Safety Tips for Kids

As parents prepare for the start of a new school year, teaching children how to be safer needs to be at the top of their list of things to do. An analysis by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children of attempted abductions during the past five years found that children are at most risk when going to and from school or school related activities.

Parents and other adults can help keep children safe by following these ten tips

1.     Teach your children to always TAKE A FRIEND with them when walking or biking, and stay with a group while standing at the bus stop. Make sure they know which bus to ride.

2.     Walk the route to and from school with your children pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they're being followed or need help. Teach your children they should NEVER TAKE SHORTCUTS and always stay in well-lit areas.

3.     It is not safe for young children to walk to and from school, even in a group. Parents should always provide supervision for young children to help ensure their safe arrival to and from school. If your children wait for a bus, wait with them or make arrangements for supervision at the bus stop.

4.     Teach your children that if anyone bothers them, makes them feel scared or uncomfortable to trust their feelings and immediately get away from that person. Teach them it is ok not to be polite and IT IS OK TO SAY NO.

5.     Teach your children if anyone tries to take them somewhere they should RESIST by kicking and screaming, try to run away and DRAW ATTENTION by kicking and screaming "This person is trying to take me away" or "This person is not my father/mother."

 
6.     Teach your children NOT TO ACCEPT A RIDE from anyone unless you have said it is ok in that instance. If anyone follows them in a vehicle they should turn around, go in the other direction, and run to a trusted adult who may help them.

7.     Teach your children that grownups should NOT ASK CHILDREN FOR DIRECTIONS, they should ask other adults.

8.     Teach your children to NEVER ACCEPT MONEY OR GIFTS from anyone unless you have told them it is ok to accept in each instance.

9.     Make sure the school has current and accurate emergency contact information on file for your children and confirm names of those authorized.

10.   Always know where your children will be. Teach your children to always CHECK FIRST before changing their plans before or after school. Teach your children to never leave school, with anyone unless they CHECK FIRST with you or another trusted adult, even if someone tells them it is an emergency.

Children should be taught to trust their feelings. They need to know that if someone makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused, they should tell a parent, guardian, or trusted adult.

Toddler & Tiara. Have They Gone to Far?

Toddlers and Tiaras has been continually controversial, but when Wendy Dickey dressed her 3-year-old daughter, Paisley, like Julia Roberts' streetwalker character in Pretty Woman. Complete with thigh-high black boots, white tank top, skintight blue mini skirt and lookalike blonde wig, Paisley imitates the character. Although Dickey told TMZ that Paisley's provocative pageant costume was "meant to be funny [and] not sexual at all," the Parents Television Council isn't laughing.

The Parents Television Council has reacted with outrage. "Whether you love or loathe child beauty pageants, everyone should agree that sexualizing a three-year-old little girl is wrong," Melissa Henson, the director of communications and public education for the PTC. "But that is exactly what the TLC network has done. 
"Such brazen and wanton material should qualify as child exploitation or abuse," Henson added. "Instead of creating ratings-friendly buzz, TLC engendered outrage among millions of parents and grandparents who are tired of seeing children exploited for ratings and robbed of their innocence by a greedy entertainment industry that will stop at nothing to make a buck."

According to RadarOnline.com, the Parents Television Council stated, “We have a serious problem when a network formerly known as The Learning Channel features a toddler, who probably hasn't learned to read is showing off her sexy strut. The Parents Television Council went on to say “There's no question, TV executives are complicit in robbing these small kids of their childhood. For years we've seen adult sexuality being inappropriately and aggressively foisted on innocent young children, but children today are being sexualized at younger and younger ages. All available data suggests they will suffer for it later in life.”
The audience and judges enjoyed her performance and expressed it with cheers and applauds. But not everyone agreed, one mom whose daughter was competing with Paisley also slammed the tot's tight, midriff-baring costume. "Us pageant moms already take a huge rap for what we're doing to our little girls," she said. Most of the young girls featured on the TLC show wear fake hair, "flippers" (fake teeth), heavy makeup and get professionally spray tanned. "[But] it's outfits like that the give us a bad rap... I would never, ever do that to my little girl."
Despite her objections, Paisley went on to win the highest title -- "Grand Supreme" -- in her age group of the pageant.

What Makes A Bully?

