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Click here for the prologue of Love Down Under, by Valerie Jean.
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What is Romance?
“Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.”
-Elizabeth Barrett BrowningRomance is the excitement and mystery found in love. Romance novels encompass the extreme highs and lows involving the emotion of love. Uncovering quality romance often means reading an extensive amount of novels and novellas. Follow my blog for insight into different types of romance novels, hot new authors, and sexy scene ratings!
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When we purchased the VR for our 10 year old daughter because it was on her Christmas list, we had no idea how much disruption and heartbreak such a device would come to cause in our house. From friendship betrayals, to being scammed and losing thousands of dollars, to horrible games, and awful people, the only romance I can relate to VR was the initial enjoyment that came from discovering different worlds and people. However once our daughter spent some time in those worlds and with those people, it soon became apparent it was a haven for horrible things.
What I noticed first was a warped sense of friendship, based on what one can do for you, or trade with you. This led to dependence on my daughter’s part, where she’d check in with certain people. When they weren’t online when she was, she’d become worried and depressed. When they disagreed with her, she’d quickly turn passive aggressive or submissive. Her expectation of what a friend should be has been changed and not for the better. We are working on recovering that realistic sense of what a friend is through playdates and discussions, modeling and reflection.
The next issue we ran into was scammers. Within certain games and within her circle of “friends.” Dealing with a child whose so-called friend “traded” them something then ghosted them is harrowing. Her anger, sadness, and loneliness broke my heart, while my anger toward this online ghost had nowhere to vent.
Even worse, although I always removed my card information after a purchase for her, we learned the hard way to not use a debit card. Someone charged $3000 within 30 minutes on our card to their account somehow. Meta was absolutely no help. The Google Play Store was no help. My bank covered the first time, but when it happened again, they couldn’t. We have since suspended making payments on the VR.
The final things I will mention are some societal issues. There are some horrible games out there, made by sick, sadistic psychos who should be locked up or shot. Their creators should not be allowed around children, animals, or society in general.
Couple some of these settings, with some of the awful people and what I’ve observed often becomes a gang mentality, and you have a virtual recipe for disaster in reality.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com -
When we purchased the VR for our 10 year old daughter because it was on her Christmas list, we had no idea how much disruption and heartbreak such a device would come to cause in our house. From friendship betrayals, to being scammed and losing thousands of dollars, to horrible games, and awful people, the only romance I can relate to VR was the initial enjoyment that came from discovering different worlds and people. However once our daughter spent some time in those worlds and with those people, it soon became apparent it was a haven for horrible things.
What I noticed first was a warped sense of friendship, based on what one can do for you, or trade with you. This led to dependence on my daughter’s part, where she’d check in with certain people. When they weren’t online when she was, she’d become worried and depressed. When they disagreed with her, she’d quickly turn passive aggressive or submissive. Her expectation of what a friend should be has been changed and not for the better. We are working on recovering that realistic sense of what a friend is through playdates and discussions, modeling and reflection.
The next issue we ran into was scammers. Within certain games and within her circle of “friends.” Dealing with a child whose so-called friend “traded” them something then ghosted them is harrowing. Her anger, sadness, and loneliness broke my heart, while my anger toward this online ghost had nowhere to vent.
Even worse, although I always removed my card information after a purchase for her, we learned the hard way to not use a debit card. Someone charged $3000 within 30 minutes on our card to their account somehow. Meta was absolutely no help. The Google Play Store was no help. My bank covered the first time, but when it happened again, they couldn’t. We have since suspended making payments on the VR.
The final things I will mention are some societal issues. There are some horrible games out there, made by sick, sadistic psychos who should be locked up or shot. Their creators should not be allowed around children, animals, or society in general.
Couple some of these settings, with some of the awful people and what I’ve observed often becomes a gang mentality, and you have a virtual recipe for disaster in reality.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com -
How many times in a life
Can I use that line?
Can I pretend and hallucinate
That everything will be fine?
Before I realize the lie
Spoken over and over each time;
Before I understand to survive
I must believe everything is fine.
-Written May 13, 2026
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I try not to think
Of who I could have been
If I’d been left to my own thoughts
Instead of turned over to robots.
I try not to think
About the days gone by
When life was a breeze
And I did everything with ease.
I try not to think
What choices I’d take back.
If I could repeat this life –
Would I avoid all strife?
I try not to think
Too long on those gone;
The ones who I miss
And would give anything to kiss.
I try not to think
Of what I would change;
It’s better to accept where I am,
Even if people call me ma’am.
I try not to think
About the dark times I’ve had
When I had cried all I could cry
And wanted only to die.
I try not to think
As if the happiness will last
In this world of ups and downs
Where you’ll often wear a frown.
