Watching my younger son with his older brother climb out on the pier a little further than I am comfortable with, I am struck again by how much we learn by example. Our influence over...Keep Reading

When I was in junior high school, we used to have to watch those corny “gateway drug” educational films. Do you remember those? They followed a similar plot: Some clean-cut teenage boy would steal a...Keep Reading

Bullying Legislation: Do You Know What the Laws Are? The majority of states across the nation have adopted some type of child/school directed bullying legislation. It’s imperative to stay informed and connected to the initiatives...Keep Reading

The U.S. Department of Justice has just released Bullying in Schools, a 64-page document as part of its series on Problem-Oriented Guides for Police. The document is full of good intentions and advice. But one...Keep Reading

Parents are sometimes shocked and distressed to get the phone call from another parent or school stating that their child has been bullying another child. They fail to read the signs that indicate their child...Keep Reading

My son, who will soon be attending high school, was laughing about a post one of his friends made on Facebook. (If your children are on social networking sites, you should be on them as...Keep Reading

I am at once both blessed and cursed with a twelve year old daughter. It is a hard year. The girls are friends one moment, bitter enemies the next and back to being friends before...Keep Reading

I put these hypotheticals to my children: You and a friend are purposefully throwing rocks at a brick wall. You know you shouldn’t throw stones at the building … but as the rocks bounce harmlessly...Keep Reading

There is a lot of public outcry about bullying on the televised news, in the daily papers, and across the myriad Internet forums. It’s a popular lead, with plenty of shock value, drama and blame...Keep Reading

My son had only been in middle school a few days when I got a call from his teacher, telling me what had happened the afternoon beforehand on the playground. It was my son’s birthday,...Keep Reading