Typically, the tendency to bully is brought about by four factors in the child's environment:

1. The child's temperament, or personality – Bullies tend to be aggressive and impulsive, and have little empathy or regard for the feelings of others. They are used to getting their way, and they are usually confident and physically strong.
2. The environment in the home, including parenting style, supervision and attitudes about violence– Often, bullies are spanked or even physically abused at home. They might also witness domestic violence between other family members. Violence is modeled in the home as a way of solving problems or getting others to behave in a certain way. Additionally, there is typically a lack of supervision in the bully's home, as well as a lack of warmth and kindness.
3. Standards, consequences and culture in the school– Sadly, some school employees ignore bullying behaviors. Children may be admonished for "tattling." Also, unfortunately at some schools, the atmosphere might be negative, with few consequences for aggressive or violent behavior, as well as low academic and behavioral standards for the students. The school might also reward only certain select groups of students, such as the athletes, the wealthier or more popular students, or the best scholars. Such schools marginalize students who do not fit into these select groups, and lack an atmosphere of inclusion and cooperation.
4. The child's peer group– Other children in the school or neighborhood might support behavior that harasses, abuses or excludes others. Children might try to fit in with his or her peers by joining in on the bullying behavior, adopting a gang mentality and victimizing a few select children.

Many times advise to victims of the bullies is, "Stand up to him. Bullies are really insecure on the inside and if you just stand up to him once, he'sll back down."  In the animated show, “The Simpsons”, in which Bart was being tormented by a bully. That was the advice give to him. Bart muster up the courage to confront his bully and the result was he made the bully even angrier and paid the price.

Studies have shown that bullies usually have an average or inflated sense of self-esteem. We've all heard of the conceited, cruel, group of girls who delight in tormenting more awkward classmates. Bullies often have dominant personalities and may be physically stronger than most children. They often have difficulty following rules. They may be defiant toward adults. A positive attitude toward violence, tendency to get frustrated easily, and belief that others will pick on them, are all characteristic of children who bully.

These are often children who are "hot-headed". They may be unable to understand the emotions of others. Often, bullies come from homes where they witness and/or experience violence and/or abuse. Bullies are often from homes where parental involvement, nurturing, and supervision are lacking. Some bullies may have disorders that contribute to their aggressive behavior. Disorders such as anti-social personality disorder and ADHD are examples. Bullies are said to feel little responsibility for their own actions.

Of course, anyone who has experienced even verbal bullying may have seen that bullies can perceive threat when there is none. When they do, they react. With their often dominant personalities, bullies want to be Number One. While most of us would think of "Number One" in terms of "highest achiever in class" or "best soccer player", bullies may have a completely different set of values with regard to the trait or skill in which they want to be Number One. Depending on what the bully values, s/he may see threat in any number of traits or behaviors of others. The bully who has trouble in school (and many do) may see threat from the child who excels. The muscular girl who sees threat in the daintiness of another girl may select that girl as her victim. 

Belief that bullying behavior is "just kids' stuff" and that boys will boys can contribute to the creation of bullies. A widespread acceptance of toys that encourage violence and violent thinking also has consequences, in terms of violent and aggressive behavior being seen as part of normal childhood, as well as children's not seeing violence as anti-social. Contrary to the belief that bullying behavior is just part of childhood, bullies are more likely to grow up to have criminal records by age 30, beat their wives, and/or abuse their children.

Lack of supervision can contribute to the problem of bullying in two ways: 1) Poorly supervised setting allow more opportunity for bullying, and 2) children who are not properly supervised by parents do not learn proper behavior. Since their behavior does not win them friends, bullies can become outcasts. The world they see is a world that doesn't like them. Bullies can be more likely to suffer from depression and suicidal tendencies.

During early childhood bullies, unlike most other people, have not developed the normal self-restraint associated with aggressive behavior.  Even if it is now known that bullies are not sheep in wolves' clothing, age-old beliefs that underneath the aggressive behavior lies a damaged and small person are not completely inaccurate. 

What a Parent of a Young Bully Should Do

A parent who observes his child pushing, hitting, threatening, cruelly teasing, name calling, humiliating or purposely excluding others can be relatively certain that his child a bully – or well on his way to becoming one. Steps should be taken to curb the behavior while the child is young; by late elementary or middle school, parents have far less control over their child's behavior.