I try not to think
Beyond the moment I’m in
Because what more is there, really,
Than to love life and be silly?
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The backpack from the past
Hid in a corner til at long last
She purged it from her room
Like a memory she'd rather remove.
But it was a part of who she was,
And as identity often does,
It just stayed in everyone's way,
Moving from closet to hallway,
Stairs to downstairs,
Til it was finally seen by someone who cares.
A mother who opened the backpack and cried
Over the bittersweet memories found inside.
To the end of an era,
She could hardly bear it.
As she pulled out the snacks, the shin guards, and tape,
She knew they'd lost much more than she'd ever betray.
Childhood dreams not her own,
But someone she loves and knows.She released the painful past
And realized it was just a backpack.
Photo by Tembela Bohle on Pexels.com -
I need a walk in the woods.
Some time outside in the warm sun.
A chance to believe there is still good in this world;
Good that doesn’t have to be brought out by tragedy and terror.
A chance to find magic & peace & the will to believe that there’s more to life than this,
But if there isn’t, this is enough.
I need a break from the constant pull of social media & monsters among men.
“Powerful” men & hidden men.
Bombarding us with lies & half-truths,
Propoganda & pornography.
I need time with just the ones I love,
The ones I work for, and the ones I miss in life.
I need to breathe beyond the priviliged air of my middle class life.
Through the tear gas & flash bomb smoke,
The screaming & yelling from both sides.
For truth and justice avenging global innocence, lost and destroyed;
Breathe beyond the safe space I’ve always known, and be brave,
For those I’ve never known.
Photo by Any Lane on Pexels.com -
Why do I measure my day by checks on a list?
I should count the smiles, laughs, and grins.
The hugs and high-fives
Should help bring me to life.
The people I give time
Should be respectful of mine.
The snuggles I get
Remind me to love til death.
I should check off each time joy
Feels like getting a new toy.
Focus on crossing off gratitude daily
And I'll enjoy life again, just maybe.
Photo by Jasmine Carter on Pexels.com -
Sometimes the weight of the world and the why me's are just too much;
So heavy and disorienting, I don’t know what to clutch.
Breathe in strength.
Breathe out panic.
Breathe in calm.
Breathe out the manic
Moments of doubt
That cloud reality.
Realize it's ok just to be.
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“Have kids,” they said. “It’ll be fun.”
What they didn’t add is that it would be a rollercoaster of self-doubt, overwhelming love, laughter from the belly, tears from the soul, and more. You’ll get in line and wait nine months, give or take, full of joy and hope, but also misery and worry.
When you finally get to the front of the line, the excitement fights with the fear inside you. As you enter the ride and strap in, you realize you’re not sure what you’ve gotten yourself into. No matter how much you prepare yourself for the ride, you’re never truly ready until you’re forced to be.
As the ride starts to roll, all the questions fly through your head. Did I eat too much before I got on? Do I have anything in my pockets? What if the ride stops partway through? What if I fall off? Has anyone ever not survived this ride called motherhood?
Then the ride starts and you become too preoccupied with hanging on for the trip – enjoying the thrilling rises, and screaming during the sometimes devastating drops, and twists, and turns. Sometimes you witness the other riders dealing with the experience differently. Don’t jugdge them. You never know what their past rollercoaster rides have been like.
While it seems like it lasts forever, it also flies by and is over before you know it. Hang on tight and make sure to only close your eyes for a second at a time. If you blink, you may miss a part of the ride you can never get back.
When the ride pauses for people to exit, understand that for a mother, once you are on the rollercoaster of motherhood, there’s no getting off. The ride may stop for a bit to reload, but it’ll start just as soon as you can barely catch your breath. It’ll lift you up so that you feel on top of the world, and then it’ll crash you down so that you wonder if you’ve ever done anything right in your life.
The rollercoaster ride of motherhood is a reality that most women don’t understand as they get in line for it. It’s rewarding and restricting, beautiful but a burden. The best “fun” you’ll ever have in your life is the rollercoaster ride of motherhood.
If you’d like to donate toward our next rollercoaster ride, we’re planning a trip to Denmark with my oldest daughter’s soccer team. Check out her page here.
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It feels sometimes like there's no relief
No way to grow, but no way to leave.
The duties tend to drag me down,
Until all I want to feel is the ground.
Never knowing what to put first.
Trying to guess what will hurt worst.
Disappointing myself?
Or letting down everyone else?
I don't know how to make it better.
I'm not sure how to make it matter.
We can't seem to shake this negative vibe.
I'll just stay thankful we are all alive.
Reasons I’m still around. ❤️
Inspiring the Works of Valerie Jean 