cuando estaba en la secundaria. Pero apuesto a estos estudiantes nunca olvidarán que votaban por.

¿Le sorprende que los estudiantes elegidos a Courtney como su baile reina?

Imagen via KWWL

Sobre el autorAdriana Velez

es un escritor que recrea en alimentos, crianza, noticias, Entretenimiento, biología molecular y nada más que eso salta a la cabeza. Ella vive con su hijo de edad escolar primaria en Brooklyn, tierra de chacras urbanas y artesanal todo.

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Teens Who Stabbed Mother With Sword and Planned to Eat Her Liver May Not Be to Blame for Their Actions

zaterdag 21 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Lisa Fogarty 19 hours ago

There are no words to describe how gruesome and disturbing this story is -- whether you're the mom of a teen or just a human being who possesses a healthy amount of anxiety about today's youth. Two young teenage boys -- we're talking 13 and 14 years of age -- were arrested this week after allegedly attacking one of their mothers with a sword, stabbing her, and then holding what must have seemed like a rational discussion to them at the time about eating her liver. The boys, whose names haven't been released because of their ages, left mom sprawled out on her bed bleeding to death beside two knives and a sword with a bent handle.

And the story doesn't end there.  

They fled the scene in an SUV that belonged to the other teen's dad and proceeded to take a wild ride through the streets of Spokane, Washington. They crashed the car into the side of a trailer home, broke into a different home to hide, and -- because all this isn't enough crazy for one day -- somehow found hammers that they chucked at the windows, doors, and walls of the house, raking up $2,000 in damages. 

A police dog was able to track down the boys. They are currently in juvenile detention facing second degree assault charges, as well as charges for taking a motor vehicle without possession, hit-and-run, burglary, and malicious mischief. The teen's mom, thankfully, is in the hospital in stable condition. 

Before you say, yep, lock them up and throw away the key -- two fewer delinquents on the street is good news for my family (thoughts that, trust me, ran through my mind) -- it isn't such a black and white situation. The boys were under the influence of something one teen called "blue pills." The son claims he would have never hurt his mother or committed these other actions while sober and I believe him. It's unclear what blue pills are that he's talking about. Bath salts? Some other type of amphetamine, maybe? And just as a side note: what the hell is going on that he doesn't even know what he's ingesting? But the absolutely off-the-wall and psychotic deeds these two boys committed sound like the actions performed by someone who is delusional -- maybe even hallucinating. 

I'm not excusing the boys' behavior and I do believe they should have known better, but I feel that at such a young age, they would benefit more from counseling and drug rehabilitation than from a long stint in juvie. Get these children serious psychiatric help and make them pay back every cent in damages that they owe, but don't use prison as a final solution.

What do you want to see happen to these young teens who performed ghastly crimes while under the influence of drugs? 

Image via Albion Europe ApS/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lisa Fogarty

is a former old-timey print journalist who lives in Brooklyn with her husband and toddler girl. She still carries a notebook everywhere and is always on the lookout for tasty vegan food and blouses with collars that will finally put the Peter Pan out on its (adorable) tush.

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Teens Charged With Murdering Their Best Friend in the Woods (VIDEO)

maandag 9 september 2013

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by Adriana Velez 2 hours ago

Two teens have been accused of killing their best friend -- but they may serve adult-scale sentences. Last summer, 16-year-old Skylar Neese went missing. After searching for months, police got a breakthrough; 16-year-old Rachel Shoaf, supposedly Skylar's best friend, confessed to the teen's murder and led police to her body in a wooded area about 30 miles away from their home. Now another teen has been identified as an accomplice in Skylar Neese's murder. Seventeen-year-old Sheila Eddy has been charged in Skylar's death and prosecutors say they want to try her as an adult.

Skylar's father, Dave Neese, had some grim words for this latest news. He said Sheila "can now get what she has coming ... Well, she done an adult crime, she needs to be tried as an adult. She didn't do something that a minor does. She did something an adult would do." But is that really a reason to try Sheila as an adult?

Prosecutors say Rachel and Sheila lured Skylar out of her house and into the woods, where they stabbed the girl to death. Rachel pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and awaits sentencing, which could be severe. Prosecutors say they will recommend a 20-year prison sentence and will oppose attempts to sentence the teen as a juvenile. Sheila hasn't entered a plea yet, but her behavior after the murder is shocking. Right after Skylar went missing, Sheila tweeted, "Rest easy Skylar. You'll always be my best friend. I miss you more than you could ever know." She also helped search for Skylar.

I know the crime is horrific, and I can understand why Skylar's family would want to see justice served. Police haven't revealed the motive for Skylar's murder, so we still don't know what led Rachel and (allegedly) Sheila to murder their best friend. But I still feel like there are some good reasons why teens are tried as juveniles rather than adults.

Yes, teens do occasionally commit adult-like crimes, as Skylar's father puts it. But they commit those crimes with underdeveloped judgment. The teenage mind is significantly different from an adult mind. That should matter.

