K.C. Sprayberry's Blog, page 101

A Fervent Wish

Good morning and welcome to Sunday Book Blogs. All month, we’re focusing on teens and the trials they face as they move toward being adults. Today, it’s all about losing a family member.

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Death comes without warning sometimes. Occasionally, the individual will know they’ll lose someone they love just not when. No matter where and when death arrives at your door, no one is prepared for the sense of loss they’ll endure. This is what Dawn experiences when her dad confides a secret she can’t tell anyone; a secret that’s eating her up inside. Her job over the holiday season is to keep her younger siblings from discovering their mother has a virulent form of leukemia and isn’t expected to survive…


Blurb
One more Christmas is all Dawn wants. Is that too much to ask?
With a little more than a week before the holiday, fifteen-year old Dawn and her dad share a heart-wrenching secret about her mom. She’s dying of leukemia, but no one suspected a thing; they all just thought she was tired. All Dawn has to lean on is a prayer—that her mom won’t die before or on this special day, so her five younger siblings don’t have to remember that during the holidays in the future. Will she receive her wish?
Excerpt

Robby Ryan got off the bus ahead of me. Not that I was that far behind him. We had the whole walk home, about a quarter mile on paved sidewalks, and no reason to hurry. He stopped and glanced at me, a sly smile on his face.
“Come on, Dawn. Quit being a slowpoke.”
We’d had a sort-of-friends relationship all our lives. He lived across the street and a few houses up from me in our little hometown of Monrovia, California. Robby was an older man, all of seventeen. I was fifteen for a couple more months, and that was the worst age to be in 1974. My parents were so old fashioned, saying I couldn’t even think about having a real boyfriend until I was sixteen—in February.
“I’m not a slowpoke,” I said to him, grinning. “Why are you rushing anyway? It’s not like we have anything to do except boring old chores.”
The illicit feeling of getting away with our budding romance sent a thrill through me. Who was I to argue with hormones? We had an attraction, built on years of each of us trying to outdo the other, a love of similar activities, even if my mom got all bent out of shape when I played football or went hiking in the hills above town.
“Any plans for our vacation?” he asked once I reached him.
“Plenty, but you know how it is.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Mom will probably decide to scrub the walls or move the furniture and I’ll have to help.”
A hitch in my voice was the only indication that my assessment of how I’d spend this break from school wasn’t quite the truth. Not that I’d tell a single soul that I’d been more of a mom to my brothers and sisters since Thanksgiving. Even Robby and his family didn’t know what was going on around our house.
Nobody knew, and it would stay that way as far as I was concerned.
Mom’s not really sick. She’s just worn out.


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.                                                             A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
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Authorgraph Email

Pay Attention to Your Surroundings

Good morning and welcome to Sharing Saturday. All month, we’re focusing on teens and the trials they face as they move toward being adults. Today, it’s all about school violence and exactly what everyone can do to curtail school violence.
One thing people need to relearn is to pay attention to their surroundings at all times. This is especially important in these troubled times, when it seems that not a month passes without at least one report of school violence.
The most important reason for being aware of your surroundings is so you can find a safe place if a shooting starts. Instead of having to look around, you will know exactly where you can hide. While it will be very nice to bring along your friends, survival instincts will kick in and you’ll find yourself diving into cover without any thought about them. This is not a bad thing. The human mind is wired to survive. You will move without thinking and only realize later that no one came with you.
Not only be aware of what’s immediately around you, but also what’s ahead and behind you. You don’t necessarily need to be suspicious of the activity, but it’s always good to know this information. What if a group of guys are roughhousing and you’re going to walk right through them. You’re now forewarned of the potential of being part of something you’d rather not and can move aside.
This is also a good way to practice for what you’ll face later in life. The world won’t move aside because you’re on your smart phone, checking out social media or texting someone. You’re expected to take care to avoid oncoming problems and work a way out around them. Another reason to be cautious about your surroundings is if you want to avoid a certain person. How can you do that when you’re busy with your phone? And once you’re working at a job, your boss certainly isn’t going to be happy if you’re always on your phone instead of doing the job you were hired for.
Now that you’re aware of your surroundings you might notice that you’re seeing things you might not have normally. Like that bunch of girls teasing a younger girl because she’s different. Or the guys roughhousing have stopped to admire the trophy case… or a girl they just happened to notice. Or the creepy guy from science has changed a lot since last week and looks pretty cool now.
Maintaining a firm grip on the place where you are isn’t just for personal safety but also for connecting with the real world. You’ll soon discover that you’re enjoying those sights. You might even strike up conversations that don’t require you using a keyboard to communicate. Talking is a real thing and you can find out more about someone than if they have time to think about how they’ll respond to a comment you made and ensure it’s what you want to hear.
Remember that even though your personal safety is the most important reason you should be aware of your surroundings, there are also fun benefits to this.


