Picky Eaters vs. Liars

I don't know which is worse.
But, I'm always blending the truth with lies when it comes to my kids and eating. One kid in particular who will remain nameless who doesn't eat food...period. He likes hot dogs. He likes breakfast hotdogs, italian hot dogs, german hot dogs. I've cut up chicken and called it chicken hot dogs. He likes toast. When I give him his toast it has margarine on it, but it's already melted. If I give it to him with the margarine not-quite-melted there is a problem. We have a margarine remover... As a matter of fact, you probably do too! It's called the microwave. I just pop that bugger in there and seconds later, the margarine is gone! LOL So easily persuaded...

Four year olds, they'll believe anything! Which is why we do our best to teach them the ways in which we want them to go. ;-) Hahaha. Raising kids is tricky.

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Speaking of kids--younger people than me, and even some people my own age, too. I've read a few Young Adult novels over the past year or so. I try to expand on the reading front, right? Keeps my mind turning, know what it new and hot in the industry. I find myself slightly disconnected from what young people are going through. As an adult, I don't even remember having that much stress as I navigated the halls of junior high and high school. Too laid back, right? I don't know. Well, in trying to understand what my daughter is starting to go through, I picked a book, Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman.

It is the resource for writing a girl book/YA novel. [it's also a great resource for parents in general and I highly recommend it] It should be taken with a grain of salt, of course. It lacks an element of morals and faith, but...

On the writing front, there is so much out there about personality, birth order, characteristic... if you're like me, you skim alot of stuff then base your characters on what you see...what you experience. Sometimes it follows a well-studied formula other times, not so much. Now, if I were to write juvenile fiction, I would start with this book first. The description of the social hierarchy called Girl World--yes, you know what I mean--cliques and popularity. The pressures to be a certain way. Why some girls are popular and why others aren't. What drives them. What makes the bullied succeptible to bullying? How is this going to effect the rest of their lives... and BEST OF ALL, how to be a parent to these girls. How to help them become independent. Wiseman has spent ten years researching and studying girls...as amatter of fact, she used a girl! Haha.

It's a worthwhile resource. One I intend to use, in real life and in fiction.

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[an aside as I continue to read through the book...i got to the chapter about beauty and pageantry and the social climate. Feel like there is a lot missing, like the fact that you can raise your kids to NOT be materialistic, not concerned about outer beauty] I may need to re-review this tomorrow. *sigh* we shall see. I almost get the feeling, she thinks girls are the DEVIL...and the only way to help them is to be just as sneaky as they are. I'm not getting behind that. Nope. Sometimes, it seems like she thinks they have no individuality. They are all the same--lying, vying for attention, wanting cool shoes. Eh.

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Last but certainly not least...

Come visit my review blog, The Girls on Books!!!

Our author of the month, Jeannie Ruesch writes Historical Romance for The Wild Rose Press. Her debut novel comes out on the tenth and she wants to give a copy away.

Comment to win. She's a great lady, and a great writer. I look forward to sharing her book with you.