Supergirl’s Adoption Lens: Swooping Past Stereotypes

April 14, 2016 Most know Superman and Supergirl are adopted, along with Peter Parker as Spiderman, Dick Grayson as Robin, and heck even Bamm Bamm Rubble from the Flintstones...but all too often in media, characters depicted as adopted get the ‘cartoon’ treatment even when they’re not cartoons. From language used in journalism coverage, to controversial  Avengers punchlines in … [Read more...]

The Girls Q&A Book: 50 Ways to Fix A Friendship

Nov. 13, 2014 "There is no girls’ friendship drama that can’t be made WORSE… through staying silent, venting behind a friend’s back, or pretending things are just peachy," writes tweens and teens parenting pro Annie Fox in this interview that probes Annie Fox's latest new book "The Girls Q&A Book: 50 Ways to Fix A Friendship Without the Drama."“What part of friendship gives … [Read more...]

The Invisible Boy: A Kids Storybook That Taps A Universal Nerve

Update Dec. 24, 2015 We're about to volunteer at a children's homeless shelter doing activities with kids and it reminded me about this post and how I've 'seen so much invisibility' over the holiday season particularly. From social shunning and  ostracism within families, to homeless and disenfranchised groups, the holidays bring out a lot of invisibility...keep an eye out with … [Read more...]

Using “Frozen” as an Icebreaker For Meaningful Chats With Kids

Nov. 22, 2019 Frozen 2: With the opening weekend of Frozen 2 and a script laced with big topics from tribalism to ethnic genocide, there are icebreakers and family history springboards aplenty. Interesting that Disney took a preemptive step to negate cultural appropriation backlash by signing an agreement with indigenous Sami culture for respectful portrayal; first I've … [Read more...]

A HUGE Breakthrough for TV: Nuance Trumps Vapid Vixens Aplenty

August 12, 2010 In part one and part two of my posts about ABC Family’s Huge premiere, I hoped to see the show evolve from the hope and promise of some stellar scriptwriter ‘attachments’ to actually being ‘attached.’ I’d like to say they ‘had me at hello’ but frankly they did NOT. I’m not an ABC Family ‘teen soap’ fan of the shallow sniper-fire of frenemies and sexcapade … [Read more...]