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email

Is Arming Teachers Viable?

Good morning and welcome to Friday Feelings. All month, we’re focusing on teens and the trials they face as they move toward being adults. Today, it’s all about school violence and exactly what everyone can do to curtail school violence.
One of the options bandied on social media after the most recent spate of school violence is to arm teachers. Some claim this only adds to the problems. Many of my teacher friends don’t feel they’d be safer if they had a weapon while others firmly embrace the idea. However, after reading what one teacher had to say about this, I’m in agreement with the teachers who disagree.
Don’t think that I’m against private citizens owning and carrying guns. I’m very much for that. It’s a constitutionally guaranteed right, and the militia referred to in the Bill of Rights has nothing to do with the military. But that’s a subject for another time.
Why am I against teachers being armed?
Because schools now aren’t the schools most adults attended while growing up. The teacher is no longer considered the revered passer on of knowledge to the student willing to learn. Teachers now have to babysit more than they can teach. They are at risk in some classrooms, because they students have taken over. Efforts to turn this rising tide of rebellion have yet to change the problem. This is a problem that has to be addressed in the home as well as at the school.
Just what kinds of problems do these teachers see?
Students believe they’re rights are more important than a teacher’s right to privacy. Desks, briefcases, and purses are rifled all the time. Reporting such incidents rarely has a lasting impression on the student in question. They’ll actually get meaner and create a hostile environment in the classroom.
This is more evident now than in the past with the use of smart phones. Other students will record the event as the teacher is being “schooled” by a student. I’ve seen dozens of these videos, where a student is menacing a teacher, pushing them, screaming in their face. The teacher has no recourse to fight back. They must walk away from the student and attempt to control their classroom, knowing their lack of action is causing the other students to disrespect them.
If someone manages to notify the principal or resource officer, the situation becomes worse. The student will fight back and end up arrested. At that point, they’re screaming their rights were violated and they weren’t at fault…
Let’s back up a moment. Where does this student learn they have more rights than a teacher in the classroom? When did a student’s decision to menace their instructor become the norm?
These problems are school violence as much as a shooter terrorizing everyone. A student menacing the teacher disrupts the learning process for other students. Yet, everyone involved in these discussions claim there’s no solution they can think of.
I have an idea…
Students claim they have rights. They do… to an education equal to other students. Beyond that, their rights are limited to being allowed to attend school with everyone else. They don’t have the right to give a teacher a verbal beat down because they don’t like them. Students don’t have the right to disrupt everyone else’s learning because they’re being a fool.
These students need to learn their behavior is as abhorrent as is that of a shooter. That they will not be allowed to act out like a two-year-old and not be punished. They have to understand that they are in the classroom to learn. If they don’t want to learn, vegetate in the seat until the day is done, but don’t demand that you get to graduate with your peers. You haven’t earned that yet.
As for teachers having a weapon in a classroom, not yet. Not until we take back control of the classroom from the students.


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorlink Email

You Can't Have It Both Ways...

Good morning and welcome to Thursday Thoughts. All month, we’re focusing on teens and the trials they face as they move toward being adults. Today, it’s all about school violence and exactly what everyone can do to curtail school violence.
Continuing our month long look at school violence, we’re looking at the current trend of “having it both ways” when it comes to dealing with school violence.  Recent events have brought to light that bullying on the part of high school students might be part of the root cause of some incidents we’ve seen over the last few years. Some of those who participated in this vile act have even bragged that they had been giving the shooter a hard time for years. Yet, these same people are willing to blame the tool in addition to the shooter and demand that both be dealt with harshly.
Here’s a reality check. If you want change, you can’t be an underlying reason behind the problem. Yes, you were more than likely a survivor of the incident and you can consider yourself a victim, but you are a victim of your own making. However, that doesn’t make the shooter’s actions any less horrific. It doesn’t make them a sad person who couldn’t handle the problem any longer. It only makes what they did worse, because they chose to bully those bullying him.
This is another instance where we need to step back and view the problem from a dispassionate perspective. Strong emotions are good, to a point, but when it comes to finding a solution we need everyone interested in a lasting resolution to be able to discuss all points without shouting and screaming at each other or pointing fingers at their own idea of what’s the root cause.
Fact: not everyone bullied in school gets even by using a gun…
Most of those bullied in school move on eventually. They’ll find a new life, far from those they won’t associate with because of their behavior in the past. Some will become very successful; others will move on to become bullies themselves and justify their actions by saying “It happened to me and I survived.”
Fact: there is no way you can put hundreds if not thousands of teens into a single school and expect to stop bullying…
The teenage years are fraught with what feels like hyperspeed changes. Not only are these young adults growing very fast, they’re experience puberty. That, in and of itself, is enough to drive any crazy all the time. With the guidance of strong parents, good teachers who understand they’re working with walking, talking masses of confused and oftentimes surly children, and a society that is willing to be reasonable and allow these teens to grow into responsible adults with a bit of guidance.
Fact: school violence has been around since the mid-nineteenth century. It’s not going away any time soon.
We’d love to see school violence go away. No one wants to hear the tones for “Breaking News” and listen to reporters expounding on yet another shooting. Although I’m a strong proponent for freedom of the press, there are times when I wish they’d keep their mouths closed until all the facts are in. School shootings is at the top of the list of those times.
Fact: change can happen, if everyone is willing to listen to differing viewpoints and agree this is more than a child showed up with a gun and shot people.
This is a fact overlooked by a lot of people after an incident of school violence. Their emotions are in control and they’re saying whatever they believe without thinking of viable solutions. To solve this problem, we must be willing to take the time to get all the facts and come up with an answer that will allow our teens to mature during high school so they can handle the world as an adult while also keeping them safe.


