Cyberbullying...uh parents!!!!

You know I'm getting tired of hearing  about cyberbullying. I'm heart broken when I hear of another young person who's taken their life because of some crap that's been said or video that's been posted on a social networking site. What do we do? Not all kids are impervious to the harsh and mean words of others. Parents! Hellooooo...talking to you now.

The first thing we need to do as parents is be real. Our children are NOT perfect little angels. Even though we'd like them to be perfect--it's not happening. I never say my child would NEVER do something because as soon as I do he/she would do that very thing. If someone tells you your child is bullying you have a duty as a parent to find out if it's true and do something about it if your child is indeed being mean to others. I'm sick to death of hearing parents say, "Oh my kid would never do that." Get over yourself. I had to do it, and so can you. Plus, no one wants to hear how perfect you think your child is. GAG.

Second as parents we need to be aware. If your child (as long as they're under your roof or you're paying for their college) has a page on a social networking site be aware of what's on it. I have the ability to log on to all three of my children's pages. I see what they write and have set limits. If they post something I deem unacceptable, it has to be deleted. If they keep posting unacceptable things, then they know the whole page will be deleted. Recently my middle child, who's in high school, deleted her page because she said she was "tired of reading about all the fighting." She saw it has a negative in her life and got rid of it. Sometimes we have children who are not wise enough to do this for themselves and as parent we have to step in and do it for them. Also, there are programs out there that you can install on your kids' phones that send you any text or pics they send or receive. Your child can't cyberbully someone if you know what they're doing. Nor can they be cyberbullied without your knowledge if you see what's going on.

And most importantly sticks and stones hurt, AND words are a bitch too. They stick with us. They bruise our souls. They hurt us deeper than a physical pain. Acknowledge this fact and address it with your children. Help them to learn to process negative behaviors directed at them during school, through text message, or the Internet. When my kids come home and say this person said this about me I always question them as to how the situation developed. Sometimes my kids have provoked a negative response from a student. You can't just say rude things to someone and not expect to be treated rudely in return.

This is a complicated, social atmosphere we're raising children in today. It's our responsibility as parents to show our children how to survive in it.  Or you can just continue to ignore what you child is doing and hope for the best. It's up to you.