When You Want to Choke Your Child’s Facebook Bully
How many can relate to the mom from St. Petersburg, Florida who was arrested last week for choking her daughter’s online tormentor? From the NY Daily News Report: “I just snapped,” Piscitella wrote on Facebook. “Yes I shouldn’t have done that, but you all do not even come close to understanding all the torment they […]
Fat Boy Chronicles
Ever since reading the delightful and insightful Fat Boy Chronicles by Diane Lang and Michael Buchanan, I can’t stop thinking about it and why it hits home for me. The main character, Jimmy Winterpock is an overweight boy who lets us into his high school life through journal entries, an assignment given to his entire […]
Goodbye to My White House Pal
Yesterday on Twitter, my son had posted, “A fond farewell to my mom’s ‘White House buddy.’” That’s how I found out that Maurice Sendak had died. I met him years ago when I worked for Shirley Katzander. And although part of me admired Shirley, I still think that the “Devil Wears Prada” movie was really […]
Bullying and a Lesson in Forgiveness
On Wednesday night, I had the pleasure of speaking at St. John’s University. Along with me, were four other presenters, including Hashim Garrett, a Guardian Angel, an outstanding speaker and an unforgettable person. He spoke about his experience as a young boy looking to belong…so he joined a gang. At the age of 15, he […]
No Such Thing As A Bully
The reason I invested so much of my time in The Bully Project in it’s development stage is because I feel strongly that people need to see the problem in order to fix the problem. Bully allows us to see and feel a child’s pain and now we need to do something about it. My […]
Lessons from Caine’s Arcade
Please watch the whole thing. It will not disappoint. One of the books I recommend for early bullying prevention is Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. (You can also download great materials for kids ages 4-9. But to be honest, older kids really get this story, too, so have older kids mentor […]
After the Bully Movie
Bully premieres in New York and LA today. (Actually in about 20 min. in NYC.) I worked with Lee Hirsch (director) and Cynthia Lowen (producer) during the development phase. Actually, it was just the three of us at the time. (My background is television publicity but ever since Columbine, I have had a passionate interest […]
Another Kind of March Madness
March Madness is a great time of year for me. This past weekend, there was one upset after another. My favorite team, though, survived. The U of Wisc. Badgers are still in it. (Sorry Vanderbilt fans…and stay tuned on Thursday!) But every time I look at the news about bullying this month, I feel like […]
“Bully” and the R Rating. What do you think?
The MPAA denied Bully, the new documentary by Lee Hirsch, a PG-13 rating. Katy Butler, a high school student in Ann Arbor, Michigan is responsible for gathering over 200,000 signatures on a petition to the MPAA to ask them to reconsider. The R rating was given due to language. Seems that everyone is talking about […]
Flash Mob of Pink Shirts and a Stand (or a Dance) Against Bullying
Had to share this today. Seriously, what a cool thing. It took major effort on the part of the kids, the teachers and probably some parents to pull this off. These are people who care and who know what it takes to help kids get the message and feel empowered. Music is so powerful. Obviously, […]
