Jodee Blanco's New Book Has Inspired Me To Write About Bullying

Napa Homes for Sale: Is it for you?

2010-07-18T08:40:00.001-07:00

Interesting article on Napa Valley Home Purchases--http://www.napahomesforsale.wetpaint.com

Edina Realty-Minneapolis Real Estate

2010-07-13T06:54:00.001-07:00

Minneapolis real estate agent Aaron Dickinson serves the Twin Cities Housing market. Offers property search, blog and community information.

http://www.aaronsold.com

Free Thinking Games

2010-07-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

For Kids and Adults--Play free thinking games that will stimulate your mind online.

thinking games,
mind games,
thinking,
memory games,
strategy games,
critical thinking,
word games,
sudoku,
puzzle games

Share PARENTING ADVISE!

2010-03-24T13:55:00.001-07:00

Practicalmum.com Launch! - www.practicalmum.com

Love to share? Give some of your parenting wisdom and advice on practicalmum.com

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Kim Kenney's profile on MyLikes

How Common is Bullying?

2010-01-06T10:32:00.003-08:00

Many people think that bullying is a common part of childhood, and sadly, it is. Bullying affects close to half of students in high school and middle school. Estimates by the National Youth Violence Prevention in 2006 say that 30% of students either are bullied on a regular basis or are bullies themselves. About 11% of children are bullying victims while a slightly higher percentage, 13%, are doing the bullying. 6% of children say that they have been both the bullying victim and the bully at one time or another. This starling evidence shows that bullying is all too common in schools and the serious nature of bullying can damage the lives of these children.

Any child can be the victim of bullying, but some types of students are more likely than others to be targeted. Any child that is different whether it is race, ethnicity, religion, physical limitations or mental limitations is at a higher risk of being bullied. Bullying is more common among boys than girls and is more likely to be physical. It is common for bullying among girls to be emotional and based on what children say about each other. Bullying can take place anywhere that children interact, including on the computer and over the phone.

Bullying is common even from children who are confident and popular. A common misconception about bullying is that bullies are usually children with low self-esteem and are trying to compensate for their own problems. This is not the case and frequently bullies are confident, popular students who pick on others for the fun of it. Bullies often act out as a way to dominate others and to impress their friends. Bullies feel no remorse for what they do and are often in trouble in other areas of school. Bullies who are shown proper ways to interact with other are more likely to have serious problems later in life. It is common for children who are bullies in school to develop problems with the law later as adults and to get involved with drug and alcohol abuse.

Bullying victims can usually overcome the effects of bullying, especially if the bully is stopped before they have a chance to do any permanent damage. Not all cases of bullying have long term effects, but if not stopped in time they can. Children who are bullied relentlessly for a long time are more likely to be depressed and suicidal, even later in life. Bullying victims are also likely to drop out of school or do poorly in school as a result of all the stress placed on them by the bully. Bullying victims also tend to have low self-esteem that may never improve.

Bullying is a common and serious problem in schools today. Parents and teacher should closely monitor children for signs of bullying and stop any incidents before both the bully and victim suffer long-term consequences. The serious nature of bullying is often overlooked by good natured parents and teachers who think it is something that will be outgrown, and while that is sometimes the case, bullying should not be taken lightly.

Cyber Bullying VS Traditional Bullying

2010-01-06T10:30:00.001-08:00

Bullying has long been a problem in school but was usually confined to the school yard or the hallway. Technology makes bullying even easier than it was before with email, chat rooms, and an unlimited audience online. There was a time when all bullying happened face to face but now with the internet, children can bully each other through popular communication methods even anonymously. Traditional bullies always had to let their victims see them and could only gain the support of friends who were around. Cyber bullies can humiliate, threaten, and belittle their victims without their identity being known, or they can have an audience of thousands. Cyber bullies are becoming more and more common as children use these communication methods more and more in their daily lives.

Cyber bullies can say things that they can not in front of other people in chat rooms, IM's and on websites. This allows children to be much meaner than they traditionally could. Things that they could not say in front of adults and even other children are now easily said online. Cyber bullying is potentially an even bigger threat than traditional bullying because the potential for damaging statements is even greater. Traditional bullies could only reach an audience of the other children around, with the internet hundreds of children can gang up on a single child.

Cyber bullying is also easier to do than traditional bullying. All it takes is a few key strokes and a cyber bully can humiliate their target. Children are less inhibited when online and it is not as hard to bully when it is over a computer. Traditional bullies had to have the courage to physically bully another child or at least use comments to their face. Cyber bullies have to use much less effort and can be more impulsive.

Traditional bullies could only act out on their victims when they saw them. This confined bullying to school and places that children interacted face to face. Cyber bullies can bully others any time as cell phones and computers are both at home and at school. Traditional bullies could not hurt others at home, but with cyber bullies, home is usually where bullying occurs via the computer. This leaves no safe place for the targets of bullying to go as computers are essential nowadays for completing schoolwork and communicating with friends.

