Kids test out their power and aggression with each other first, generally because there’s a natural age imbalance, but how it develops and progresses is a function of parenting. If kids find out they can get away with it and aggression pays off, it will continue and turn into bullying. Sibling rivalry is really just […]
Why Are Kids Bullied?
Bullies will find any excuse to pick on a target. Too tall. Too short. Too fat. Too skinny. Too smart. Too stupid. Poor. An out-of-fashion haircut. Glasses. Braces. Different religion. Different race. Perceived homosexuality. Poor athletic ability. Flat-chested. Developing breasts early. A stutter. Teacher’s pet. Shy. Disabled. Any type of perceived vulnerability will make a […]
Who Are the Bullies?
Although most kids will “test out” bullying by testing out their power, the majority quickly discover they’re not cut out for it. A child proves to be a true bully if he keeps up the role for months or years, loses his empathy with these incidents, or if his initial forays into bullying are exceptionally […]
Why Is Bullying Getting Worse?
People sometimes ask me if there’s a “bullying gene.” No, not as far as we can tell. Is it because of neglectful parents, birth order, the media .. . ? Probably a little of everything you’d imagine. But it makes many people wonder why bullying is getting worse. Babies are born with certain temperaments. Some […]
Bullying Isn’t Just a Playground Problem
For generations, we’ve heard and passed on the same advice about how to deal with bullies—and yet, the bullying problem seems to be getting worse, not better. Maybe that’s because the advice doesn’t work? Ignore the bullies and they’ll go away. Bullying is a normal rite of passage. Just tell the teacher and it’ll stop. […]
How to Build Resilience Against Cyber-Bullying in Your Child
Don’t underestimate the alarming potential effects of an established cyber-bullying relationship between your child and a cyber-bully. According to a Suicide Prevention Resource Center study, both victims and bullies are at a higher risk for suicide after a prolonged bullying relationship – a life-threatening situation that should concern any parent. However, what if your family […]
How Can A Bystander Stop Bullying?
Parents have a great opportunity to teach their kids what we call good bystanders, upstanders or allies, which supporting a kid whose targeted. How Can A Bystander Stop Bullying? I like the word allies because it means that kids who are targeted need someone to help them. But a culture in a school is the […]
Reducing the Risk That Your Child Will be a Bully
There are a number of things that you can do, as a parent, that reduce the risk that your child will do bullying. The number one thing is to think about your role modeling as a parent. Kids learn more from what we do, rather than what we say. You have to think — and […]
Gossip is Bullying
So I learned about gossip bullying first hand recently while I was preparing for a talk on bullying about relational bullying, about girl bullying, mean girl stuff. I was sitting in a coffee shop, I was working with a colleague and my colleague left and a woman was sitting next to me who must have […]
Hollister & Brent Rivera Team Up to Eliminate Bullying
I was privileged to assist in this effort through the development of a the educational video along with a peer-to-peer curriculum. This will be distributed to more than 20,000 schools across the United States and the United Kingdom, providing students with tools they need to prevent and overcome bullying. The program is designed to promote inclusivity […]
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