On the other hand, at least Rachel's sentence is relatively light, for a murder. I'm sure her young age was taken into account. She'll still be in her 30s by the time she is released. If convicted, Rachel might get a similar sentence. If she really did participate in the murder, I hope she'll enter a plea so at least her victim's family doesn't have to go through the agony of an open trial.

Do you think teens should be tried as adults when they commit serious crimes like murder?

Image via ABC News

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adriana Velez

is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.  

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Missing Teen's Body Found and All Anyone Can Talk About Is the Book He Read

dinsdag 27 augustus 2013

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There is sad news out of Oregon this week. Johnathan Croom, the Arizona teenager reported missing by his family, has been found dead, just 1,000 feet from where his car was discovered, abandoned last week in the woods of Southern Oregon. He should be in college now, but instead he's dead. And all anyone wants to talk about is the 18-year-old's alleged obsession with Christopher McCandless, a young man whose journey to Alaska -- and death -- were documented in the book Into the Wild.

Croom's death is being investigated by Oregon police as a possible suicide, which makes the focus on the book especially frustrating. So what if he read a book about a guy who went off into the wilderness, eschewing society? Is this where we should be focusing? The books he read before his death?

Quick answer: no.

Books don't cause suicide. Movies (there's also a film version of Into the Wild) do not cause suicide.

Suicide is not a "normal" response to stressors, be it media or something that happens in the home. To indicate such, as is being done in every single report I've read today on Johnathan Croom, is overly simplistic and irresponsible. 

The result is an unfortunate mix of trumped up fear -- quick, if your loved one is reading Into the Wild, get them some help! -- and misplaced focus.

Here's the truth about suicide. In America, it is the seventh leading cause of death for males and the fifteenth leading cause of death for females. Suicide risk comes -- according to the scientists -- from changes in certain brain chemicals. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 90 percent of people who die by suicide have depression and other mental disorders, or a substance-abuse disorder (often in combination with other mental disorders).

Got that? Not books. Not movies.

Suicide is a problem with a person.

If Johnathan Croom's death in the wilderness of Oregon is indeed suicide, it speaks to his own mindset and his own problems. It speaks to tragedy and to a life destroyed before it had even really begun.

This death is tragic, no doubt about it. It's something folks in America should be talking about -- if only because talking about suicide is one way to spread awareness of the options (such as the suicide hotline) out there for helping people who are at risk.

But in order to do that, we need to stop grasping at straws to find "reasons" for suicide and get down to the nitty gritty. Suicide is never, ever the answer, and it is never, ever the "normal" response.

If the words someone is using indicate they may be considering suicide, or if you yourself have wrestled with the idea, please reach out to a suicide hotline. There is ALWAYS someone there who wants to listen and who will take you seriously. You can call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.

Image via police

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9 Reasons Moms Are Totally Jealous of Their Teens

maandag 26 augustus 2013

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Complaining about your teenager is a rite of passage for parents. They can be absolutely maddening what with the door slamming and the eye rolling and that infernal racket pouring out of their earbuds. But sometimes I wonder if the ladies (and gentleman) doth protest too much.

Are teenagers really that bad? Or could it be that moms are a wee bit jealous of their teenagers?

My kid isn't there yet -- she's 8 -- but I have a teenage babysitter who spends enough time at my house that she's practically a second daughter. I'll admit it ... there are times I am pea green with envy.

Don't think this is you? Perhaps this will change your mind ...

Behold the things teens do that moms only WISH we could:

1. Browsing at the mall. It's easy to get annoyed by that gaggle of giggling girls that takes up the entire line of changing room stalls in the Gap ... the girls you know probably aren't going to actually buy anything. But ohhhhh, to have the time to spend trying on 10 different outfits ... and the luxury to go in a changing room without a toddler hanging off of you!

2. Wearing a bikini. It's not that moms can't wear bikinis. Some women can really rock a two piece after kids. It's that teenagers can wear them without anyone commenting on whether they're too old for said piece of swimwear.

3. Blasting music in the car. Go ahead, roll your eyes at the kids bumping one lane over at the red light. But if you're really honest with yourself, you still remember the amazing feeling of driving down the road with the windows open, the music blaring, while you and your friends sang along at the top of your lungs. 

4. Sleeping until noon. It's easy to call a kid lazy for snoozing away the day, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't long for the lie in most mornings.

5. Doing cartwheels (or anything similar). Some moms still have the agility of a cat. The rest of us buy ibuproferen in bulk.

6. Believing money would magically appear. Most kids seem to believe money grows on trees. What I wouldn't give to return a time when life was that simple ...

7. Riding rollercoasters, taking flights, etc. without fear. Teens take risks that scare the crap out of their parents, but it sure would be nice to revisit those fearless days ... when you were completely invincible. Sigh.

8. Eating junk for dinner without a care in the world. Imagine no little voice in the back of your head telling you that it's wrong to make a meal of Diet Pepsi and Skittles.

9. Expecting maid service. Yes, it is frustrating feeling like your kids still expect you to do everything for them. But wouldn't it be nice to have someone do everything for YOU?

What teenager things do you kinda sorta wish you could still do?

Image via Roberto Trm/Flickr

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