It’s difficult to go a day in any school district these days without hearing the word bullying. Sadly, it’s taken not one, but many youth suicides across the country for adults and politicians to wake up to the social realities our children face. Social networking and the toxic by-product of cyber bullying remains an uncharted, unregulated world – a world that challenges children, parents and teachers everyday.
The blame game playing out on talk shows, at home, in schools and on the fields is only natural: “The schools aren’t doing enough”… “bullies are bred at home”… “who’s the bully here anyway?”… or even worse … “he’s just a bad kid”… “she’s just a mean girl.” Whether a child is perceived to be a bully, a bystander or the victim – in a traditional or cyber bullying situation – the level of tolerance for disrespect and bullying today is everyone’s problem. It infects our children’s education, their lives and the very fabric of our society.
But thankfully, it’s also an opportunity. An opportunity to consider what we can do to help, rather than perpetuate the bystander role. An opportunity to create a culture where bullying is not accepted. As adults, we don’t need permission to make sure that our children are feeling socially connected and emotionally safe. Setting boundaries, staying connected, checking up on, or “creeping,” to know what kids are saying and seeing in cyber land and in school, is not only OK, it’s our responsibility.
But how and when do we do that? What do we do when we don’t like what we hear or see online? When and how do we get ourselves, other parents, teachers or school administrators involved? In many ways it’s easier to stay ignorant about what’s out there. But the ugly side of social networking and bullying hurts the entire community. And it’s certainly a bigger issue than any child, parent or teacher wants to manage alone.
This fall, The Parent Connection will host its third event on cyber safety and bullying. Dr. Elizabeth Englander, a leader in the world of cyber bullying and the lead consultant on Massachusetts’ new anti-bullying legislation, will be in Duxbury on Wednesday, September 28th. We will hear from Dr. Englander and a panel of individuals who will address the issues and your concerns about bullying.
We’d like to hear from you so we can create a program that meets your needs. Please take a moment to share your thoughts and what you want to hear on this important topic. Comments focused on what you’re most concerned about, what strategies have helped you in the past and what you think we can do to work together as a community to prevent bullying are helpful. We value your opinion and hope communicating with others will help you as well. Thanks for listening and sharing.
The Twelve Moms of The Parent Connection
www.theparentconnection.org