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email

Everybody is Important

Good morning and welcome to wwwblogs. All month, we’re focusing on teens and the trials they face as they move toward being adults. Today, it’s all about school violence and exactly what everyone can do to curtail school violence.

High school has always had a hierarchy. You have your jocks and their close group, usually at the top. There are those students who excel in all of their classes bringing esteem to the school. Even the band kids are considered part of the cream in a school, especially if they’re placing well in competitions. Unfortunately, there are also students who tiptoe through high school, wanting to be part of the elite groups but uncertain how to achieve that.
I’m not advocating putting everyone on a team, especially if they’re not qualified but tried out. That’s about as silly as telling a bully they have to quit and expecting them to do it immediately. What I am saying is that in the end, everyone in a school is important.
The first problem to be solved is finding a place for those on the outside looking in, some type of club or activity they’ll enjoy and can do with relative ease. One of the best school clubs I was in back in high school was the Benjamin Franklin Memorial Kite Flying Club. All we did was meet on the school’s front lawn at irregular days and times and fly kites. It was fun. We got to know a whole lot of people we normally didn’t connect with during the school day, and there was no pressure to excel.
These types of clubs are lost in the past. Bring up the idea of today’s teenager running around on a grassy field, lofting a kite into the air, and you’re likely to get a blank stare. Unless… a parent volunteers to monitor the club and assists the students in building their kites and getting them off the ground. Sure, all parents of teenagers have busy schedules but how hard is it to give up an afternoon or two every month to show teens some of the simpler pleasures, to make them feel like they’re wanted and part of the high school experience?
You know something… you might even learn a thing or two yourself.



About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.                                                             A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email 

Tough Choices

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday Book Blogs. All month, we’re focusing on teens and the trials they face as they move toward being adults. Today, it’s all about the choices teens make.

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Get the print book of Life Intrudes on Amazon
Every day, teens are faced with choices and they aren’t easy. So many times, these teens are caught in situations that force them to learn fast how to handle themselves or be caught in an undercurrent that can destroy them…


Blurb

Teens face many issues in this often unforgiving world. The choices they make often decide where their life ends up. Choices are often gauged by the support they receive from the world around them, or their own values, which can be tested by their peers reactions.
The twenty-first century has given teens many things that seem to spell doom to their dreams and hopes. School violence, abusive friends, alcohol and drugs, and bad decisions leave them wondering if it’s worth the effort to stand up for what they think is right.
Excerpt

A hand reaches for my arm. I fall into the classroom. My teacher’s screaming. I can’t hear his words. I rise to grab Lissa—he holds me down. I hear screams, panic streaming through me. I reach for Lissa and...
“Karly, wake up. You’re screaming again. Wake up, honey.”
I startle and open my eyes to discover I’m in my bed, in my safe home, but the other bedroom, right across the hallway, is empty and will never have my older sister in it again.
“I’m sorry,” Mom says over and over. “Oh, Karly, I’m so sorry you’re having to go through this.”
Mom’s here. She’s crying, again. Shaking away sleep, I watch her reach over. For the first time in six months, I don’t flinch when she hugs me.
“You were screaming,” she says. “Is it the dream?”
I nod. Again. The dream has haunted me for so long. Two months ago, it stopped. But now…
“Why now?” I ask.
“The trial starts tomorrow,” she says. “Are you worried about seeing Jack?”
I shudder. Jack Armstrong was Lissa’s boyfriend all throughout school, since they were in kindergarten. Starting their senior year, she’d decided he was smothering her. Right after the first football game of that season, she’d told him that she didn’t want to be his girl.



