tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932455.post9214361542773154983..comments2023-10-21T04:16:43.275-06:00Comments on NetFamilyNews: Cyberbullying & bullying-related suicides: 1 way to help our digital-age kidsAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094657388697479090noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932455.post-66994720560868192062010-01-26T15:18:44.560-07:002010-01-26T15:18:44.560-07:00Anne, this is such an important post! Thank you fo...Anne, this is such an important post! Thank you for putting it all out there... the unthinkable tragedy of these teen suicides as well as concrete steps for parents, school administrators, counselors to take to help our kids. When I do student assemblies I emphasize that if students want "less teasing, rumors, gossip, rudeness, meanness" in their school they need to make a pledge to themselves to never "add to the (social) garbage." Is it easy to resist getting involved in juicy gossip in revenge mud slung at someone you don't like anyway? No! It's not easy! Adults find it very challenging to not take the bait when it's right in front of us. But we need to help kids a) recognize what is and what is absolutely NOT acceptable behavior (whether their talking, texting, or passing old fashioned notes). and b) we need to make it safe for kids who have suffered from this kind of relational aggression to speak up to adults in schools or at home. Kids need to know that when they blow the whistle, something will change for the better. We owe that to our kids. When nothing happens or when things get worse for the victim, we adults in power have sent this message: "This kind of harassment is OK with us." It is definitely NOT OK and we need to stay on this until it is no longer cool to be mean.Annie Foxhttp://anniefox.comnoreply@blogger.com