Cynthia Lawrence

I crave it 24/7 and it follows me everywhere I go...even to the bathroom!

"1. The staff at all four branches of Starbucks around your office know you on a first name basis, and have your “usual” ready for you the minute you arrive."

I guess we are all guilty of gender-typing to some degree. It’s ingrained deep in our subconscious and culture. Everywhere we go: shopping malls, in the media, play groups, schools, public bathrooms — and the list goes on. But is it possible to shift the dialogue when it comes to teaching masculinity to boys?

Wouldn't it be great if we could go back in time and talk to our younger selves? What would you say (besides ridiculing those questionable hairstyles and dodgy dates!)? Fortunately, we live and learn — painfully at times — and realize these experiences only define who we are.

Far from being shy and retiring wallflowers, introverts can be just as successful, (Bill Gates, J.K. Rowling), proving that you don’t have to be the loudest, abrasive, or most domineering to stand out from the crowd!

People will only post on social media what they want the world to see. This is often to impress and seek affirmation or to simply get as many likes as they can for a cool picture! But you never know what goes on behind closed doors.

Now, I’m no qualified medic, but surely this was no coincidence.

The player — His shady behavior raises suspicions, and he never seems to elaborate on what he’s been doing. His phone constantly bleeps which he deliberately ignores (“must be the mother again…”) before switching it off.

As an only child, my father always told me, “You don’t have to be liked by everyone, and you don’t have to like them, too.” I guess I always sought a sense of approval from those around me growing up, and the desire to be ‘liked’ by my peers was vital.

"So what happens when the split is acrimonious and your friends end up dumping you, too? Suddenly you’re treated as an outcast, and when you bump into them in the street, they pretend they haven’t seen you, even when you’re standing in the next line in Costco!"