Bratfest at Tiffany's

Its a new school year and the 8th grade. The boys from Briarwood have come over to OCD until their school is renovated. The PC has been away from each other during the summer so its the first day back. As they were dumped by the boys at the end of the year party Massie has decided that they are on a boy fast. No boys but BFF's first and always. She gives them charm bracelets from Tiffany's to let them know that they are the NPC and that is New Pretty Committee. Anyone breaking the boy fast is out of the NPC.

We are seeing results of the monster these girls have created in Massie. They are not allowed to like boys? If they do something that is human and normal for their age then they loose their friends?

The NPC walks into the cafeteria for their Welcome Back! assembly. They make a late entrance on purpose and go to the reserved table that Claire saved before school. As they thought they would be worshipped like last year they are shocked that people are staring at them and look annoyed. They sit down, start texting and do not understand why they are not ah-dored by their fans. Massie has decided it is the boys being there that has made them loose their thrones per say. She notices that her friends are noticing them and reigns them in and quickly reminding them that they are to go on this boyfast or loose their place in the NPC.

We are seeing what happens when a Queen gets dethroned. Listen, you are doing a girl so much more harm by building her up so much than you are abusing another one. As you see, she will eventually fall and because the boys are there that they are not on top. Massie is doing all she can to hold on to this status. Even if it means trying to stop being human. Its normal for girls this age to notice boys! If a girl has been going to school without boys then yes, them being there is a huge deal. Massie's control is evident here.

Alicia is doing announcements during lunch again and this time a boy named Josh comes into the booth with her. He was told by his friends to ignore The PC because they were spies and stalkers. He told them to get over it and nobody was the wiser or really cared. Alicia admitted that in her world it was not that easy. She would endure banishment and the wrath of Massie if she decided to like a boy.

Should these kids have to worry about being normal? The boys have a healthy attitude here. Sure, they decided they were not going to like The PC but they broke that promise and all is well with them. Why should girl world be so destructive? At this age, friends are a girls whole life. All this is doing is reinforcing that it is not okay to be human for Alicia. Her world will crash if she does.

The NPC goes down to the room that they earned from Skye last year. It is now a locker room for boys. Massie has the girls recite a pledge promising total devotion to the NPC and to ignore boys completely. Friends first and foremost.

Okay, at this age friends will sell their souls to stay part of the group. Having them pledge something such as this only makes them as insecure as they already are. All five are insecure and something like this adds to the problem. Please, talk to tweens about true friendship and that people needing space is normal.

The next day the school decides to divide students into two separate groups. One will take classes in the main building while the other group will go out to trailers. Alicia and Josh come up with a plan where they will be housed in the main building and away from The NPC. This way Alicia can like Josh and not fear losing her friends.

Should it even come to this? I think the writing is on the wall here.

The NPC (except Alicia) are housed in the trailers and are not happy. Massie uses this as a way to get back on top. The first day she notices all of the LBR's and forms names for them which gives the NPC more reason to be nasty.

Has anyone noticed that according to Massie everyone but The PC are LBR's. Me thinks she does this to maintain control over her friends. Yet these girls live in fear and will not come together and stand up to her!

The local news shows up the next day to do a story on the merging of the schools and that they are in two different sections of the school. However, the story gets lost in the translation and it comes across as important kids are in the main building while disabled kids are in trailers. Alicia is interviewed for the story and is wearing Josh's Yankees cap as she forgets to take it off. Later that evening the girls are at GLU Headquarters watching this segment. Massie is furious that Alicia was wearing Josh's cap and that she thought Alicia was trying to make them out to look like losers on camera. So, Alicia is forced to turn in her charm bracelet and is banned from the NPC. The bracelet is thrown in the fire place.

You know, Massie is asking a lot of her friends. She is demanding they always look good, they are not allowed to make mistakes and are not allowed to be human. What has happened to Alicia is devastating. Losing your friends at this age is like an adult losing a job, house and their family all at once. The stress is that intense. These girls are learning to fear being human and normal. Claire chews her fingernails to the quick. It is how she deals with these problems.

Massie decides to give the trailers a makeover and of course not consulting anyone as to what they think. On the inside she decorates it like the inside of a Tiffany's box and the outside is like the outside of a Tiffany's box. Also, Massie starts to develop a crush on a boy named Dempsey.

