bullying

Girl-Caught is a Great Activity to Build Awareness in Your Daughter

0
13 years
by in Being a Mom, building self-esteem in girls, bullying, media messages, Parenting

In honor of September 22’s Day of the Girl, New Moon Girls is launching its Girl-Caught campaign, designed to give each of us an empowering way to comment on media messages about girls and women.

You’ve heard about baby beauty pageants, lingerie marketed to pre-schoolers, and JC Penney’s, “I”m too pretty to do my homework” T-shirt.  The Girl-Caught campaign aims to raise awareness about these ubiquitous and degrading media messages because, as I write in Friendship & Other Weapons, “When girls are aware of how entertainment and advertising images are altered, they are better able to resist the pressures of “measuring up” to the images.”

Get involved in Girl-Caught with your own daughter.  Log in to the New Moon Girls site to download or print out your own Girl-Caught stickers.  Paste them to the negative or positive Girl-Catches you find, then upload them to Girl-Caught!  This is a great, interactive campaign that parents and kids can enjoy–and learn through–together. 

Most of all, Girl-Caught “encourages girls to think critically about media images and to become informed consumers rather
than passive recipients of the media.” (Whitson, 2011).

 

CNN Stays True to Stop Bullying: Speak Up Campaign

469
13 years
by in bullying, cyberbullying

Check out the Stop Bullying: Speak Up Campaign.  Great to see organizations staying true to their committment to prevent and stop bullying, even after the red camera light stops flashing.  Way to go, CNN and Anderson Cooper!

http://rosalindwiseman.com/2011/09/19/stop-bullying-speak-up-campaign-can-change-lives/

Sticks & Stones: A Four Year Old’s First Experience with Bullying

6
13 years
by in anger, Being a Mom, building self-esteem in girls, bullying, friends, kids, Parenting

Check me out on the Huff Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/signe-whitson/sticks-and-stones-a-littl_b_960576.html

No, seriously, please check me out there.  It’s job security.

Read it.  Tweet it.  Share it.  Like it.

I’m so bossy.

 

Sweethearts and Heroes

1125
14 years
by in bullying, cyberbullying, friends, kids

Over the years, I have met the most interesting and inspiring people, working in the field of child and adolescent mental health.   Through my work in helping kids develop skills to cope effectively with bullying, this list has instantly multiplied!

Check out Sweethearts and Heroes, a most unique and engaging organization founded jointly by a professional MMA fighter and a teacher.  Through teacher training, parent presentations, and assemblies geared especially for middle and high school audiences, Sweethearts and Heroes is developing strategies to put an end to bullying.

 “Through knowledge and communication we are committed to bringing our message to individual communities; not only to help the victims, but especially to empower bystanders to make a difference.  We all have the potential to be someone’s hero.” 

Check this innovative non-profit out on Facebook and add them to your Favorite pages.  You can also read about one of their recent school presentations, and watch co-founder Tom Murphy in action here: http://rochester.ynn.com/content/all_news/western_ny/557390/students-get-anti-bullying-tips-from-mma-fighter/

4 Rules for Using Assertive Communication to Stand Up to Bullies

583
14 years
by in anger, angry smile, assertiveness, Being a Mom, building self-esteem in girls, bullying, cyberbullying, friends, kids, Parenting

As sure as kids will go back to school each Fall in the U.S., bullying will be encountered in the classroom each school year. In these early days of August and September classes, would-be bullies are getting a feel for who they think might be an easy mark in the class. As the days wear on and a bully confirms that he or she can pick on specific classmates without their standing up for themselves, the bullying escalates. (more…)

Confessions of a Former Bully

1189
14 years
by in assertiveness, Being a Mom, building self-esteem in girls, bullying, cyberbullying, friends, internet, kids, online, Parenting

In Friendship & Other Weapons, I feature an activity for girls based on Trudy Ludwig’s fantastic book, My Secret Bully.  The book is all about how bullying can be disguised as friendship and how particularly painful this type of subtle, hidden, “I Was Just Kidding” aggression can be.  My Secret Bully also offers kids great insights into how to cope with bullying effectively, from sharing experiences with trusted adults to standing up for themselves.  I love it–a definite favorite!

Trudy Ludwig’s most recent book, Confessions of a Former Bully, also provides great ideas and insights for handling bullying.  The following blog post, from the School Counselor Blog, talks about an activity that one school counselor has developed, based on Ludwig’s new work:

http://www.schcounselor.com/2011/09/i-made-bully-hat.html#comment-form

What Moms Can Do About Mean Girls

6
14 years
by in assertiveness, Being a Mom, building self-esteem in girls, bullying, cyberbullying, friends, kids, Parenting, parents

Not only is Maggie Lamond Simone a hilariously funny writer with great insights into parenting, but she’s also a redhead.  What’s not to love?

Check out her great article on “Mean Girls” from the Huff Post.  Apparently, she and I have more in common than just the hair; in her article and in Friendship & Other Weapons, we both write about parents helping kids cope with bullying by teaching them critical skills, such as standing up for themselves, reaching out to others who are being bullied, championing what they like about themselves, and not tolerating meanness.

 

“If we help our girls develop/retain their self-esteem, there’s a better chance they will be neither bully nor victim.”

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maggie-lamond-simone/mean-girls_b_937810.html?icid=maing-grid10|htmlws-main-bb|dl16|sec1_lnk3|92426

A Bullied Girl Reclaims Her Power: Chatari Jones on the Today Show

0
14 years
by in building self-esteem in girls, bullying, Parenting, parents

I dare you not to tear up as you watch Chatari Jones talk about her experiences of being bullied and the life lessons she has taken from her ordeal.  What a remarkable young girl.  I remember her situation well and think all parents can identify with her father’s feelings of outrage, mixed with helplessness.

 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

New Anti-Bullying Laws Enacted In New Jersey

192
14 years
by in building self-esteem in girls, bullying, cyberbullying, online, Parenting

“Today is one of the most important civil-rights days in New Jersey history,” said New Jersey Garden State Equality Chairman Steven Goldstein of the new anti-bullying laws just enacted yesterday.  It’s a positive step for sure…

 

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/01/nj_gov_christie_approves_tough.html

‘Odd Girl Out’ tackles bullying in the digital age

609
14 years
by in building self-esteem in girls, bullying, cyberbullying, Facebook, friends, internet, kids, online, Parenting

‘Odd Girl Out’ tackles bullying in the digital age.

Rachel Simmons did a great interview this morning on the Today Show, talking about girls & cyberbullying.  Always great to hear from her…always frightening to think about the parenting perils ahead of me, raising two daughters.

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Signe Whitson is an author and educator on bullying, crisis intervention, and child and adolescent emotional and behavioral health. In her articles, books, and training workshops, Signe provides down-to-earth, practical advice for professionals and parents on navigating the daily challenges of living and working with children, tweens and teens.

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