Mary Novaria

Sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me and I’m unable to ignore the social media notifications popping up on my phone. I often regret peering into a cesspool of zero civility where lying is de rigueur and cruelty is a competition that launches me into a despair that borders on rage.   Even on "friendly" neighborhood apps, the local resident who hops on wondering about the smell of smoke is berated for being an idiot who doesn’t have Watch Duty, the app which notifies us of nearby fires. And God forbid someone asks about a big, loud boom but – horrors! – hasn’t checked the SpaceX page for the latest launch schedule. Ditto for those who can’t differentiate gunshots from fireworks when they wake us in the middle of the night. Then there are porch pirates making off with Amazon boxes, occasional car break-ins, and flocks of youth terrorizing the streets on motorized bikes, which brings into question the fitness of their parents.   Perhaps the stars aligned, or the wind cha...

As seen on Huffington Post I once made an 8-year-old cry at a soccer match when I pointed at her and shouted, "Handball! You've gotta be kidding me!" Not my finest moment in years of youth sports that have taken our family to basketball courts, soccer fields, baseball diamonds and golf courses. With two athletic kids and a house in the suburbs, competition is a way of life. We rationalize about the benefits of developing skills, confidence and good sportsmanship, but how much of that is wiped out by over-involved parents who behave badly? Just like kindergartners, when it comes to sports, adults act out in many ways. Here are the 10 worst. Continue reading here... Follow me on Twitter.