A-ha! Massie is being human also. What happened to pledging ones life to her and the PC? Oh wait, rules don't apply to Massie, I forgot. These trailers are a hit, even the teachers like them. So, this has put Massie back on top again. However, parents begin to complain because they do not fork out so much money to send their kids to school and they not get to be in the trailers also. Lawsuit threats start to fly and the school decides to have a contest to see who should be in the trailers or in the main building.

Alicia misses her friends. She wants back into the group as the NPC are ignoring her completely or calling her an LBR. Alicia will do anything to get back in. So, Massie says she can be in if Alicia will rig the contest. Massie wants to be with Dempsey and so when Alicia announces the winner at the friday night school party, she has the NPC in the main building and the "LBR's" in the trailers. Once again, Massie is every one's hero and Alicia is back in the NPC. The boy fast is now off.

You know what, it is interesting that since Massie started liking a boy the boyfast was over. These Queens never cease to amaze me. Its all about them and people follow them so blindly. As for Massie being wonderful again, the others think she did them a favor when the whole time it was all to benefit her. Alicia was risking everything to cater to Massie and what she wanted. She lied and manipulated and once again, these girls are learning to lie, cheat, steal and get rewarded. No wonder our society is in the dumper!

This book gives us an opening into how far a Queen Bee will go to remain Queen. Also, we are starting to see what happens when she falls off her throne. The next book should be a real eye opener.

Disclaimer: I do not own these books. They belong to Lisi Harrison and the folks over at Poppy Books.

Sealed with a Diss

Well, The PC did it. They now have the ah-mazing room for 8th grade. Also, they must bring A-list boys to Skye's end of the year bash. Massie schemes to get Skye set up with Chris Abeley. Also, they spy from the room on the boys at Briarwood during a sharing class from a device in the room that is hidden in a stuffed bear in the boys classroom. Damage is done to Briarwood and OCD will have boys the next school year. The boys wind up getting angry at The PC in the end. Again, we are here to focus on Relational Aggression so here we go.

The PC and Layne are at GLU Headquarters which is the spa on the Block Estate. Layne is there because she and Claire were suppose to study math but wires were crossed in communication. So, while Layne is there The PC texts in front of her and talk badly about her.

Texting itself in front of others is rude! This is nothing more than mean behavior on The PCs part. The good thing is that Layne is not affected because she knows how they behave and she does not want to be a part of the group. She was only there killing time. Once again, manners gone bad.

Skye, who is the 8th grade Queen Bee stops Massie in the school halls. She wants to make sure Massie comes through on her date with Chris or Massie will be sorry. Oh and lets not forget that Skye is wearing a tiara!

Threats are threats bottom line. Skye has threatened Massie right here. This tiara is only a symbol of the power she has over others. Once again, power is an issue and Skye is throwing it around in her threats.

Massie has organized the complete day of the party. She has made a video and step by step on what they are to wear, do their hair and make-up, how to act and basically exist. If someone does not obey then they are to go bald to the party. No exceptions!

Okay, I would think at 12-years-old that one would be able to choose what to wear and how to dress in general. Is something wrong with this picture? Another threat and that is if they do not obey then they go bald? Once again Massie is controlling and once again her friends are feeding her power. Is it worth it? What happens when these girls grow up? Cater to another Queen Bee? These social roles are sick and make sure your child does not fall into them.

This is a short entry as the book dealt more with boy/girl relationships than Relational Aggression. However, I did want to point out the places this was occurring.

Disclaimer: I do not own these books or characters. They belong to Lisi Harrison and Poppy Books.

The Pretty Committee Strikes Back

The students of OCD and Briarwood are going on an overnight field trip to Lake Placid. This is for educational purposes only. Kristen cannot afford to go so she sneaks up instead. A bit of come-uppance comes to the PC in this book.

Massie has decided to have an underground kissing clinic which she calls MUCK (Massie's Underground Clinic for Kissing). This is her way of being the center of attention since Nina has left Westchester and returned to Spain. In Massies eyes they are suppose to idolize her and not Nina. The Friday before they leave for their trip, everyone meets in the OCD Serenity Chapel. This includes The PC, Olivia Ryan (Alicia's friend), Layne Abeley (Claire's friend and the most likable character in this book) and some girls named Livvy, Carrie and Alexandra. These other girls outside of The PC, with the exception of Layne, are thrilled to be part of MUCK.