• The child should be made immediately aware that the behavior will not be allowed to continue. He should be instructed to stay away from anyone who he has bullied or harassed, and should stay away from friends who are bullying others.
• Do not use violence, such as hitting or verbal attacks, to discipline a child. A child needs to know and believe that intentionally hurting others is simply not okay. This non-violent behavior should be modeled by the parents/guardians and other family members. Parenting classes can be helpful ways to learn how to discipline and set limits and boundaries for children without resorting to hitting or verbal abuse.
• Require that the child make amends to his victims by apologizing, or replacing any damaged or stolen toys or clothing. He should pay for these things with his own money; if he doesn't have money, he should earn it by doing chores at home. This teaches that there are natural consequences to bullying behavior.
• Help the child learn to empathize with others. In other words, assist the child in "walking a mile in someone's shoes," imagining what it must feel like to be on the victim side of the bullying situation. Children need to know that their behaviors have an impact on others.
• Don't negatively label a child. Saying "Steve is just a tough kid," or "Kim is very selfish" simply encourages a child to live up to that label. A better approach is, "You're a good kid, Steve, but hitting is wrong and hurts others."
• Limit – or eliminate – the child's exposure to violent TV shows, movies and video games; much of the violence in the media glorifies violence as a way to solve problems or get what you want.
• Seek out the help of a counselor. Stopping bullying behavior, especially if the child is older, can be difficult; it takes time, effort and consistency. Parents need guidance and support in such situations. Contact the school's principal and inform them that the family is working to change the child's unkind behaviors. This creates a wrap-around team of support for the child to make good behavioral choices, both at home and at school.

Caught early, bullying behaviors can be corrected and changed, just like any other habit or behavior pattern. It takes effort, consistency and support from the home and school, but even older kids can be taught not to bully with the right intervention and adequate time.  At all times, the child should be closely supervised by a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult who is on board with the plan to restructure the child's aggressive behaviors.

After all the aggressions cruelety of the bully, they were at one time very small children, who never quite learned the meaning and value of kindness; or how it feels to be a part of the world, rather than threatened by society.

What is Cyberbullying?

Definition of Cyberbullying

"Cyberbullying" is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. It has to have a minor on both sides, or at least have been instigated by a minor against another minor.

Cyberbullying is a growing trend. Current estimates are that as many as 20 to 35% of children and adolescents report experiencing cyberbullying as a bully, a victim, or both. 
There is no standard definition of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying has been defined as “an individual or a group willfully using information and communication involving electronic technologies to facilitate deliberate and repeated harassment or threat to another individual or group by sending or posting cruel, vulgar, or threatening text and/or graphics using technological means". 

The methods used are limited only by the child's imagination and access to technology. And the cyberbully one moment may become the victim the next. The kids often change roles, going from victim to bully and back again.

Cyberbullying can involve varying forms of technology: 

• Mobile phone calls
• Text messages
• Picture/video clips
• E-mail
• Instant messaging
• Chat rooms
• Websites
• Gaming

In a recent study, cyberbullying most commonly involved phone calls, texts and instant messages. The nature of the electronic bullying or cyberbullying often includes:

• Sending mean, vulgar, or threatening messages or images online or via text

• Posting sensitive, private information or pictures about another person
• Intentionally excluding someone from an online group
• Pretending to be someone else in order to make that person look bad²
• Spreading lies and rumors about victims
• Tricking someone into revealing personal information

The nature of gaming as a place where cyberbullying occurs, can happen through gaming websites or PC and console games with online components (e.g. Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3).

• Cyberbullying in gaming is usually referred to as "griefing" and is fairly common among young gamers who use IM, chat, and voice chat features to tease and taunt other players.

How is Cyberbullying Different from Traditional Bullying?

Despite the subtle differences, definitions share the following components which make cyberbullying distinct from traditional bullying:

• Access: It is virtually impossible for victims to get away from cyberbullies. Because most students have access to computers and cell phones at home, cyberbullies have access to and can reach their victims almost all the time. Victims do not have a safe haven as they do in cases of traditional bullying.
• Reach: Unlike traditional bullying, due to technology, the cyberbullying audience has few to no barriers and the audience easily grows almost exponentially.
• Anonymity: Cyberbullying is not a face-to-face interaction and cyberbullies hide behind technology. Anonymity which is inherent in electronic communication fosters lack of inhibition.  As a result, normal behavior restraints can disappear, allowing adolescents to act harsher than they would in real life.

Initial research has demonstrated that being a victim of cyberbullying may negatively impact students’ physical, social, emotional, and cognitive functioning

Ignore the message. Don’t ignore the problem.

One vital lesson children should learn is to ignore the message, not the problem. As parents, you have an ideal opportunity to step in and encourage children suffering from cyberbullying to speak out and fight this kind of victimization. They are best suited to tell their own stories, and their stories can make a difference.

Educate. Engage. Empower.

Educate your children about cyberbullying.

• Start a dialogue at home. Make sure your children understand what is considered cyberbullying and what isn’t.
• Talk about the possible effects and consequences of cyberbullying.
• Focus on prevention methods they may not have considered, such as not posting personal information or provocative photos that someone could use against them, and not sharing passwords with friends.

Engage them in the fight against cyberbullying.

