Posts tagged Friendship & Other Weapons

No Bullying! News Clip from the Allentown Morning Call

0
12 years
by in bullying

Well, imagine my surprise when I came across this video clip!  Yes, I do recall talking on camera to a reporter, just prior to beginning a recent Bullying Awareness StoryTime event, but No, I had no clue that it had been produced and published online.  After initial feelings of stage fright-induced nausea…it’s actually a pleasant surprise. 

 

So, friends, introducing ME, introducing my Shredders and Builders Activity (featured in Friendship & Other Weapons) to teach young kids about the power of words and the importance of kindness in friendship.

 

No Bullying!

E-mail Contracts for Kids

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12 years
by in Being a Mom, bullying, cyberbullying, e-mail, Parenting

A friend of mine from graduate school and I were just lamenting over the fact that our daughters are asking to have e-mail accounts.  Well, actually, we were marveling at how time has flown and that our kids are at this age already.  Ok, truthfully, we were feeling sorry for ourselves about how old we must be to have tween-age kids, but I digress…

She and I are both concerned about setting guidelines for our girls as they take big steps into the world of technology social media.  Here are the sets of guidelines she and I each pieced together from our own wisdom and bits of advice on the web.  I like hers better…she liked mine…together, perhaps we have a whole parent’s brain.  You can feel free to pick and choose from either.  Hopefully, you can find the suggestions helpful:

E-MAIL CONTRACT:

1. Always be kind, and do not ever use email to say ugly, nasty, or mean things about ANYONE. Not only is that not behavior not acceptable, but email can always be forwarded to someone & hurt their feelings.

2. If you don’t recognize an address in your inbox, or someone sends you a weird email, don’t touch the email & come get me or Daddy.

3. No opening attachments or clicking on links without approval.

4. Daddy and I can and will access your emails at any time. You must give us your password(s) if you change them.

5. The only computers you are allowed to access your email from is mine or Daddy’s (and Grandma’s). If you access Gmail from school, you would have to be responsible enough to “SIGN OUT” so that the next person can’t access your email. Many grown-ups can’t even remember to do this, so I’m not going to ask you to. So, no accessing emails from school until I believe you’re responsible enough to do this.

6. NEVER click the “remember me” or “remember this password?” if you do access your email from another computer (against my rules). This will allow that computer to ALWAYS remember your password without the person sitting there to even think about it.

7. Never send to anyone in an email the following: your real address, phone number, any passwords, our cell phone numbers, your birthday/date, social security number or any other identifying information–not even to someone you know. This will cause you BIG, BIG problems or put you in DANGER from people who want to harm children.

8. Don’t use “Reply all.” Many grown-ups don’t even understand how to use this properly.

9. If someone emails you telling you you won something: you didn’t. Come get one of us.

10. Don’t go into the “Spam” folder – that’s not a place for children, and I’m trusting you enough to follow this rule (and the others). If you think an email you want may have mistakenly found its way in there, ask one of us to look in there for you.

11. You are not allowed to use Google+ without our permission. That is something you can earn with good behavior and when you’re a little older.

YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT IS A PRIVILEGE. WE CAN REVOKE THIS PRIVILEGE AT ANY TIME. WE CAN RESTRICT THE PRIVILEGE IN ANY WAY AT ANY TIME. WE EXPECT YOU TO FOLLOW THESE RULES IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THIS PRIVILEGE.

 

 

SOCIAL MEDIA CONTRACT:

We believe our family values include kindness, honesty, and compassion for others.  Our use of technology must reflect these values.  Therefore, we recognize that having an email address, texting, using a YouTube account, and any other uses of technology must follow these rules:

 

  1.  Communication (sending e-mails, commenting on videos, sending texts, etc) is for the purpose of friendship and exchange of ideas or information.  It is never for spreading gossip, making rude comments, using bad language, or giving out personal information to people we don’t know.

 

  1. Technology can never be used for the purposes of humiliating, embarrassing, getting revenge upon, or hurting others in any way.

 

  1. Sending or uploading photos and videos with any personally identifying images or information are not permitted unless specially approved by Mommy or Daddy.

 

  1. Mommy and Daddy must always have access to the passwords and content for all of your technology accounts.

 

  1. Mommy and Daddy reserve the right to insist that particular sites and friends who behave in violation of our values be banned or blocked.

 

  1. No emails, texts, YouTube comments, etc after 9:00pm (school year) and 9:30pm (summer).

 

If these rules are not followed, the following will occur:

First violation:  All technology privileges ended for 7 days.

Second violation:  All technology privileges ended for 14 days.

Third violation:  All technology privileges ended indefinitely.

 

While we understand that anyone can make a mistake, we believe that living according to our values is critically important.