First off, why does Massie need to always be on top? Why does there even need to be a top? Once again, Massies narcissism is getting the best of her. The best friend anyone could have out of these girls is Layne Abeley. Shes smart, friendly, has a good social conscience, feels good about herself (unlike these other girls) and stands up to Massie. She is not a follower but her own person. If anyone is not an LBR its Layne. As for LBR, according to The PC this means loser beyond repair. We begin to learn of this term and what it means at this point. Girls, please find friends who are similar to Layne. Shes anything but an LBR. Parents, talk to your children about calling other kids losers. Its wrong and the loser behavior belongs to those who even use this terminology.

Massie is charging $20 for the MUCK session. She knows nothing about kissing boys and like most bullies is not only lying but cheating these other girls out of their money. After Massie passes around glossip girl lip gloss, she gives the bad tasting ones to the girls. Alexandra makes a comment about her lip gloss tasting like meat and the guys will want to kiss her after wearing it. Dylan has to make a comment about her being a stray dog.

Massie is learning here how to lie and steal to get what she wants. She has lied about kissing boys as she has no experience. Also, is taking money from these girls. Adult bullies are well versed in this behavior. To the world, this would be considered a scam. As for Dylan, she really needed to keep her mouth shut. These girls do not need to be horrible to one another. Its not cool nor should it be acceptable.

Massie organizes the whole trip for The PC. The girls follow her as usual and not use minds of their own. They are told what they can and cannot wear on their trip.

Once again, these girls will not think for themselves. I hear people complain about the mean girls in women. However, this behavior is acceptable?? Girls, make up your own minds about things and parents, teach them to think for themselves!

Claire's brother Todd has a toy dog named Aibo. He and his friend Tiny Nathan are playing outside with it and Bean, Massie's pug dog hear them in the yard. Massie sets Bean loose to go out in the yard and attack the toy. Claire urged Massie to go down and put a stop to Bean tearing up Todd's dog but Massie was enjoying watching the action in the yard. After the attack Massie calls Bean back inside and she comes bringing the tail of the dog.

Massie's lack of empathy and what we are seeing a lack of conscience is evident here. Why is she enjoying watching her dog tear up a toy that Todd loves? Sure, we can say oh its just a toy but I find this behavior disturbing. Parental intervention is highly needed here. Massie needs to be punished and told to buy Todd a new dog. Not to mention apologize. Claire does have a conscience and plus this was her brother. Yet Massie was not about to stop her fun.

At the campsite, Massie claims the biggest closet for herself. Nobody is arguing with her because they are all too busy catering to her and idolizing her. All except Layne who sees her for what she is. A mean girl and a bully!

Do I even need to say it? Another example of feeding a bully and creating a monster.

Alicia gets even with Claire for kissing Josh at the end of the last book. Claire is upset because Cam is not talking to her.

Again, I am not going to focus on the boy/girl dynamic in this blog. I understand Alicia's anger; its normal in these situations. A girl likes a boy and her friend kisses him. However, revenge is not the answer. Girls, take a few deep breaths and go to your friend and ask what happened. What you see is not always what you get. You do not need to threaten to beat her up or seek revenge. Parents, talk to your kids about talking problems out with each other so they do not go to this level. There is no communication here between anyone (boys included) and as a result, there are a group of miserable kids based on assumptions and not getting the whole story.

Dylan catches her mother kissing her teacher in the cabin. She runs off into the woods and the other four girls follow her. They wind up getting lost in the woods and return to camp 5 hours later. The PC are expelled after this stunt. It was against the rules to take off like they did and they broke a rule. The reactions? Alicia will blame the teachers for losing them and talks lawsuit. Dylan says she is traumatized because she saw her mother and teacher kissing each other. Kristen will sue the school for discrimination against the poor and had to sneak up there. If she had not been discriminated against in the first place, she would not have had to lie to her parents and go up there on her own. As for the other students? They are really upset that The PC is being expelled and plan to fight the school on this decision.

Finally! It is about time these girls are held accountable for their actions! The rules did state that they were not allowed to go into the woods and expulsion would be the result. They broke the rule and are not treated like the crown princesses they have always been treated like. Do you see the result? One threatens a lawsuit. Alicia would not win in a court of law because the rules were outlined. Our courts today are too caught up in trivia like this and real cases needing to be heard are backlogged. Dylan was not traumatized; she was upset and that I can understand. Nobody wants a parent with their teacher as its uncomfortable for them. But traumatized? Give me a break! As for Kristen, well, it was not discrimination as the school had to do what they had to do. Maybe they could have done something for scholarship students but it was not their decision to do this. Plus, this was not a mandatory trip. As for the students being upset, they should be glad they can finally breathe and go to school, be individuals and exist in a healthy environment for a change! All they are doing is creating bigger monsters in these girls. Stop feeding them! Please! Why do you think these girls are so mean to begin with? Its power and by getting upset because they were punished accordingly just gives more power to them to be mean and hurtful to others.