• Take it seriously! Sometimes sticks and stones matter, so discuss feelings of guilt or depression resulting from the incident.
• Explore various ways to handle the situation, including counseling if necessary.
• Consider enacting a mediation plan utilizing school counselors; the issue may be resolved with a bit of intervention.

Empower them to lead the fight against cyberbullying.

• Encourage your children to start an awareness group at school or online to educate their peers about cyberbullying.
• Get the school involved. Just because it happens at home does not mean the school can’t help. Encourage your children to learn about their school’s cyberbullying policy and urge administrators to take a stand against all forms of bullying.
• Let your children tell you about their experiences online.

Cyberbullying may arise to the level of a misdemeanor cyberharassment charge, or if the child is young enough may result in the charge of juvenile delinquency. Most of the time the cyberbullying does not go that far, although parents often try and pursue criminal charges. It typically can result in a child losing their ISP or IM accounts as a terms of service violation. And in some cases, if hacking or password and identity theft is involved, can be a serious criminal matter under state and federal law.

When schools try and get involved by disciplining the student for cyberbullying actions that took place off-campus and outside of school hours, they are often sued for exceeding their authority and violating the student's free speech right. They also, often lose. Schools can be very effective brokers in working with the parents to stop and remedy cyberbullying situations. They can also educate the students on cyberethics and the law. If schools are creative, they can sometimes avoid the claim that their actions exceeded their legal authority for off-campus cyberbullying actions. We recommend that a provision is added to the school's acceptable use policy reserving the right to discipline the student for actions taken off-campus if they are intended to have an effect on a student or they adversely affect the safety and well-being of student while in school. This makes it a contractual, not a constitutional, issue.

Some people say that bullying will always happen no matter what you do. That kind of defeatist attitude does not effect change. Cyberbullying has become a serious problem, one that requires parents, educators and children to take action. Parental instinct tells you to protect your children, but why not empwoer them to protect themselves and their peers? Let your children lead the fight against cyber bullying; they're more prepared than you might think.

Signs of Bullying - Warning Signs that Your Child is Being Bullied

Bullying among children is aggressive behavior that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power or strength. Typically, it is repeated over time. Bullying can take many forms, such as hitting and/or punching (physical bullying); teasing or name-calling (verbal bullying); intimidation using gestures or social exclusion (nonverbal bullying or emotional bullying); and sending insulting messages by phone or computer e-mail (cyberbullying). Many children, particularly boys and older children, do not tell their parents or adults at school about being bullied, so it's important that adults are vigilant to possible signs of bullying. Here's a guide to recognizing the signs of bullying, and getting it to stop.

Warning signs:

Possible warning signs that a child is being bullied include:

• Comes home with torn, damaged, or missing pieces of clothing, books, or other belongings
• Has unexplained cuts, bruises, and scratches
• Has few, if any friends, with whom he or she spends time
• Seems afraid of going to school, walking to and from school, riding the school bus, or taking part in organized activities with peers (such as clubs)
• Takes a long, "illogical" route when walking to or from school
• Has lost interest in school work or suddenly begins to do poorly in school
• Appears sad, moody, teary, or depressed when he or she comes home
• Complains frequently of headaches, stomachaches, or other physical ailments
• Has trouble sleeping or has frequent bad dreams
• Experiences a loss of appetite
• Appears anxious and suffers from low self-esteem

What to do if you suspect that your child is being bullied?

If your child shows any of these signs, this does not necessarily mean that he or she is being bullied, but it is a possibility worth exploring. What should you do? Talk with your child and talk with staff at school to learn more.

1. Talk with your child.

Tell your child that you are concerned and that you’d like to help. Here are some questions that can get the discussion going:

Some direct questions:

• "I’m worried about you. Are there any kids at school who may be picking on you or bullying you?"
• "Are there any kids at school who tease you in a mean way?"
• "Are there any kids at school who leave you out or exclude you on purpose?"

Some subtle questions:

• "Do you have any special friends at school this year? Who are they? Who do you hang out with?"
• "Who do you sit with at lunch and on the bus?"
• "Are there any kids at school who you really don’t like? Why don’t you like them? Do they ever pick on you or leave you out of things?"

2. Talk with staff at your child’s school.

Call or set up an appointment to talk with your child’s teacher. He or she will probably be in the best position to understand the relationships between your child and other peers at school. Share your concerns about your child and ask the teacher such questions as:

• "How does my child get along with other students in his or her class?"
• "With whom does he or she spend free time?"
• "Have you noticed or have you ever suspected that my child is bullied by other students?" Give examples of some ways that children can be bullied to be sure that the teacher is not focusing only on one kind of bullying (such as physical bullying).