10 Ways Parents Can Help Children Cope with Bullying
1. Teach Children Not to Over-React to Conflict or Teasing
2. Help Kids Build Solid Friendships
3. Encourage Individual Talents and Feelings of Competence
4. Stay Calm, and Don’t Become Overly Emotional
5. Be an Active Listener, Not a Detective
6. Avoid Blaming and Forcing a Confrontation
7. Role Play Ways of Responding to Taunts or Provocations
8. Know When to Call in Teachers and Administrators
9. Model Ways of Handling Conflict at Home
10. Practice Tolerance, Compassion and Good Citizenship
Building Resilience and Reducing Stress in Young Children
Resilient children have Healthy habits (they eat and sleep well, and exercise regularly), they know how to Play creatively and use their imagination, they have strong ties to Family and friends, and are capable of slowing down and being Mindful.
Tips for Parents:*
1. Establish Healthy Sleep Patterns
2. Preserve Family Meal Time
3. Have Outdoor Play Time Every Day
4. Leave Plenty of Time for Unstructured Play
(and Choose Organized Activities Wisely)
5. Play Board Games as a Family
6. Build in Alone Time (without Electronics)
7. Spend More Time in Nature
8. Encourage Reading and Listening to Books
*Drawn from Parenting Without Fear (St. Martin’s Press, 2007), by Paul J. Donahue, Ph.D.
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Letter to the Editor: New York Times
The New York Times
Letters to the Editor
Paul J. Donahue, Ph.D.
May 10, 2007
CHILD’S PLAY: RE “MY DAUGHTER, THE BURGER-FLIPPING PENGUIN,” BY MICHELLE SLATALLA: (THURSDAY STYLES, MAY 3):
Web sites aimed at young children like Clubpenguin.com and Webkinz.com may seem innocent, but we must ask what our kids are missing when they spend hours online.
Many kids are not using their imagination to create their own worlds and may find that self-directed play pales in comparison with bells and whistles and roulette wheels on their screens.
Young computer gurus often argue that reading is “boring” and that they would much rather be online than play outdoors. A fair number of them have difficulty slowing down, playing alone and being mindful, as they become used to the intense level of stimulation and instant feedback they experience on “kid friendly” sites.
Our children have their whole lives to be multitaskers and sit in front of a computer. Can’t we just let them be kids first?
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