 

Signed:

_________________________________        _________________________________

Child                                                                                      Parent

 

 

 

For more information and suggestions for teaching kids about ethical uses of technology and social media, please check out my post on Psychology Today, Teaching Netiquette to Kids.

“Battle of the Bullied,” from The Bully Project

0
12 years
by in bullying

Educating Children’s Hearts and Minds

0
12 years
by in building self-esteem in girls

Self-Reliance: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

0
12 years
by in Parenting

What to Do When a Fake Facebook Page is Created About You

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12 years
by in Being a Mom, bullying, cyberbullying

This article from the Cyberbullying Research Center provides great, detailed information and instructions for kids (and their parents!) on what to do if a fake Facebook profile is created about them.  Check it out!

 

http://cyberbullying.us/blog/help-with-fake-facebook-profile-pages.html

 

 

Bullying Runs Deep: Breaking the Code of Silence That Protects Bullies via HuffPost

0
12 years
by in bullying

HuffingtonPost writer, Michelle Baker, has shared this amazingly honest and deeply touching piece about bullying…by children, by adults, by those most trusted and most able to wound.  I was struck by each and every paragraph of her article, but particularly by these words, which I know firsthand to be true from having worked as a therapist with traumatized children and adolescents:

I am always amazed when I hear anyone say that teenagers act out simply “to get attention.” Of course, they do. Children act out because they do need attention: positive, proactive, compassionate, responsive and responsible attention. I am astonished by how many adults don’t do anything because they don’t know what to do or ignore the situation because they don’t want to acknowledge that they might have to change. For a child in crisis whose parents and adult community have not shown the ability to appropriately respond in times of need, radical acts are often the only measures a child has in order to get someone to pay attention and take action.

 

Please check out: Bullying Runs Deep: Breaking the Code of Silence That Protects Bullies

 

What Moms Can Do About Kids Who Want to Be Sexy

0
12 years
by in Being a Mom, building self-esteem in girls, Friendship & Other Weapons, media messages

As I started reading this article, “Why 6-Year Old Girls Want to Be Sexy,” I could hear my mind saying “UGH!” and thinking about the conversations I have been having…and will need to continue to have…with my two young daughters.

As I got to this section, however, I breathed a bit of a reassured sigh–validated that despite the challenges from the media, there is indeed much that Moms (and Dads and other caregivers!) can do about sexualized media messages:

“Mothers feel so overwhelmed by the sexualizing messages their daughters are receiving from the media that they feel they can do nothing to help,” she said. “Our study’s findings indicate otherwise — we found that in actuality, mothers are key players in whether or not their daughters sexualize themselves. Moms can help their daughters navigate a sexualizing world by instructing their daughters about their values and by not demonstrating objectified and sexualized behaviors themselves.”

Check out the whole article here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/17/6-year-old-girls-sexy_n_1679088.html?ref=topbar

If you are interested in hearing more about what parents can do to help their kids become critical thinkers and consumers of media, I have a few other recommendations:

  • First…check out Friendship & Other Weapons, of course, and the featured sections on helping young girls examine music lyrics, advertising, social media, and technology.  My article “Thinner, Sexier, Hotter” talks about sexualization in media and gives adults practical ideas for helping kids think critically about these messages.
  • Next, check out Pigtail Pals and Ballcap Buddies, led by the tireless Melissa Wardy who always has something bold, brave, and inspiring to say about the impact of media sexualization on kids.  Mattel and Monster High–watch out!
  • Third, check out the innovative work of Ines Almeida and her new online marketplace that celebrates childhood without limits and gender stereotypes.
  • And fourth, New Moon Girls is a great publication and option for young girls who want to be inspired by their peers and celebrate all the things that girls can do without the limits of having to be “sexy” at a young age.

 

 

“That Moment:” A Poem about Bullying, Sweethearts, and Heroes

0
12 years
by in bullying

I would love for everyone to listen to the attached poem, written and read by ‘apoetaswell.’  “That Moment” is a poem about becoming a hero to someone in need–the exact moment stressed but the anti-bullying organization, Sweethearts & Heroes.   According to Sweethearts and Heroes founders Tom Murphy and Jason Spector, peers only intervene in bullying situations 10% of the time, but when a peer (or what they call a Hero) intervenes within 10-seconds (That Moment), they are successful 60% of the time.

My favorite line:

HOPE: Hold On, Possibilities Exist

 

Click on the link below to listen:

That Moment

 

 

Team Up to Stop Bullying

0
12 years
by in bullying

In fun professional news, I was asked to join Sears’ brand new campaign–the first major anti-bullying portal site designed to connect children, students, families, educators and communities with hundreds of bullying solutions.

Please visit sears.com/teamup to take the Power Pledge and show your support for Team Up to Stop Bullying.  The full web site will have hundreds of bullying solutions and will officially launch the first week of August.

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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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