About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.                                                             A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email

We Want Protection!

Good morning and welcome to Monday Blogs. All month, we’re focusing on teens and the trials they face as they move toward being adults. Today, it’s all about school violence and exactly what everyone can do to curtail school violence.

The current battle cry for those demanding an immediate end to school violence is to make substantive changes to schools. Just what those changes are hasn’t been really thought out, but there are several that are popular.


The first is that schools should have the same level of security as airports. My question to these people is “Have you seen how long it takes to get through airport security recently?” My last venture through this procedure was in 2006 and it was not pleasant. Nor has it change for the better since then, from the horror stories I’ve heard from my friends who fly frequently. 



My first argument against this type of protection for our schools is that it’s hard enough to get a teenager out of bed on time to catch the bus or be driven to school as it is. Add in the amount of time it will take to get them there so they can stand in a long line waiting on the officers on the other end to check everyone’s bags and move them through a scanner and you have a surly student entering the building. Oh, and if someone pings the scanner, things take so much longer. The reality is that students would be late to or miss their first class entirely, and that creates a whole new problem.


Some have mentioned how well prisons are protected with their fencing. Okay. Been to your local prison lately? During college, way back in the stone age of the mid-seventies, I worked private security on housing starts in order to pay my tuition, books, and fees, and also have a way to study and keep up my 4.0 GPA. It wasn’t an ideal solution but with a lot of No-Doze (that decade’s equivalent to energy drinks today), enough coffee to float a hippopotamus down a dry river, and cokes for when the coffee churned. Going on two to four hours of sleep, I managed to accomplish my goal, but to be honest, even now I can’t sleep for more than four to six hours. Really not a good solution.


One of the sites I worked at was within five miles of a prison. It wasn’t a nice white collar prison either. The individuals in there were among some of the worst in the state of California. At the time, I was a slender young woman who looked like she’d break down crying if she cracked a fingernail. Seeing that prison going to and leaving the job site five days a week was enough to convince me that I wanted no part of a place with that much razor wire looped through the fencing. Is this really how you want your teen going to school?


The final solution most bandied is actually a great idea, if your teen doesn’t mind not having any privacy regarding what they bring into school. Privacy is huge for teens. Nobody but nobody gets to look at their stuff unless they show it to them. However, schools are opting for clear backpacks and duffel bags instead of the standard canvas. This, too, can be problematic as the bags will still have to be searched for contraband and the students might be late for class. It is, however, the best solution in the interim. To be honest, there is no perfect solution for preventing school violence. This type of activity isn’t just for shootings. Fights are also considered school violence, as are bullies shoving kids into lockers. The perfect solution would be for these hormone driven teens to get along with each other and put their emotions on the shelf. Good luck with that.


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.                                                             A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page  
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email

Friendships

Good morning and welcome to Sunday Book Blogs. All month, we’re focusing on teens and the trials they face as they move toward being adults. Today, it’s all about school violence.

Get the eBook on Amazon
Get the print book on Amazon
Active Shooter – words that continue to strike terror in hearts everywhere. What if it was your school, your friends being killed by someone with a gun? What if you are in a room with a school shooter? What do you do to survive?

Blurb
Military brat, Julie Bond, survived school violence as a small child. As a teen nearing graduation at a high school in Landry, GA, she puts down the flashbacks to that time as pre-graduation jitters. Her attempt to convince herself it can’t happen again fails, as she continually sees herself caught up in the madness of that day…
She walks into her classroom, prepared for a last assignment…
And hears a strange voice…
She’s no longer living in the past…
Can she overcome evil once again?
Excerpt
Achtung!
The German word for attention echoes through my head as I sit in the last French class I’ll ever take. In an instant, the comforting cream-colored walls of Landry High School vanish. I’m crouched under a table with tears streaming down my face. Three men and two women point huge, black automatic weapons at my classmates.
It’s not real! I’m almost eighteen – not five.
The thud of something hitting the floor brings me back to the present. A stick-thin woman with a nose resembling a buzzard’s beak fluffs her jet-black hair. She tugs at her flower print dress and stares right at me.
“Si content pour avoir votre attention, Juliette.”
Grrrr! Doesn’t she get how much I hate that name!
My hands curl into fists, until my chewed fingernails cut into my palms. This woman belongs in the present, but the sight of her dredges up my past – a past I thought was firmly hidden.The event, as I refer to that time, happened almost thirteen years ago at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Terrorists determined to free one of their compatriots chose my kindergarten classroom for their hostages. They left scars I try very hard to bury, but they slip out at unguarded moments.




