Mom's Everyday - Bullying
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Pat: Good morning. I'm Pat Persaud. Welcome, today we are talking about a very important issue to a whole lot of families out there, and it is bullying. Joining me today, Laura Buddenberg from Boys Town. She's a parent educator as well as an author. This is a growing problem, Laura.
Laura: It's a real concern for families. Parents are looking out there, seeing a lot of meanness among kids and they're wondering, has my child either been a victim of this, a target, or has my kid seen it and just doesn't know how to handle it after that?
Pat: Right. A lot of that behavior sometimes comes from the aggressive behavior, perhaps, at home?
Laura: It can come from that, or culture's kind of mean. There's a lot of music, movies, television, so there's a lot out there that just shows people being very unkind to each other. Kids pick up on that. I think they get desensitized to it and you can have some real trouble.
Pat: And you have a hotline now that people can call into.
Laura: Yes we do. We really encourage parents, if you are concerned about your child, think maybe they're being a target or they're indicating to you they're seeing bullying and don't know what to do about it, to call our Boys Town National Hotline. The number is 1-800-448-3000. Twenty-four seven, there's somebody there to help. Also, make sure your kids know that number because they'll talk to kids and give them some solutions and strategies and ways that they can also go to their parents for help, it's a great resource.
Pat: Boys Town and Parenting.org is a great resource for parents who need just some help in helping our kids without freaking out, right?
Laura: Right, right. The one thing you want to do as a parent is communicate, "I know you, I love you, I'm here for you, and no matter what you tell me, I'm going to stay cool and I'm going to help you get through it."
Pat: Poker face, yeah. All right, Laura, thanks. And thank you for choosing MomsEveryday.com.
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