Expert advises parents on how to talk with kids about bullying
Trudy Ludwig is author of several children’s books about bullying including My Secret Bully, Just Kidding, Sorry!, Trouble Talk, Too Perfect, Confessions of a Former Bully, and Better Than You. Her eighth book, The Invisible Boy, will be available in October 2013 (photo Trudyludwig.com)
Author and bullying expert Trudy Ludwig has written an excellent article on “How to Talk to Your Kids about Bullying” that’s posted on the Family Online Safety Institute’s Platform for Good site.
The article helps explain what bullying is and isn’t and reminds parents that “most kids aren’t cruel — offline or online.”
She also talks about how to turn kids mistakes into teachable moments. “Our job as caring parents is to make sure our kids don’t keep repeating those mistakes so they can move forward in positive, healthy ways,” she wrote. “We do this by being good role models ourselves in how we treat those we encounter in life. We also need to hold our children accountable for their hurtful behaviors.”
She also points out the difference between bullying and being rude or mean.
- “When someone says or does something unintentionally hurtful and they do it once, that’s RUDE.
- When someone says or does something intentionally hurtful and they do it once, that’s MEAN.
- When someone says or does something intentionally hurtful and they keep doing it—even when you tell them to stop or show them that you’re upset—that’s BULLYING.”
Click here to purchase any of Trudy’s books from Amazon.com and here to visit her website.