"The Parent Trap": My teen pal gets published in Mother Jones!

By GottaLaff

We love seeing bad parents getting punished. Why don't we care how that affects their kids—like me?

— By Cassie Frequels

Awhile back, I was proud to post a few pieces by my very talented teen pal, Cassie. TPC readers were unanimous in their praise for each and ever one of them.

She and I have been corresponding back and forth, forth and back about a new piece she's been working on, and how Allen McDuffee was giving her an intro to Mother Jones magazine.

Guess what?

Although I never blurted anything out on national television that led to the arrest of one of my parents, I think I may know how 6-year-old Falcon Heene and his brothers feel as their dad begins a 90-day sentence for his role in the infamous "Balloon Boy" hoax. I am sure they blame themselves, and I know they're worried about what will happen to them after their father (and then their mother) goes to jail.

My mother was incarcerated more than seven years, so I’ve often written about this topic on my blog. [...]

My dad left town when I was six and I have never seen him again.

Congratulations, Cassie! You earned this one!

Now please, go read the whole piece. You won't be sorry.