people – JonWestfall.com

May 4, 2016

Spanking is Wrong for These Three Reasons

As a psychologist, I often am asked questions related to children, child rearing, and development. One comment I often get from students and parents alike is that they disagree with most experts on spanking. They believe it is an effective form of punishment and (in some cases) have told me that they will not change their mind. I figured today I’d take some time to explain the reasons why spanking is wrong, giving you a chance to think about them and debate.

December 2, 2015

Epilogue to Cinereous

[nnwm15] It had been about 70 years, they estimated, since the first group arrived in Julie’s mind. They now numbered around 100, and the once barren gray land had transformed into a near utopia. A sky of blue, lush grass, and (thankfully) furniture, books, and more. Julie certainly seemed to have grown a much …

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November 29, 2015

Chapter 29: Secrets

[nnwm15] They all cried, even Ryan, after the shock had faded. G-ma hadn’t been seen since she fled the group. Jamie’s body lie like Ryan’s had days earlier, with no hint of activity. Around her neck, marks where the old woman had strangled her, were visible. “I can’t believe it” was the popular phrase …

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November 28, 2015

Chapter 28: Putting Down The Rebellion

[nnwm15] “Ready?” “Ready” “Let’s do this” When Jamie and Julie were little, the each had their own unique set of fears. For Jamie, it had been thunderstorms. Each time a front would move in, she’d run and hide somewhere she could block out the sound. Since it was possible, very, very rarely, that storms …

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November 21, 2015

Chapter 21: Dark Thoughts

[nnwm15] Ryan was quiet for the next few days, seldom making eye contact with the rest of the group. It was obvious to all that the revelation he’d forced out of Mara had affected him in some way. Ryan could be cruel, but it didn’t seem like he was a full on sociopath who …

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November 20, 2015

Chapter 20: YouTube

[nnwm15] Ryan sat there, painfully aware that things were changing for the worse. For the past few weeks, as he snuck off to the light valley, he had found something that could bring out the best in him, and with that so weak now, his demons were returning.

November 18, 2015

Chapter 18: Torment and Resent

[nnwm15] The next day the mountains turned red once more, and the cycle repeated itself. The following day, however, they lit up sporadically, but no flash of red appeared, and no pain or despair came upon the group. Ryan had stood up early that morning and decided to go for a walk, shrugging off …

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November 14, 2015

Chapter 14: Contact

[nnwm15] If I go out there, there is no coming back. The girl sat alone in the park. It was near dusk, and the birds were beginning to fly up into the trees for the night. They didn’t like intruders mulling around below them, making a terrible racket whenever they sensed a disturbance. The …

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November 13, 2015

Chapter 13: Unidentified Flying Object

[nnwm15] Where am I? Am I finally done? Is it all over? Sara Beth remembered a day years ago before she met Julie, back when it was just her and her parents, living far out in the country before they moved closer to the city. It was sunny, and warm, likely the first warm …

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November 11, 2015

Chapter 11: The Mountains

[nnwm15] Mrs. Corum had a nagging thought about an area of the landscape they’d yet explored. Weeks earlier they’d thought of heading toward the tiny dot of difference on the horizon, perpendicular to hers and G-ma’s spots, heading away from the light valley. They’d started that direction but, upon realizing that it was farther …

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