I’m Anne Waugh Moore, a mother of 3, retired physician, dog mom, estate sale lover and avid jogger. It won’t be long before my publisher releases my new – and first! – children’s book. The process of writing and publishing a book is very new to me and I have learned so much. What an adventure!
Starting this journey in my 50s is crazy, but here we are.
I’m excited to introduce my upcoming children’s book, Violet’s Viral Choices.
10-year-old Violet gets her first phone and is faced with some very adult decisions. She wants to be a part of the “inner circle,” but is asked to participate in bullying of another classmate. She must make a choice and is bullied herself by the members of her crowd to do so. What will she choose to do? Does the phone contract she has with her parents have meaning in the face of social pressures? What tools does she need to make the best decisions and to combat bullying?
As adults, we all make decisions every day. Some big and some small. Some we make without much thought. What should I wear today? What should I eat? But it’s the decisions on how we treat each other that really make the difference in our own and others’ lives. Are we giving our children the tools they need to make these decisions.
I wrote this book to open a dialog between parents, caregivers, counselors, coaches, teachers and children about the potential pitfalls of owning a phone and what will often be expected of our children when they receive one. A phone is not a toy. It is a tool for safety and proper communication. It’s a big responsibility. A phone can be a helpful tool, but a phone can also be dangerous if not handled appropriately. I’d like to see the generations of kids coming up behind us to be better prepared to handle the social responsibilities that phone ownership includes.
My book focuses on cyberbullying and the harm that bullying can cause not just to the target, but also those around them. Standing up to bullies isn’t easy in person or online, but if we prepare our kids with the tools they need to make better decisions, they hopefully will think before they text or post. They will scroll on instead of needing to make a snarky comment. They will choose kindness.
My book isn’t an end point in the learning process of kids with first phones, but a starting point. There are so many websites and books with helpful ideas on family phone rules and guidance on cyberbullying, whether your child is the victim, the bully, or both, and how to handle it. Talk to your friends, fellow parents, teachers, and anyone who works with kids or is in a position to influence them about your concerns about giving a phone to your child. Talk to your child. Let them know you are there for them. Let them feel safe to talk with you when things aren’t going as planned.
Love conquers all.
Cheers,
Anne