I found the following article very interesting especially with the comments from Richard Lavoie, whom I have so much respect. His work has re-opened our eyes to the development of children and their needs.
Kids who get bullied and snubbed by peers may be more likely to have problems in other parts of their lives, past studies have shown. And now researchers have found at least three factors in a child’s behavior that can lead to social rejection.
The factors involve a child’s inability to pick up on and respond to nonverbal cues from their pals. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: bullies, life skills, social skills, victims
One downfall to modern advances in communication is the overwhelmingly large audience that school bullies have at their fingertips.
John Halligan, a Vermont resident and the parent of a child who committed suicide at age 13 after being subjected to years of bullying, spent nearly two hours yesterday morning speaking about the dangers of cyberbullying before an auditorium packed full of Melican Middle School students.
The chatter and fidgeting that occurred moments before the start of the assembly came to a dramatic halt when the lights dimmed, the Elton John ballad “The Last Song” played from the speakers, and Halligan began a slide show depicting his son’s life. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: balanced life skills, bullies, bullying, cyber-bullying, suicide
When a child is the target of a bully there are so many things that go through their mind. First they most likely are afraid, but they may also be confused, sad, angry, intimidated, or they may even feel vindictive. In addition we may see a difference in the way we see them handle themselves. They may no longer be the fun loving happy child that we knew before. Their confidence and ability to try new things may not be there and depending on age they may be holding on to mom or dad more. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: balanced life, bullies
I found this article interesting. The author and resources are found at the bottom of the post.
There are moments of choice in all our lives when we are called upon to stand up for our best dreams and aspirations. Sometimes we recognize and seize these opportunities, sometimes we ignore these moments and sometimes we don’t ever hear their call to our spirits. Each of these moments and our responses create long-lasting effects on our self-confidence and self-esteem; on our vision of the futures we want and on the dedication and determination with which we pursue our dreams. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: balanced life skills, bullies, bystanders
It would be nice if children knew that we cannot always read their mind. They do not know this unless we tell them. In fact we do not, even if we think we do, always know what is going on inside our child’s mind or for that matter in the minds of anyone, even those who are close to us. Our children need to know and feel safe about telling us when they have a problem and be willing to ask for help. That is far more difficult than we can imagine for anyone and especially children. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: balanced life skills, bullies, stop bullies
As a parent it really hurts and we feel helpless when we see our child being bullied. For many of us it brings back painful memories of those who may have bullied us physically or emotionally. But there are steps your child can take to stop existing bullying and to prevent future bullying. There are ways that parents can help and it is important that our child knows that we are there to help – not solve the situation for them. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: balanced life skills, bullying, Parenting, stop bullies
In last nights paper here in Annapolis there was an article asking about “harassment by co worker”. In very general terms I agree with the response recommended by the article but wouls like to comment on the need to take it that far. It is unfortunate that in our society today that there are those that either do not recognize that they are hurting another person or choose not to care. So here is the article http://bit.ly/7NPLEh and I would be interested in hearing if anyone else has experienced similar situations.
Finally there is the question if this is bullying or is it just a lack of manners. I do not like to see the term ‘bullying’ applied to every situation that comes up that does not feel good to us. My definition of bullying is a relationship problem in which power and aggression are used to cause distress to a vulnerable person. In any situation like this we must ask if I wanted to, could I take my power back and not be vulnerable to this situation? I believe that was the answer that the writer gave too.
From the Ithaca Journal, Ithaca, NY; while making laws and prosecuting individuals is one way of dealing with cyber bullies, I am a believer that as individuals we have a responsibility to think about the choices we make and the consequences to others. As parents we must teach our children to practice empathy. I will be discussing empathy at our school, Balanced Life Skills, during the month of January.
The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services defines cyber-bullying as “the repeated use of information technology, including e-mail, instant messaging, blogs, chat rooms, pagers, cell phones and gaming systems to deliberately harass, threaten or intimidate others.”
According to the division, “in recent years, the Internet has not only increased the ability to bully at school, but has brought the problem into our homes and elsewhere – actually just about anywhere – at any time. Unlike physical bullying, where the victim can walk away, technology now allows for continuous harassment, from any distance, in a variety of ways.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: adult bullies, cyber-bullying
Here is an article that demonstrates the affect of just observing forms of violence (bullying). I firmly believe that there is no such thing as an innocent bystander. All of us are affected by bullying – even when it is not directed at us personally.
“Students who watch as their peers endure the verbal or physical abuses of another student could become as psychologically distressed, if not more so, by the events than the victims themselves, new research suggests.
Bullies and bystanders may also be more likely to take drugs and drink alcohol, according to the findings, which are reported in the December issue of School Psychology Quarterly, published by the American Psychological Association. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: bullies, bully, bystanders
Here is an article about bullying that makes some good points – but then some that are very old school and not what I would teach our children.
Bet you didn’t know there was such a thing as the New Jersey Commission on Bullying in Schools. Well, there is. And it just issued its report. The title is “There Isn’t a Moment to Lose.”
As George Will might say: Well.
At the risk of insulting a lot of well-intentioned people trying to address what I do not deny is a problem, I have to tell you: The very existence of the commission is part of the problem.
I know … bullying can cause all kinds of issues for the bullied. Serious issues.
But here’s my problem: Bullying is not new. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: bullies
