Bullying: “Upstanders” are the Heroes
Recently, I was at the opening remarks for the CSEE (Center for Social and Emotional Education) Summer Institute. (By the way, any organization whose whole reason for being is to help schools create the most nurturing environments possible has my respect.) They coined the word “UPSTANDER.” What a fantastic term for both adults and children. […]
“What We All Want In Life Is A Shot”: Bullying and Special Needs
Every parent wants to see their kid hit it out of the park — just once. For Jason McElwain, it was dunking 3 pointers. “Hitting it out of the park” can apply to anything. For some it’s sports but for others it can be math, photography, music, writing or hundreds of other interests. EVERY parent […]
The Bully Project: Alex
When I get a little tired and think, “Why did I decide to take on bullying? This is too big and too hard. My career in television and public relations was fine,” I think about Alex. Alex has Asperger’s and although I don’t have a child with Asperger’s, I feel responsible for all the kids […]
Kids with Asperger’s More Likely to Be Bullied
According to keynote remarks by Kevin Jennings, director of Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, at the CSEE Institute yesterday, kids with Asperger’s Syndrome are six times more likely to be bullied in school. If you’re a parent of a child with Asperger’s, this is no surprise. There is absolutely no […]
How Did Your Parent Turn Your Worst Day Into Your “Best Day”?
Hard to believe that Taylor had friend issues. Did her mom know at the time how big of a help she was? Whether you were on the receiving end of kindness or you were the one stepping in, we want your stories. You might not get a song written about you but you will inspire […]
Bullying: If You Could Be Honest With Other Parents…
Parents have a HUGE role in raising non bullies; protecting their children from long term bullying; and standing up for other people’s children. The elephant in the room is how parents of targets feel about parents of bullies. Especially if the parent of the target has been brave enough to approach the other parent in […]
Bullying: My Name is Alex…
Currently in production, The Bully Project is the first feature documentary film about bullying. Bullying numbers are big: over 5 million kids per year get bullied; over 160,000 per day don’t go to school because they’re afraid, more than half of the kids online say they have been harrassed. But numbers are numbers. Here are […]
It’s a Good Time to Talk to your School About Next Year’s plans for Bullying Prevention
Some schools around the country are already out for the year. In the East, where I live, they only have a couple of more days before they’re free! Even if your school is already in vacation mode, it’s a good time to send them an email or a note to ask “What’s up?” for next […]
Basic Lessons from Phoebe Prince Case and other Bullying Tragedies
The name of this blog is Tangled Ball because bullying is a tangled mess. EVERY incident is caused by multiple factors: the personalities of the kids involved; the method — whether it’s physical, verbal, mental, emotional, online or offline; the school climate; the involvement of parents; or the involvement of the principal, teachers and/or other […]
Jessica Alba Gives Hope to Kids Who are Bullied
According to an interview for The Ticket, an entertainment blog, Jessica Alba was bullied badly as a child. If the bullies were trying to destroy her confidence, they obviously didn’t succeed. The kids giving her a hard time are probably mortified now (if not, they should be!). Two things struck me about her story. One […]
