tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post1259974808846662561..comments2023-05-20T06:48:40.608-04:00Comments on Cody Kennedy: Mia Kerick on Bullying and her newest novel, The Red Sheet!C. Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09396380168103494380noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-5048810566665298152014-09-25T12:38:50.914-04:002014-09-25T12:38:50.914-04:00love you girl.love you girl.AnnaLund2011https://www.blogger.com/profile/01800470324461815046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-11037328518856404322014-09-25T12:16:41.437-04:002014-09-25T12:16:41.437-04:00Anna- I'll take that hug!! I think more of us ...Anna- I'll take that hug!! I think more of us went through that kind of experience than we know. It is such a relief to be an adult, somewhat emotionally separated from the pain, and able to look back at it and make some sense of it. It is also a gift that I can express the feelings I remember so clearly in my YA novels, like The Red Sheet. And here's a hug for you...Mia kerickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09843135343676234071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-26764495598882151452014-09-25T11:10:26.889-04:002014-09-25T11:10:26.889-04:00I don't know how I could have missed this blog...I don't know how I could have missed this blog post.<br />Thank you for sharing with us, I understand exactly the feeling of being an outsider, never being let inside the group of awesomeness that were the other girls at school (did 9 different schools in 11 years). So I drifted to the boys, played soccer, (our kind of) baseball, ice hockey. And of course all that just made me even <i>more</i> teased by the girls. <br />Yes, I also say teased, because that's what they called it in those days. We were told to chin up and go back for more. <br /><br />Your post just leveled me; reading it all the memories came rushing back and oh my god I am so sorry you had to go through all that. <br />c'mere, let me give you a hug you beautiful woman youAnnaLund2011https://www.blogger.com/profile/01800470324461815046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-47967049520693659032014-09-25T10:31:37.093-04:002014-09-25T10:31:37.093-04:00Hi Aniko. I just reread my post and I will say, mu...Hi Aniko. I just reread my post and I will say, much has changed since March. Some of my best friends and supporters are the women I have met on Facebook. So, I will say that I now can relate so much more openly and honestly with women that I ever could before. Being honest, on FB and in my writing and in my own blog posts, seems to be the key to getting past pain. Thank you for being my friend and supporter.Mia kerickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09843135343676234071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-33384808496854503132014-09-25T04:18:57.932-04:002014-09-25T04:18:57.932-04:00Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, Mi...Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, Mia. I have no doubt that it will provide an aha moment or comfort for others who have similar stories. I guess the flip side of those painful times growing up is that they made you the person you are today: sweet, welcoming and supportive. *hugs*Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08000305053422234691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-48535894689147237562014-03-11T03:51:31.505-04:002014-03-11T03:51:31.505-04:00Wow, Mia, what a heartrending post. It almost made...Wow, Mia, what a heartrending post. It almost made me cry. Thank you for sharing your pain so that others might benefit from it. I can't imagine going through what you did for all of those years, especially since you are such a warm, caring, and amazing person. I'm so grateful they didn't turn you into one of them and destroy the precious gift to this world that is you. You survived, and you will help others do the same.Michael J. Bowlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04921407715931911132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-31048180571142288112014-03-08T10:09:35.047-05:002014-03-08T10:09:35.047-05:00Hi Johanna-
We have definitely become more aware a...Hi Johanna-<br />We have definitely become more aware as a society of what bullying is and that it can be instituted by pretty, shiny, fresh-faced girls as effectively as by big, rough-and-tumble, "bad boys".Teenaged girls simply use different tactics. <br /><br />I really took the blame for what was done to me during my school years- I felt I was too silly, too girly-pretty in a way that no one took seriously, way too open and uncool- to deserve to be accepted. And the feeling that you are somehow internally flawed does not go away, as Cody says in his foreword of The Red Sheet. Years of "teasing" and being "bossed around" is fairly convincing to many of us.