Another child has committed suicide because of bullying, and I am struck by the fact that the focus seems to be on what to do about children who are bullies rather than how to help children survive being bullied.
I wanted to share a post by Dr. Laura Markham who's website "Aha! Parenting.com" offers advice to parents who are looking for better ways to help our children grow into confident, compassionate adults.
What I like about her advice on bully-proofing your child is that many of the same tips -- such as modeling compassionate behavior, and staying connected with your child -- apply whether you are trying to help your child deal with bullying, or help your child avoid turning into a bully. The post also gives examples of books that can help parents such as The Bullying Antidote by Dr. Louise Hart
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Especially with the internet offering children new and more insidious ways to bully other children, it's important that we give our children the tools to deal with bullying.
We can't hope to protect our children from all the dangers that may confront them, but we can at least try to give them the tools to navigate what may come their way.