Thanks for reading and will be back next week with the next two installments.

Take Care,
Elizabeth

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and am just using them for educational purposes only. They belong to Lisi Harrison and Poppy Books.

Invasion of the Boy Snatchers

Alicias' cousin Nina is coming to Westchester from Spain. She attends OCD with Alicia and The Pretty Committee. Nina enrolls in the 8th grade and is a hit at school. This of course angers Massie. Dylan and Kristen think Nina is great. However, Nina pulls some dirty tricks which leads to revenge on the part of The PC.

This book begins with Claire and Massie's families having dinner at the local country club. Claire finds out her family may be moving to Chicago which upsets Claire, Massie and their families. However, Mr. Lyons changes his mind and the Lyons family moves in with the Blocks. This means Claire and Massie will share a bedroom. Massie has Claire sleep in the bath tub and Claire is not able to shower and care for herself properly. Despite this, she still wants to be in The PC. Massie also states at this point that she gets everything she wants and if she wants Claire to stay in Westchester then she will.

Parents, please talk to your children about sharing and compromising. Also, about "getting everything they want." You spoil your children when they are young and they start to expect everyone else do to the same. Its not a realistic way of living. You create monsters out of them. Also, again, if your child is in the position that Claire is in above, please discourage the friendship. Relationships (healthy ones) are not made of one person doing all of the giving while another one takes. Claire is learning here to sacrifice her own basic needs to be liked by Massie!

At this point, the other friends Alicia, Dylan and Kristen are getting jealous of the friendship between Claire and Massie. Massie gets annoyed and does not want to deal with their insecurities.

Oh dear, these relationship situations are lethal. A group of friends exist and a new friend comes into the picture. At first, it tends to lead to jealousy and that is normal. People do not like to be replaced by other people and this is more of a problem in children. Instead of your child "getting annoyed" by the feelings of the others talk to your child about working together to make the change as smooth as possible. Yes, Massie and Claire are friends but Massie should help the other three get to know Claire as well. This situation right here jump starts insecurities in girls and their relationships with each other. If your child is a newbie, explain the others have known one another longer and its important to get to know all of the girls and not just one. At this point, parents need to step in and do what they can to bring the girls together. Learn to be inclusive and not exclusive. Yes, some things are "life" but you want your children to have healthy social skills too.

At school after coming back from winter break, a kiosk is set up at the school called Virgins where they sell virgin drinks to students. Before the opening, the Pretty Committee is standing at the front of the line and of course, they get to have free drinks.

Once again, that sense of entitlement is there. All the PC is learning here is that they are entitled and should have free drinks while everyone else has to pay. What have they done to deserve this? Please, talk to your children about favoritism and how rules apply to everyone unless its a coupon or contest. The PC once again is learning that they do not have to follow rules and are special for no reason.

Alicia's cousin Nina has arrived and she is popular with the other girls. Being a year older she knows more about boys and other teenage things. This angers Massie and she feels it steals her thunder.

First of all, there should be no thunder to steal. By giving Massie power the other girls are creating a monster here. Does anyone here see the monster developing in Massie? Yes, she is insecure but there are other ways to deal with these situations. Parents, talk to your children about this. Massie's narcissism is developing in spades here. If a new student comes to school, welcome them and not try to hurt them.

Massie has a sleepover and Alicia's mother made her bring Nina which upsets Massie. At the sleepover, Kristen is getting along with Nina so Massie has to insult her new haircut to bring her down a few notches for being friendly with her. Again, Massie reinforces in front of Nina that the sleepovers are exclusive and not to let this happen again. Of course, Massie and Nina do not get along the whole evening.

The last thing on your child's mind at this point should be getting caught up in any power struggles. Alicia's mother should have called Massie's before Nina even came to the sleepover. In the first book Massie's mother got involved and had her invite Claire when she first moved to town. Kristen also did the right thing in trying to get along with Nina. Please, talk to your children about new students at school and how it is important to welcome them. Also, about how they would feel if in their shoes. Also, Massie was wrong for putting Kristen down because she was getting along with Nina.