Even though emails and messages are easy to stop, cyber bullies is not as easy to stop as traditional bullies are. Derogatory and hurtful comments posted online and shared between people are impossible to stop and can potentially reach an unlimited number of people. Once a comment is posted online it can reach an unlimited number of people and the ramifications can be huge. Stopping a traditional bully was relatively easy with the right preventative measures, but the anonymous nature of the internet makes it impossible.

There are many differences between cyber bullies and traditional bullies but both types are serious issues. Bullying negatively affects both the bully and the victim and if not stopped can cause serious long term damage.

Common Misconceptions About Bullying & Cyber Bullying

2009-12-30T09:33:00.001-08:00

There are many common misconceptions about bullying. Thinking that bullying is a normal part of childhood and the victims should just toughen up is perhaps the most stereotypical view of bullying and the biggest bullying misconception. Thinking this way can have serious consequences for both victims and bullies. Bullying should not be tolerated and letting a bully continue picking on others just reinforces their behavior and sets them up to continue making poor choices for the rest of their lives. Bullying victims can also suffer from low self esteem, depression, and a poor self image.

Another bullying misconception is that bullies have low self esteem. Many bullies are popular and are very confident. Bullies are not the unconfident kids trying to make up for their problems like people once assumed. Bullying may actually be a way that kids try to dominate others and assert their power. Children who bully often act in conjunction with their friends and use bullying as a way to fit in with them. Children who have friends and like to be in control will bully others as a way to assert their power and impress their fiends, albeit in the wrong way.

Many people also have the bullying misconception that bullying occurs only in lower class neighborhoods and schools. This is not the case, and plenty of bullying cases occur in high class neighborhoods and schools. Bullying can occur no matter what socioeconomic class a child is in. Many upper-class schools have bullying problems because children feel as though they are better than others and try to show how much power they have over children they perceive as weaker than them.

The bullying misconception that boys are only kids that bully is also wrong. Boys do bully more than girls, but girls can also be bullies. Bullying among boys is often physical where girls tend to use emotional bullying by saying mean things and spreading rumors to humiliate people. Bothe types of bullying can have devastating effects on bullying victims and leave them with self esteem problems and a lifetime of insecurity.

Another bullying misconception is that bullying most commonly occurs in high school rather than in younger children. Studies have shown that bullying occurs at all ages but the most common ages are in middle school, not high school and elementary. Children from 9-13 years old are the most likely ages to bully. Children in this age group are just beginning to face stress in school and the pressure to fit in, so bullying becomes a common way cope with these problems.

Many people think that remarks made with bullying most commonly target intelligence and are meant to demean a person. Studies suggest, however, that the most common insults used while bullying are about a kid's perceived sexual orientation. As ridiculous as it sounds, this is the most common thing kids tease each other about. Finding socially unacceptable faults such as these make some children easier targets for bullying. There are many bullying misconceptions and truly understanding what bullying is will help to stop and prevent it.
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Cyber Bullying VS Traditional Bullying

Bullying has long been a problem in school but was usually confined to the school yard or the hallway. Technology makes bullying even easier than it was before with email, chat rooms, and an unlimited audience online. There was a time when all bullying happened face to face but now with the internet, children can bully each other through popular communication methods even anonymously. Traditional bullies always had to let their victims see them and could only gain the support of friends who were around. Cyber bullies can humiliate, threaten, and belittle their victims without their identity being known, or they can have an audience of thousands. Cyber bullies are becoming more and more common as children use these communication methods more and more in their daily lives.

Cyber bullies can say things that they can not in front of other people in chat rooms, IM's and on websites. This allows children to be much meaner than they traditionally could. Things that they could not say in front of adults and even other children are now easily said online. Cyber bullying is potentially an even bigger threat than traditional bullying because the potential for damaging statements is even greater. Traditional bullies could only reach an audience of the other children around, with the internet hundreds of children can gang up on a single child.

Cyber bullying is also easier to do than traditional bullying. All it takes is a few key strokes and a cyber bully can humiliate their target. Children are less inhibited when online and it is not as hard to bully when it is over a computer. Traditional bullies had to have the courage to physically bully another child or at least use comments to their face. Cyber bullies have to use much less effort and can be more impulsive.

Traditional bullies could only act out on their victims when they saw them. This confined bullying to school and places that children interacted face to face. Cyber bullies can bully others any time as cell phones and computers are both at home and at school. Traditional bullies could not hurt others at home, but with cyber bullies, home is usually where bullying occurs via the computer. This leaves no safe place for the targets of bullying to go as computers are essential nowadays for completing schoolwork and communicating with friends.

Even though emails and messages are easy to stop, cyber bullies is not as easy to stop as traditional bullies are. Derogatory and hurtful comments posted online and shared between people are impossible to stop and can potentially reach an unlimited number of people. Once a comment is posted online it can reach an unlimited number of people and the ramifications can be huge. Stopping a traditional bully was relatively easy with the right preventative measures, but the anonymous nature of the internet makes it impossible.

There are many differences between cyber bullies and traditional bullies but both types are serious issues. Bullying negatively affects both the bully and the victim and if not stopped can cause serious long term damage.