The War on Terror…

Sep 22, 2011 by Gretchen Seefried

Barbara Coloroso’s words still ring in my ears. This renowned parenting expert was talking about bullying, and how, like genocide, it starts from dehumanization. Today, ten years of Tuesdays since radical Islamic bullies broke our hearts, and stole our belief in the intrinsic good of man, I can’t help but think about the similarly heart-wrenching impact of domestic terrorism. No, not from homegrown religious extremists, but from equally power-famished relationship extremists that make too many of our homes anything but safe havens.

As I watched the September 11th remembrances on Sunday, I wondered how many of the people mourning those losses and railing against terrorism, are actually terrorists themselves, at least when it comes to their own families. In many ways that makes it even more horrifying. Because they’re not dehumanizing strangers, but the very people they purport to love.

Barbara Coloroso found her calling as a passionate anti-bullying expert via a circuitous journey from her first calling, as a Franciscan nun. Leaving the order, she went on to serve as a classroom teacher, university instructor, seminar leader and mother of three, before becoming a best-selling author, internationally recognized speaker, and consultant on parenting, teaching, positive school climate, nonviolent conflict resolution, and grieving.

Like Barbara, I have evolved over so many years, and am indebted to my experiences as a student, wife, parent, volunteer, writer, and entrepreneur, which together have led me to my own calling as a passionate advocate for children, women, and every human being who is bullied because of their gender, size, age, color, race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, or economic status. It is my personal belief that all people have the right to be safe.

Soon, MidChix & MadHens will become a blog purely dedicated to promoting the well-being of women and girls. We will be removing the social networking features of the site, and relying on our Facebook Page to provide us with the opportunity to interact with our followers. We will also be partnering with local nonprofits to host educational and social events aimed at connecting women and fostering conversation around the issues that affect them.

We will combine our Printer to Purse newsletter with Tech Tips and deliver this once a week via email, along with my personal blog. I hope you’ll continue to read, reflect, and respond. It’s the many people who reached out and replied to my outrage last October with their own stories and outrage that have inspired me to begin this extraordinary new journey. I invite and encourage you to us on Facebook so that we can keep conversing with you there.

I’m also excited to announce the upcoming debut of Seed To Sky, our new wing that will generate the funding for us to continue offering awareness and education through MidChix & MadHens. Seed To Sky provides women’s small businesses and organizations with affordable social media solutions that enable them to create and maintain a critical digital presence, growing their base of customers, clients, and donors. We’ll handle your social media optimization so you can handle your business. If you’d like more information about this service, please email us at
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