About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email

It's Okay to Cry

Good morning and welcome to Saturday Sharing. All month, we’re focusing on teens and the trials they face as they move toward being adults. Today, it’s all about school violence and exactly what everyone can do to curtail school violence.
The worst has just happened. Your school has just joined the ranks of schools that have experienced violence. You’re shaking harder than a leaf in a huge wind, fearful for your life, and uncertain what to do. The urge to cry is huge but you don’t want to appear to be a baby. You keep telling yourself that you have to be brave and strong so you can’t cry…
Hang on right there. Cry… but quietly if you’re still in a situation where you have to be unnoticed.
It’s okay to cry. Nobody is going to call you a baby or tell you to stop because you look stupid. Crying is a healthy emotion. It means your brain and body have reached a point where they’re so overwhelmed by your immediate situation that they can’t handle the pressure.
Release those tears. Release the terror with those tears. Give your body a chance to assimilate the information and your brain a chance to work out what you’ll do to survive.
I can hear the protests now… but I’m a guy. Guys don’t cry.
Well, maybe they should. There’s no weakness in crying. Even the strongest people cry; we just don’t do it in front of the world. I’ve always thought that was a bad thing but it was impressed on too many generations for too long that you didn’t cry in public unless it was for the loss of a loved one. Maybe if we’d learned to cry in public when things are too harsh to handle, the world would be a more forgiving place.
Once you’ve let loose of the fear through your tears, lean on your inner strength to think of a way out of the situation. Think like a winner, a person who can work out their problems. Be strong for yourself but also allow those with you their moment to release their own fears.
Now that you’ve taken a deep breath, now that your tears are slowing down, ask yourself how you feel. Are you still scared? Probably. Can you do anything about what’s happening? More than likely not. What should you do next?
The last question is more difficult to answer. If you’re in a school violence situation and close to the center of the problem, your best bet is to get somewhere that you can hide until law enforcement shows up. They’re the experts, not you. They will come for you. It might seem like it’s taking forever but they’re pretty busy stopping the problem, so they can get all the kids out of the school. Give them some time. They will be there.
Obviously, you can’t be on social media or having your phone pinging. Yeah, there are some kids who might be trying to get video to post on those social media sites. That’s not really smart. And you’re smart. Right? So, you’re going to take deep breaths, release a few more tears, and wait patiently, because that’s what your parents and teachers have taught you.
Scary times we live make for moments when we need to remain strong, but that doesn’t mean we can’t cry.


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
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Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email

Social Isolation

Good morning and welcome to Friday Feelings. All month, we’re focusing on teens and the trials they face as they move toward being adults. Today, it’s all about school violence and exactly what everyone can do to curtail school violence.
One of the things all school shooters have in common is social isolation. Their social skills are limited or locked in an elementary or a middle school level. They truly don’t know how to navigate the turbulent waters of high school.
These students have never learned how to communicate with others on their level. They’re the quiet kid in the corner. The boy always trying to join the cool group of kids only to be rebuffed over and over again. These teens have a tendency to shy away from anything they perceive as being outright or forthcoming. They spend more time at home alone than they do interacting with their teens.
What changes them from the quiet kid that never participates into a violent individual determined to wreak havoc?
Like all teens, they want to be accepted for who they are. Unlike most teens, they have no idea how to do this. When they make the attempt to fit in, by emulating behavior they’ve seen, they’re awkward and are laughed at. That only pushes them further into their isolation, until they make the next attempt and are rebuffed. This cycle continues until they’re angry and ready to lash out.
The teen years are probably the toughest. In addition to their bodies changing sometimes overnight, they’re expected to become more mature instantly. Far too often, a parent will snap at them to act their age when they don’t have any idea how to do that.
These teens will crawl inside themselves, much like a turtle retreats inside its shell when threatened. They do feel threatened. No one understands them. Reliving the rejection makes them angry and as with all other teens, they want to get even. Because they have no real social compass, they react in ways they’ve seen others get attention—whether it be in school, on television, or in computer games. Most of those ways are inappropriate.
How do we cure this problem?
Learn that teens may draw back because of their sensitivity to social challenges or a fragile self-esteem. Show them how to develop a sense of belonging rather than telling them to get over it. By doing this, you’ll put these teens on the path to creating social and emotional well-being in addition to academic success.


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb
Authorgraph Email