One of the most pervasive ways that people hurt others is through gossiping, which is a form of social bullying. It is usually done in person or online.

Social bullying is when one tarnishes the reputation and character of another person. Usually, this includes gossiping, telling others not to engage with the victim for any reason, sabotaging the victim's relationships in one way or another, and other methods.

TEACH KIDS NOT TO BE AN AUDIENCE FOR GOSSIP.

When kids refuse to listen to gossip, people stop gossiping. The gossiper might even feel embarrassed that they tried to initiate, as well as those engaging in it. By teaching kids to refuse to be a listener, they send the message that gossip is not important to them and maybe even that it's distasteful.

In case you were not aware, kids are often more influenced by their peers' disapproval than by their parent's perspective.

Kids may engage in gossip for several reasons, including:

• Showing power: Since kids like the idea of having...

Your child might be exhibiting signs of bullying and you might miss them if you don't know what to look for.

I was speaking to a parent this past week who was feeling awful for not having listened to her child. 

You see, her child had been bullied for a while. She thought that her incidents were not that bad. Then, months later she found out that her child was experiencing extreme symptoms from her bullying experiences. 

Her child was having panic attacks, couldn’t sleep, and got physically sick often. Her child kept asking to stay home and then one day, her child just refused to go to school.  

After long talks and some therapy sessions, this mom found out that the bullying experiences had been very consistent over the course of a year. Furthermore, she found out that teachers had been part of the bullying as well. 

Sadly, this happens. That’s why it’s important for parents to ask as many questions as possible to find out what kids are...

I try to be as involved as possible in my children’s lives. I do not accept short answers when I ask them how their day has gone. I try to have conversations with them to know what’s really been going on in their lives, but it's not always so easy. 

They are in their teens and sometimes, sharing about their lives is NOT something they're interested in doing.

Try A Different Approach

Since kids can be really stubborn about opening up, I've had to learn when to leave them alone and when to get them to engage without them realizing that they're doing it. 

It has to be subtle and all about them!

For example, this morning, my younger child was very cranky and didn't want to talk. As I drove her to school, I asked her if she knew what was making her feel cranky. Of course, she gave me the usual teen answer, "I dunno". 

Since I didn't want her to go off to school feeling down, I started telling her that I imagine that if her favorite stuffed animal...