Bullying

We just keep hearing the same stories over and over again and nothing seems to be working. As a former victim of bullying, and now a parent myself, I have a few thoughts on how to deal with this situation. For starters, we need to communicate more often and with less judgement. If a child comes to us even once and we don't listen or even give it the attention necessary, we can lay the foundation for a youngster that doesn't want to share. Believe it or not, this world is a lot more "real" to the kids then it is for adults. Don't shake your head, it's true. They are not bogged down by all the nonsense and distractions that we as adults are. We have always heard that children are more connected with the universe, so wouldn't their feelings of doubt, despair, and fear be severly heightened versus our own? Maybe if we take that into account, things would be a lot better. Check out these articles just to get an idea of what's going on.

http://www.thespec.com/opinion/article/596741--preventing-bullying-starts-with-the-parent

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Police-probe-bullying-after-NY-teen-s-suicide-2183289.php