Racism and Bullying – How can we deal with it?

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no racism Racism can be seen in many different forms and there are many different ways to deal with it. At school, there are resources which can be used to help children understand that racism is not ok. Videos, books, websites, games and activities have been created with the goal of reducing and eliminating racial prejudice.

As parents we can all model non-racist behaviour and make sure any racist comments on television, on-line or in reading materials are dealt with. For example, if your child is watching a YouTube video and someone makes a racist comment, be sure you deal with it. Have your child stop the video and discuss the implications of what was just said. Talk about why this comment was unacceptable. Talk about how even though racism exists, it is important to make a stand against it. Speak up if necessary. Do something. Do not let racist comments go by without addressing them.

If you are a teacher, and someone makes a racist comment, stop the Continue reading →

Help avoid cyberbullying with this 3-word phrase

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What three words could possibly help to make sure your children are never cyber-bullied? You may be surprised at the answer. These days, more and more of us are feeling challenged with the economy and therefore are picking up extra jobs and packing our schedule full of career-based activities. I totally understand. In my opinion, it is our children who are sometimes losing out. The connection between parents and children is being eroded.

We are all doing our best to make ends meet, earn a living and provide for our families. Every day we operate from a list of priorities, whether we know it or not. I think our children need to be as high as possible on that list of priorities.

The three word phrase I am talking about is simply Continue reading →

Bullying can be prevented with Child-safe uploads – here’s how

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Do you know what your children are uploading to the Internet? How many videos do you think your child loads in a day, in a week, in a month?

Even 10 second videos can tell a story or send a message that could be 100% positive or, on the other side of the coin not so positive. The same can be said for static images. Maybe your child just uploads a picture once in a while? Or could it be that hundreds of images are being posted every week by your children?

Studies show that many cyber-bullying Continue reading →

How to choose a perfect password and remember it instantly

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Password protection can help prevent cyber-bullying or your children choosing rock solid passwords? In fact, many children tend to use the name of their pet, their street or even their teacher’s last name.

There now hundreds of social media platforms available. Every one of them must be accessed with a username and password. However, if the password is weak, it can be easily compromised.

Here’s a tip to help your children choose a password which will not be hacked. This is also effective for adults or anyone wanting to make sure they are safe online.

Think of a sentence with 10 to 14 words. Include at least one number and one symbol in the sentence. Here’s an example. My brother has 6 red 20 $ T-shirts in his bedroom closet. Take the first letter of each word and keep the numbers and symbols in the sentence. By doing that you now have the following password:

Mbh6r20$tsihbc

This 14 digit password has upper and lowercase letters. It has a symbol, two numbers and other characters also. There are no words found in this password. These are important features of a good password.

Use this method and encourage your children to do the same when choosing passwords which no one else will be able to guess or hack. Just make sure you remember the sentence and don’t write it down. Once you write down a password, chances are vastly increased that someone else could find and use it.

How to stop social media from stressing your children?

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Did you know your children could be stressing out over their social media friends list? Some children become very concerned about the number of friends on their friends list or likes on their page.

Many parents do not realize the kinds of issues that sometimes concern their children. Social media is on the minds of more and more of our youth. Are your children active on social media? Have you given them permission to be on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat? Friendster, Google Plus, Pinterest and Tumblr are some other social media sites where your children may be active. How much time are you children spending on social media?

Studies show that children from the ages of 13 to 17 are spending over two hours a day on social media sites on the Internet. It is estimated that over 8 million children below the age of 13 are active on Facebook. Facebook is intended for users aged 13 and older.

It’s true that social media is our new Continue reading →

Filtering Software can stop cyber-bullying before it starts

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Did you know there is software available that can actually help prevent bullying situations from happening? It’s your choice whether you would want to choose to use this method to be proactive against the possibility of bullying situations occurring.

Hopefully you trust your children and have built an excellent healthy relationship. You probably do not see the need to look in on them when they are not aware you are watching. That would be spying. I believe it is important to build a solid relationship so you will have confidence in your kids’ choice of activities.

At the same time, it important to supervise children and make sure you know what they actually doing at any given time. As adults, we are responsible for our children. We must realize that kids are curious and always learning new things. The Internet contains constant Continue reading →

How to use schedules and structure to help prevent cyber-bullying

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Are you struggling with the amount of time your kids are spending on computer, TV, handheld games, console games, YouTube and cell phones?

Kids who spend less time on-line experience fewer incidents of on-line bullying and are generally more well-adjusted. Are you looking for ways to be pro-active against cyber-bullying? Are you wondering how to get your children to spend less time on screens?

Luckily there is a solution which is not complicated or difficult. The method I’m talking about does take time and discipline in order to be effective. Implement this system and you’ll be glad to did.

I’m talking about schedules and lists. Sit down with your kids and talk about how much time you are going to allow them to spend on screens. You may want to give them more time on the weekend so that they can carry out their regular routines throughout the week without screen activities getting in the way.

One parent I know has decided their children will not participate in screens from Monday to Friday but on the weekends they can spend as much time as they wish doing screens activities. There are times when the children express frustration about not being able to be on screens during the week, but now that they’re used to it, the schedule is working successfully.

As parents, it is difficult to be Continue reading →

Anti-bullying assemblies have no value in schools

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Another anti-bullying assembly? Are kids raising their eyebrows? After these assemblies, does bullying seem to increase?

Another anti-bullying assembly?

Have you heard the above statements about anti-bullying assemblies? Are you one of the people who believes they have no value?

Actually, they can have incredible value if done right. They must present the information in the right way. Not a good idea to lecture students or have Continue reading →

Controlling your emotions can minimize bullying situations

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hotsummer As the summer days roll along, it is easy to forget about how many kids get bullied during the summer months. The heat can cause tempers to flair and sometimes anger turns into bullying. After all, bullying is when there is a real or perceived imbalance of power between two (or more) people.

How can we control our tempers when things just tick you off?

Answer: Tune in to your feelings so you can identify oncoming anger before it becomes a full blown case of losing your cool. If you can tell that you are getting testy, then you can take action ahead of time.

1/ Take 10 deep breaths.

2/ Think about a Continue reading →

Was Sylvester Stallone bullied and is his success due to his ability to face adversity?

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Sylvester Stallone

As a kid living in Queens, New York, Sylvester Stallone didn’t always get along well in school. He was expelled from 14 schools and eventually his mother ended up getting him into a U.S. college in Switzerland.

Before that though, Sylvester was bullied. So much so that he decided to build his body so he would have the upper hand over any bully who would decide to take him on. He had one big problem. He and his family didn’t have the money to buy weights and body building equipment, so he mustered up some auto parts from the local wreckers and used some cinderblocks attached to a pole to gradually build up those legendary biceps.

It is Sylvester’s belief that you should face your fears head on and beat them by dealing with them directly.

Playing the character Rocky Balboa, Sylvester dealt with his fear of heights by filming the movie Cliffhanger in the Dolomite mountains. He faced his claustrophobia by Continue reading →