Parenting by Strengths

Take on Bullies-- Ready- Set- Go!

by Mary Ivory 

The news of increasing bully behaviors has my stomach in a flip-flop. The ultimate sad ending is a teen suicide. We have to help our kids handle conflict now. That means we need to know and use every resource.

Intimidation, power and control are the more sophisticated words that describe bully behavior but be certain, it affects young people in more long lasting ways than the days of problems on the playground. As bully goes high tech with the rest of our world, the highway of information can become the super highway of kid abuse. Most adults I speak with readily recall the intensity of young adolescent and adolescent peer pressure. We understand the origins of teen aggression today a bit more as science teaches us more about how the brian is developing rapidly and hormores are surging in young people. The good news is that it is the power of the relationship with caring adults- teachers, administrators and parents that will turn this issue in to a non issue.

Today's post is a list of resources at your fingertips---

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan conducted  a survey of more than 4000 of Illinois children and youth. This office is aware that the age of technology will require new law to protect and educate youth and parents. Click here  for the web connection on ebully411 to find the most current resources about how to help youth, wherever you are!

Bullies need to be sneaky to be effective. They know there behavior is shameful and it can only exist in an atmosphere of namelessness and hiding. A suburban Chicago detective Richard Wistocki, speaks about how there is no place to hide on the Internet. He has taken his knowledge to a resource for parents and schools, check out BeSure Consulting.

I will write more about the importance of relationship building with teens in future posts. For now here is one more link about school safety.

As always, let me know what you think.I want to write to what you need to know!

 

 

  

Coaching And Montessori: Entrepreneurship And Creative Careers

By Steve Coxsey 

A couple of years back I won a friendly bidding war during the auction at my younger son’s Montessori school fundraiser. I bought a picture of his class posing with their teachers, Ms. Marisa and Ms. Delaina. The children’s signatures are on the matting around the edge. The signatures are special, and a nice reminder of a specific time in my son’s life, but I was especially interested in the picture because of what else is on the matting. 

Coaching And Montessori: The Roots Of Resilience

By Steve Coxsey 

If you have a chance to visit a Montessori school during a typical day, as opposed to during a special event day, you might see a refreshingly curious site. Two, or sometimes three or more, children might be sitting together at a table or in a small circle talking seriously. They’re not playing during free time, and they’re not working on a project together. They’re resolving conflicts with just a little bit of direction from their teacher. 

Coaching And Montessori: A Lifetime Of Learning And Growing

By Steve Coxsey 

My son’s class, the senior elementary class, had their science fair the first week of February. It was a lot of fun to see their exhibits. They were happy to explain their questions, the process they used for research, and the results. Some were even happy to speculate about why things turned out different than they expected!

Coaching And Montessori: The Power Of Mentorship

By Steve Coxsey 

Last December when the elementary classes at my son’s Montessori school went to Mainstay Christmas Tree Farm for a field trip, I was one of the fortunate (or is it naïve?) parents asked to drive the group. We roasted marshmallows, played on piles of hay, watched goats climb up wooden ramps (guess you had to be there), played in wooden forts and mazes, and slid down a corrugated pipe. We also had a hayride behind a tractor driven by farm co-owner Marianna Wilson. What a special experience!

Coaching And Montessori: Growing A Genuine Community

By Steve Coxsey 

My younger son’s school sends each family a copy of Tomorrow’s Child Magazine from The Montessori Foundation. I like reading the different ways authors have of explaining the Montessori worldview. I was drawn to “Too Many Cultural Celebrations?” in a recent issue. The article helps us see how the Montessori way promotes community. It encourages acceptance, understanding, and peace by introducing children to both the common humanity and different cultural practices of people around the world. 

Coaching And Montessori: As Slow As You Need, As Fast As You Can

By Steve Coxsey

I bet I’m not the only Montessori parent who has had this experience. One day your child is talking about getting introduced to the next level of work for a subject area and is excited because it’s usually just for the “older kids.” You wonder how accurate that is, so you talk to the teacher and find out it’s true. In that subject, at least recently, your child is moving along and ready to tackle harder tasks. The teacher tells you your child will be doing works designed for a slightly older group. You beam with pride and breathe a big sigh of relief. For a short time.

Coaching And Montessori: Honoring Development

By Steve Coxsey

I arrived at my son’s school late on parents’ night, but I heard most of a presentation about Dr. Maria Montessori’s life and philosophy. I’m no stranger to Dr. Montessori’s ideas and methods – my degrees and experience are in child psychology, development, and education – but I learned some significant things about the principles that guided the development of her educational model.

Internet Bullying- What You Want to Know

By Mary Ivory MA LCPC

Well, you might not want to know, but caring for kids in today's world of the Internet in our homes, you need to know about Internet bullying.

But let's back up a minute. Let's say the words that make you cringe, let's get them out of the way. Bullying. Scapegoat. Intimidation. 'Being Picked On.' Peer Pressure....Cliches. These are not new words, just ones we might want to forget. Yes, those happenings are frequent in most modern adolescent and pre-adolescents' experience. Sociologists do study this group behavior but, most people want to forget the uncomfortable to painful experience of those frequently stress-filled years. Previously such painful conflicts with were typically restricted to the school yard of the neighborhood streets.  Now this can happen in your home, right now.

Today is dramatically different as these conflicts can be happening on the lap top in the kitchen when you are there making dinner!  Please keep reading...

Teen Pregnancy Prevention

by Amy Johnson, MSW

May 7^th is the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. With partners like the American Academy of Pediatrics, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, MySpace, and over 150 more national, state, and local partners, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy hopes to raise awareness of teen pregnancy via an online quiz at StayTeen.org. According to their website (www.thenationalcampaign.org), “The purpose of the National Day is to focus the attention of teens on the importance of avoiding too-early pregnancy and parenthood.” The message of the campaign this year is “Sex has consequences.”

With over 30% of American women becoming pregnant before age 20 and over half of the annual three million unplanned pregnancies that occur in the United States occurring to women in their twenties, this is an issue that still needs attention.  Here are some more facts you may not know about teen and unplanned pregnancies: