Dear Elementary PTA President (a.k.a. Superhero in Mom Jeans – or Dad Sneakers), Schools wouldn’t be a community without you and we need strong communities to help raise resilient, happy kids. Thank you for stepping up. Without your efforts to…
The school crossing guard asked,“Can I help you cross the street?” It was the first day of school for my oldest daughter who seemed confident and ready for the next step: Kindergarten. But those kind seven words were not meant for…
Remember Harold Kushner’s best-selling book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People? Sometimes those “people” are our children. It would be wonderful if we lived in a state of nirvana but, unfortunately, we have to function in the real world…
This is National Bullying Prevention Month. I’m sorry it needs its own month but it’s such a big issue that we need to address it during October and every month after. Kids mental and emotional — and sadly — physical…
There are four strings in the tangled ball of bullying that I think are really important: • Early Prevention • Parenting • Parent-School Relationship • Role of the Bystander (Upstander!) I thought of all four of these as I watched…
When Emily Bazelon’s new book, Sticks and Stones, recently came out, it reignited the bullying prevention conversation. It comes in ebbs and flows. I can’t comment on the book yet. I’m hoping to get my copy soon but a recent…
We can all do something about bullying prevention. Three of the strings in this tangled ball that provide hope are: • Early Prevention • Parenting • Role of Bystander (or the Upstander) There are many, many others but if we…
In President Obama’s opening remarks at the White House Summit on Bullying, he said, “No child should feel that alone.” That just about sums up why I’m involved. In the closing remarks after all the true but tragic stories, the…