Hi, I’m Laura (aka L Fairlight)!
I decided to write these books when I was trying to teach my own kids, but found resources either aimed at a higher age bracket, or not quite covering the content that I needed.
In my early career, I managed a retail store selling games and consoles. While I played games myself and knew how I related to them, I had several key moments that gave me a real look into how important they are in peoples lives.
I had a lot of kids coming into my store who LOVED Pokémon, especially around the release of one of the new games. They went to several different schools, which the mall was in the centre of, and while these kids would come in and chat to me, several of them had expressed a sadness that they struggled to make friends at school.
So I decided to host a free Pokémon tournament! I contacted our suppliers, got a bunch of free merch to give away, put up notices and got kids signing up left, right and centre! I even went and got some custom gym badges made from one of the other shops in the mall.
The result was amazing. Kids all pouring in, talking about their favourite things, trading Pokémon and making friends. Several of the parents were lined up against the wall, watching the chaos ensue. One of the mums approached me near the end of the event and tearfully told me that this event had been a turnaround moment with how she saw her son.
She’d been pushing him to make friends, get involved in sports and extra curricular activities and was frustrated when he seemed sullen and depressed at his lack of friends when she didn’t feel like he was making an effort. Seeing him there, surrounded by other kids just like him and being suddenly talkative, excited and outgoing had utterly floored her. She’d realized that there was nothing wrong with her son, and that it wasn’t that he was anti-social, she just needed to understand how to facilitate him and through this event she’d come to understand her child in a whole new way.
That’s not to say that there’s nothing at all wrong with games or technology – there are a heck of a lot of pitfalls. But it’s all so very new, and as parents and teachers we can only do our best to keep educating ourselves and open up conversations with our kids on how they use technology, how it makes them feel, and when they need to have some boundaries.
I eventually left the games shop (well, it disappeared due to a recession and the fact most people buy games online these days), and I went on to do a Bachelor in Theology majoring in Pastoral Care. I’ve since worked as a nanny, a librarian, had kids of my own, developed a chronic illness called fibromyalgia (pain and fatigue combo deal) and have worked from home as an author for the last several years. I also wrote a book titled Working Through Chronic Pain and Fatigue!
I’ve benefitted a lot from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy through my own pain and fatigue journey, and I absolutely loved putting some of that experience into Agatha’s Forest in an attempt to communicate some of those first principals to my own kids.
Educating and empowering kids with empathy and relatable stories is something I’m very passionate about. I’ve put together a bunch of free resources on this website you are welcome to use with your kids, your classrooms and libraries. You can buy the paperbacks through the links I’ve provided and are welcome to use them in classrooms as well – just please don’t make copies without permission!
Thank you for your support!
Laura Fairlight
Cyber Kids Books 