<br /><br />The very positive aspect is in the realm of the research I did to write The Red Sheet. There is so much information on bullying available online. It is varied and covers much ground. And when I researched "bullying by teenage girls" I also came up with a lot of information and examples. Awareness of a problem is step one to solving it. And it appears that awareness is increasing, Johanna. Thanks for your post!!Mia kerickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09843135343676234071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-90969789561581606472014-03-08T01:09:50.133-05:002014-03-08T01:09:50.133-05:00Thank you so much for sharing your story, Mia. Whe...Thank you so much for sharing your story, Mia. When I was growing up, I never realized what is so often now referred to as "girl bullying" even WAS bullying. Like you, I was always left with the impression that this was just teasing, and that it was what popular (and even normal) girls were supposed to do. I'm so glad that nowadays adults talk about "girl bullying" with a lot more openness and honesty than they did when I was young.Johanna Parkhursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08511521004019799810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-57333412578447616972014-03-07T22:00:48.798-05:002014-03-07T22:00:48.798-05:00Sandy- well, I think you DO know a magic spell to ...Sandy- well, I think you DO know a magic spell to make the hurt go away, because what you said makes me feel much better. No, the pain left over from growing up is always there, but telling other people about it and then hearing comforting responses like yours, DOES make the pain go away. Thank you for describing me as sweet and loving. I hope it is obvious, as I don't want people who I interact with to ever feel like my back is turned to them.Mia kerickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09843135343676234071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-53263586346446855662014-03-07T21:45:00.770-05:002014-03-07T21:45:00.770-05:00Oh Mia, it's horrible what those kids did to y...Oh Mia, it's horrible what those kids did to you and makes me sad. I wish I had some words of wisdom or a magic spell to make the hurt go away, but this is all I've got. You, Mia, are a wonderful, sweet, loving human being. My life is better just for knowing you. For as much as they hurt you, it's their tremendous loss because they will never know the genuinely fantastic person you are. sandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12999167564135937556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-18628850685317442872014-03-07T19:01:33.852-05:002014-03-07T19:01:33.852-05:00Mel- I think the advice that your brother gave his...Mel- I think the advice that your brother gave his son is right on the money. I never thought to ask anybody the kind of question that your nephew asked your brother. I wish I had. I just went into school and basically reacted to things that "happened to me" and I never really thought too much about MY role in it. More it was as if I just waited to see what would come my way, instead of stepping out there and being somebody. I'm glad you pointed that out, as I do feel that I am now, at this point in my life, especially with my FB friends, trying to just show who I am by being nice and friendly to everybody. Some awesome people have responded with so much love I am awed (like you and Cody). Others are mere acquaintances, but that is OK, too. Positive attitude and high expectations for my peers probably would have made me more of a friend and less a target- or as a person who was easy to push out because I almost expected it of them and they could tell. Thanks for the story Mel. Mia kerickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09843135343676234071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-45141561734522172852014-03-07T18:12:53.984-05:002014-03-07T18:12:53.984-05:00Terrific post, Mia. The school years can be so tra...Terrific post, Mia. The school years can be so traumatic for kids. That's one reason my little brother has always been one of my heroes. He was very popular in school and a jock (huge guy-over six feet tall). BTW, I did NOT get the tall gene. But everyone loved him because he loved everybody. My nephew as he prepared to enter his first year of school was petrified and asked his dad "What if nobody likes me?" And my brother said, "Son, the best advice I can give you is to like everybody and treat everyone with respect. If you're nice to people and treat them as friends, the ones that matter will be your friends. You do that and your school years will be some of the best of your life." He turned out just like his dad and everyone loves him. Now they are both heroes to me. MelMel Leachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10086964882166356635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-21998884608804036082014-03-07T12:58:34.109-05:002014-03-07T12:58:34.109-05:00Thank you, Dianne. I felt so alone back then, but ...Thank you, Dianne. I felt so alone back then, but I realize now that so many people were suffering their own private pain, all alone in their little boxes. Remember the posters that used to say, "Try a little kindness"? That is really all it takes- for everybody to try to be just a little bit kinder. The world would be safer and warmer and more welcoming for everyone.Mia kerickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09843135343676234071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-41616522894887256042014-03-07T12:21:27.533-05:002014-03-07T12:21:27.533-05:00Beautiful post Mia. Too many of us have experience...Beautiful post Mia. Too many of us have experienced bullying in our lives and it's wonderful of you to reach out and help others through your stories. Big hard hugs!diannehartsockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15874628384426574320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610646670951633311.post-76919140000760421962014-03-07T11:16:22.002-05:002014-03-07T11:16:22.002-05:00Mia thank you for sharing what happened to you whe...Mia thank you for sharing what happened to you when you were young. I bought your book and will read it soon (I'll also make a review and post it on Goodreads and on DSP France FB page). I will never understand the pleasure that some people may find in the act of bullying others.Benedicte Giraultnoreply@blogger.com