There is a Valentines dance coming up with the brother school Briarwood Academy. Its a boy/girl dance and we learn that Claire likes Cam, Massie likes Derrington and Alicia likes Josh. We also learn that Nina wants the boys to herself. So, she tells these boys that to win a soccer championship that they must avoid these girls at all costs until the championship game. This of course leads to the boys ignoring the girls and leaves a lot of confusion as a result.

Okay, parents before your child even thinks about boys, please talk to them! I am not going to focus on the boy/girl dynamic with this blog but want to point out that Nina here is behaving just as badly as Massie. She is enjoying the attention of the boys and wants to keep it to herself. This is also wrong.

The living arrangement between the Lyons and the Blocks is getting frustrating. This goes with people living with each other and is normal. We also learn from Alicia at this point that it was her fault that Massie was doing badly in math the year before according to Massie's mother.

Oh goodness......the "my spoiled child does no wrong and it is everyone else's fault" problem. Parents, grow up! Your child is not perfect and what she does away from you much of the time is not what you are aware of. This is classic in spoiled children. Massie doing bad in math was her own fault, not Alicia's! Teach your children responsibility! Alicia is being held responsible for something she is not doing. We wonder why people today cannot accept responsibility for their own actions? Hello!

The PC is trying to find ways to bring Nina down. Seeking revenge because the boys are paying attention to her and not them. Claire is trying and wracking her brain to develop good ideas to bring this girl down. She is making herself nuts over it.

Okay, children need to be learning how to settle their own problems and work through them, I agree. However, not to the point of affecting them in a negative way. At this point, Alicia's mother needs to step in and talk to Nina about being selfish. The other girls do not need to seek revenge. By seeking revenge, a person is going to just wind up hurting themselves in the long run. This stuff backfires if anyone has not noticed. Once again, they have encountered problems that are over their heads and too big to handle. We wonder why our children are so stressed out? As for Claire, I would have stopped trying to be accepted a long time ago. This child is developing anxiety problems as a result of this. Massie makes her sleep in a tub, she is lacking in basic needs and still wants to be liked? She needs to spend more time with Layne Abeley. She's the best friend she's got. It sure would save her mental health wise.

By getting back at Nina, they learn she is a kleptomaniac. She has stolen items like Kristen's bike lock, a keychain and other items belonging to other girls at the school. Alicia, Claire and Massie break into the boys locker room and find these items in there with Nina's things. Massie wants to win the cupid award so badly with Derrington and this is another excuse for revenge.

Um, stealing is illegal in this country. Parental involvement should have happened a long time ago. When someone is stressed and in over their head, they look to these tactics to seek revenge. Where is the guidance? If a child is in over her head, she needs guidance from a parent! Once again, they are learning unhealthy ways in solving problems. Break rules and laws to do it.

At the dance, Nina is the center of attention with the boys. She monopolizes them and the girls have a plan in action for revenge. Massie gets Todd and Tiny Nathan to saw off a heel on Nina's shoe. When she stands up she will fall with uneven heels. When Alicia announces the cupid award and it is Nina and Derrington who wins. Once the couple arrives on stage, Alicia takes the stolen items and dumps them on Nina. Also, she has taken old photos of Nina which are not flattering and made copies and throwing them everywhere for everyone to see. They have been named "braces and zits, frizzy afro, opps my dog thinks I am lame and other undesirable names. At this point, everyone is mad at Nina. Security is called and she is taken by them to the airport to fly back to Spain.

I do not even know where to begin here. Nina could have been seriously hurt with the uneven shoes. Why were Todd and Tiny Nathan not punished? Why was Alicia not punished for her dumping the photos with cruel remarks on them all over the place? Same with the stolen items. Yes, Nina got what she deserved and was sent home to Spain. Security took care of Nina. She was punished accordingly. The PC once again got away with bad behavior. Claire, Alicia and Massie were not doing things for any greater good. They sought revenge instead. At this point, they needed to be punished. Alicia should have been punished for dumping the photos and stolen items. Once again, we learn that rules don't apply to them. Please, help your children problem solve and when things get to be too much, talk to them about telling you what is going on.

Parents, please know I am not trying to tell you how to raise your childen. I am trying to give insight into the relational aggression here and how unhealthy these relationships between tween girls can get. These are problems that can get to be too much for them and adults need to step in at this point. Its food for thought more than anything. Thanks for reading and will be back on Thursday with the next blog post. Have a good week.....

Take Care,

Elizabeth