Just the other day I read a news article titled “J.C. Penney ad encourages bullying, some parents say.” Having two very young children, the topic of bullying has never really crossed my mind…yet. But, given the school year is upon us I wanted to see what all the excitement was about and decided to take a look at the advertisement.
With school bullying consistently in the media spotlight, most parents are aware that it’s a serious problem, but we’re forgetting about our youngest and most vulnerable age group, the toddler and preschool crowd. After watching the commercial and hearing all the hype surrounding it, I couldn’t help but feel anxious about how my own kids will deal with intimidation. The mama bear in me hopes they will be brave and stand up for what’s right, but my realistic self knows I can only do so much to prevent them from getting hurt.
Sure, we’ve all dealt with some form of bullying at one point in our lives, but we live in an uber-sensitive and uber-cyber society these days, with multiple forums used to communicate to each other. It’s much easier for older children to talk amongst their peers online, and research shows that children are starting to use technology at a younger age. Remember, it’s important to safeguard your kids, especially with technology to ensure they have a pleasant experience should they chose to be online. Here’s a link that highlights how very real cyber-bullying is and how you can help your kids if they need it.
Parents, how are you taking steps to prevent bullying with your kids?
