Yet Another Anti-Bullying Campaign

Dec 1, 2014

It’s true, mum and I have been floating on cloud nine after this happened last night:

https://twitter.com/BarsAndMelody/status/538970020118659072

A few days after we posted our blog Not Just Another Anti-Bullying Campaign, the boys we wrote it about (Bars and Melody) tweeted a link to the blog. Well we flipped obviously! It’s not everyday you get noticed by someone famous. After we got over the initial shock of being tweeted to over 200,000 people, we got more excited when we considered why we would be tweeted about.

Bars and Melody promote anti-bullying, and they’re famous for it. After their performance on Britain’s Got Talent, they went viral. Since then, they have moved on to travelling the globe spreading the word about how bullying affects so many people daily. The fact that these boys who have made it their life mission to support the anti-bullying campaign think that our blog about the topic was worth reading, is amazing.

These boys are really making a positive difference in the world and it feels really good to know that they think our post might help. Mum and I are so excited to know we have so many new readers who are willing to support Bars and Melody (and us of course) in the movement to stop bullying on a global scale.

As a teenager myself, I am surrounded by people who try and tell us their own bullying experiences and telling us to speak up if we are being bullied. As hard as it is to listen to these stories, there is always the thought that they are older than us and my generation doesn’t do that. However, when you hear a boy who is your age say that he was beat up for being different is a real reality check.

It’s really hard to imagine moving on from something like that but Leondre didn’t just move on, he went on to become a huge sensation that works towards stopping things like what happened to him. Well, I can say it’s working. Listening to all the girls talking after they spoke to us at my school, it was obvious that what they had said really stayed with them and probably will for the rest of their lives.

Bars and Melody are following the leads of other famous people who are taking a stand against bullying too. Some of these stars who feel just as strongly about the issue of bullying are Victoria Justice (star of Victorious), Demi Lovato (star who has faced bullying in the public eye as well as in private) and Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark from the Hunger Games trilogy). As well as these individuals my favourite TV cast, Pretty Little Liars, has come out against bullying.

These particular people stand out to me as people that are doing similar work to Bars and Melody. This is because all of the solo people I spoke about have done TV and radio interviews to promote anti-bullying and have joined organisations devoted to the end of bullying. The Pretty Little Liars cast is different. The entire TV series is devoted to bullying and the impacts it can have on the lives of everyone involved. Its a great TV show to show the effects (whilst extreme) of cyber bullying.

After hearing Bars and Melody talk about bullying, sing their self written songs (did I mention they are 14 and 16 and have written their own song. Can you say talent?) and then have them tweet about my blog post, I can safely say that these two boys are doing a great job to stop bullying. If you haven’t already, I would suggest checking out their audition for Britain’s Got Talent, it really is an inspiring video.

Ciao, Ash

Advice to your mum…

Nov 30, 2014

Here are the best five pieces of advice I can give any mum on how to raise a teenage daughter;

Not just another anti-bullying campaign

Nov 27, 2014

Bullying

On Monday at school, Bars and Melodies came to give an anti-bullying campaign. They sang songs that they wrote together and spoke to the entire senior school about their stories of being bullied and how they overcame it. It was a really inspirational event that came as a massive shock to everyone in my school (these boys are celebrities for crying out loud).

Bars and Melodies are a British duo. The team contains Leondre and Charlie who are 14 and 16 respectively. The two boys rose to fame on Britain’s Got Talent when they first sang their hit single Hopeful that they wrote themselves. Having the opportunity to listen to the stories of real people who are my age really puts things into perspective when it comes to bullying.

Mum or Friend?

Nov 18, 2014

For those of you who love to read our blog, you will clearly see that Ashlea and I are great friends. We have lots in common and for most of the time we get on extremely well. This isn’t hard as Ash is a great kid (or young lady) and easy to communicate with. However, there are times when I need to put my parenting hat on and I am finding this more and more difficult with her.

Advice to your daughter – (No.2)

Nov 16, 2014

As a mother of 2 teenage daughters ( and 2 younger boys but I will get to them later), I have noticed that parenting is getting harder and harder as they age. When I had 4 children 6 and under, I thought it couldn’t get any harder. And that was the case at the time – it was physically exhausting. However, as my children have grown, so have their needs, mainly emotional needs and I need to be there for them more now than ever.

I am living through this stage but I have also done extensive research about helping other parents survive the teenage years. I have devised another 5 tips on keeping that parallel connection with your daughter.

100th BLOG

May 28, 2014

So between the pair of us, mum and I have officially written 100 posts on our blog – Our Parallel Connection. It has been really enjoyable and interesting to write with mum and look at how similar or different our ideas can be. I love writing about different topics as it has taught me many things about my own thoughts and ideas. I know have developed as a writer whilst working on this blog and I know that mum has as well.

I think working on this blog with mum has brought us closer and now I know even more about how she thinks and writes. I feel more confident as a writer and ready to take on greater writing challenges (which we are looking into as I write). I love writing with mum and love writing for everyone who reads our blog. Ask your friends to join our blog, just for fun. It’s hard to describe the confidence I’ve gained over the past 100 posts and I think I speak on behalf of mum and myself when I say that we can’t wait to write 100 more.

I would like to thank everyone for their continual support for Our Parallel Connection.  I personally can’t wait to pursue even more interesting topics and ideas. I love writing about things that are going on in my life and comparing it to what mum has to say and I hope everyone else does as well. see ya Ash xxx

It is amazing how time goes by so quickly. Ashlea and I began this journey in November last year, purely out of the joy we both have for writing. The past 6 months have been wonderful and I have enjoyed spending that extra little bit of time with my teenage daughter. A mother daughter relationship is precious but can get a little strained or tense at times. This blog helps keep our relationship on track.

Over the past 100 posts, my favourite part is reading what Ash has to say on the topic chosen. Sometimes we discuss topics, while other times we tell each other what we would like to write about. It works both ways. I am lucky as I get to delve into my daughters mind, hearing what her true thoughts are on topics most parents would never discuss. It is a privilege to have this wonderful opportunity and I would like to thank Ashlea for jumping on board with me and putting all her heart and soul into every post. I love you Ash….