I’m working on ways to avoid reacting to mean statements as you described, perhaps some day I’ll succeed completely. Self help books from the 80s told me that I was giving away my “power” when I “let” someone else’s statements piss me off. The visceral reaction I have when mean statements come my way is real, the 80s philosophy isn’t the whole picture. A few years ago I heard a talk at my kids’ school by the 6 Seconds folks, http://www.6seconds.org/ and I think I have a bit more insight into it after that. For me, writing (journaling, writing email that I might or might not send) didn’t work and took a lot of time, sometimes causing me to dwell on the issue longer than I would otherwise.

It looks like people turn to you for information, including “what do I tell the kids?” questions. A resource worth mentioning is the liberal religious church I have attended for over 20 years.
I am part of a Unitarian Universalist community. Like other UU communities, we welcome and encourage couples, families and singles no matter who they love. I also teach OWL, sexuality classes we hold for middle school and high school students. The classes are about 60 hours long over 3 months. It is a well developed curriculum with fun discussions/skits/games/very little lecture. Topics include relationships, negotiating, gender identity, as well as the stuff many other classes try to cover (STDs, anatomy, pregnancy). We’re trying to give students good information so they can figure things out for themselves, with the help of their families, in an accepting environment. I started teaching it this year after the great experience my middle school daughter had when she went through it.

I like your “Thanks be to Al Gore”. I admire the man. I recently read his new book “Assault on Reason” (listened to it in the car while commuting). I greatly appreciate his working for change and doing what he can to be a positive influence on the world. I think you’re doing that too by being a positive voice with a sense of humor. Thanks for your thoughtful writing.
Brenda

Keep it up!

GG

Because I’m seeking advice and someone to talk to about this situation from all sides, I’ll go ahead and give my e-mail, because I’d like to hear from whoever is interested in helping me out. It’s sarahaddison05@hotmail.com. (TO ALL THOSE WHO SEE MY E-MAIL: Please don’t send me junk if you’re going to e-mail me, I really am just looking for some good advice.)