June 15, 2021 Commissioner’s Court: The court returned to its pre-pandemic layout including having the speaker’s stand close to the front. While Collin County has one of the highest rates of vaccinations in Texas and the CDC rates our level of risk low, totally throwing caution to the wind seems unwise. Then again, our commissioners aren’t wise in general, so no surprise there. After no discussion whatsoever, they unanimously passed the Rules for Decorum. Now they can shorten or lengthen the time allocated for each speaker, mandate “proper attire” (which they get to define), and hold in contempt individuals who …
Collin County Politics: Transparency is Key
May 18, 2021 Commissioner’s Court: The meeting last week was abruptly canceled with no explanation given on the official website. When asked about this (via Facebook), Darrell Hale explained that it was because there weren’t enough commissioners present to have a quorum. So their absences are now resulting in canceled meetings. Good to know. Another problem is their lack of transparency. Why not just give the reason for canceling the meeting on the website? Similarly, why do the commissioners not have a “working” meeting like most other governmental entities? Hale explained that they do all their discussions in the weekly …
Why Can’t I Be the Best?
Question: Why is it that, no matter what I do, I can never be the best? I always feel like a failure even when I get second place. Yes, second place is still great but knowing that doesn’t help. I’ve tried hard to be the best but I can never get there. I wish my parents weren’t so laid back. If they’d put more pressure on me, maybe I’d be better. Even relationships are a challenge. My siblings and I fight a lot, even over small things like chores. My dad says they get along when I’m not there but …
I Was Angry but Now I’m Depressed
Question: I’ve always been a loner but now I just stay in my home all day without talking to anyone. I also sleep a lot, sometimes for up to 12 hours at a time. I’m tired all the time (even with all the sleep) and there aren’t a lot of things I enjoy doing. When I was a kid, I was angry all the time. I’d get into fights at school and none of the other kids wanted to be my friend. My teachers weren’t interested in me even though I was smart and got good grades. Some of them …
We Shouldn’t Dismiss Our #MeToo Experiences
Most women have had #MeToo moments but many of us dismiss the severity of them. That’s been a good coping strategy but maybe it’s time for us to stop ignoring our pain.
Improve Mental Health Treatment? If Only We Would!
The latest mass shooting has renewed calls for improvements in our mental health treatment system. If only they were serious about it, much could be done.
Mother Blame: Psychology’s Shame
The field of psychology has much to answer for with regard to our work with mothers. Mother blame has been a huge mistake for us but we can do better.
Even Superheroes Admit Torture Damages the Soul
The superhero genre has been sending the message that torture is immoral, ineffective and damaging to the soul. We need to learn this in reality too.
Stay at Home Mothers and Anxiety
Anxiety can be a common problem for stay at home mothers. Learning anxiety reduction techniques like positive self-talk, distraction and mindfulness can help.
Learning From Adrian Peterson: The Difference Between Spanking and Abuse
The arrest of football player Adrian Peterson for child abuse has sparked a national discussion on the merits of spanking. What is missing from this debate is that there is a difference between spanking and abuse and we need to figure out how to discipline differently.
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