Belonging and the Tangled Ball of Bullying
That’s so Brené Brown of you. Which is what my son said to me when we were talking about this year’s personal word. It’s his tradition to ask people to come up with one word that would capture their approach towards the coming year. A very short personal mantra. Mine for 2020 is belonging. If […]
10 Bullying Prevention Tips for Trusted Adults
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” It doesn’t matter how old you are. Those can be the sweetest, most powerful words to receive if you’ve been on the receiving end of repeated, intentional behavior that is meant to demean and diminish. It highlights the need for people in our lives, including kids, […]
Be Nice to the New Kid Month!
Whether school started today or within the next month, my hope is that it starts off with joy and on the right foot. That is why I fondly call this Be Nice to the New Kid Month. There are many studies on the positive effects of kindness. It’s a teachable skill and one that does […]
July 4th: 4 Simple Ways to Support Military Families
This Independence Day, I feel so lucky to have met so many wonderful military families this past year. Here’s what I’ve learned. They deserve our support. Saying a simple thank you to military families is lovely. Especially if you see them in an airport, on line in a store or at an event. In other words, […]
Cell Phones and the Tangled Ball of #Bullying
The most consistent piece of advice that experts give kids when they’ve experienced bullying behavior is tell a trusted adult. Actually, it’s our biggest piece of hope in this complicated issue that kids will survive and thrive if they get help. Problem: If we’re consistently texting or talking on our cells, it’s impossible. We’re not […]
Tears and Lessons: Columbine
My son and I stared in horror at the television as events played out at Columbine High School in Colorado. It was April 1999, and as Peter and I watched a bloodied teenage boy dangling from a broken window, clinging to life, we had no idea that 12 of his peers and one teacher lay […]
6 Powerful Words
Can you imagine if only 3 sets of two words could change a person’s day or perhaps even their life? Sound implausible? It’s not only possible, it’s likely. These six words when said with sincerity can build solid social connections and even halt years of pain. I’m not saying they are always the easiest words […]
What Kids Really Want This Holiday
Spoiler Alert: It’s Begins with T and ends with E. No, it’s not a Thingamajigee. It’s Time. It’s Time and a low stress Mom. I’m backing into this post but I promise, there’s a point to it. Hopefully, it will make sense at the end. It wasn’t until one of my kids was in college […]
Thanksgiving…Life is Rich
Thanksgiving serves as a bookend for me to an amazing month of being grateful, fearful, hopeful and humbled by the richness of life. Meeting Amazing Experts I went to the International Bullying Prevention Association conference in San Diego. I heard fantastic presentationsfrom social scientists, advocates, psychologists, students, educators and researchers. We all gathered in San […]
The Large Price of Exclusion: 3 Things Parents Can Do About #Bullying
In the absence of love and belonging, there is always suffering. – Brene Brown If you’ve ever been excluded, you know what a powerful and negative impact it has on the soul. If you were excluded as a child, you can probably still remember the feelings of isolation and self-doubt. As an adult, exclusion can […]
