Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog!
Have you had a chance to talk to that teen or young adult in your life yet? We spent the weekend at home with ours. I worked with our oldest on a bit of business writing homework and Jim worked with our youngest at the airport where they fuel and move planes around.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month.
According to Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center, 1 in 5 students are targets of a bully. It is a staggering statistic to think about. This month, we will talk about bullying and its effects on teens who are targets and the ones who bully. Like it says above, together, we can create a world without bullying. This should be our goal.
Last week we talked about the people who stand up to bullies. Whether it is the target or a bystander, both are inspirational because standing up to bullying isn’t easy. This week I am featuring a great resource to get help for yourself or someone else who is currently a target of a bully. It is the Boys Town Crisis Hotline.
What is Boys Town?
Boys Town is an organization in Boys Town, Nebraska that provides an array of life changing youth care and health care services to meet each teenager and family where they are in their challenge. If this organization looks familiar, it is because I featured them earlier this year. Boys Town was the first organization I chose to feature as Teen Resource because it advocates for teens and their families. Here is a link to that post. Teen Resource – Boys Town
When it comes to Bullying prevention, Boys Town has a whole program dedicated to helping those who are dealing with the issue or those who are trying to help someone who is. Here’s a link to their web page Stop Bullying with Boys Town
Let’s get the conversation started
According to the Stop Bullying with Boys Town web page, one of the first steps to getting bullying to stop is to start a conversation about it. Here is a click and share graphic from that page.
This graphic presents great ideas on how to start a conversation with your teen, whether they are being bullied, is a bully, or you want to make them aware of what bullying is and how they can either help themselves or others.
As trusted adults, we can help our teens work through obstacles they may be facing, whether it is bullying or any other problems they may find challenging. Create an open environment for them to share their thoughts and feelings. At the beginning of every post, I ask if you have had a chance to touch base with the teen or young adult in your life. Letting them know you are there and available is important to opening these lines of communication. They may not jump on the opportunity right away, but it lets them know they aren’t alone.
Need additional information?
If you are looking for some additional information about bullying and how to deal with it, there are many other graphics and videos to view and share about bullying on their web page. Bullying in any situation creates a serious situation. It can lead to teens and young adults inflicting self-harm and even committing suicide because of it.
If you are being bullied or know someone who is, please feel free to call the Boys Town Hotline at 800-448-3000. It is a 24/7 hotline with people available to help.
Don’ be afraid to utilize any resources that can help you or someone you know. They are available to report the problem, start the conversation, and get some help to stop people from getting hurt or hurting themselves.
Bullying is the topic of Shawn’s Way
Looking for another good way to talk about the topic of bullying with your teens or young adults? How about having them read Shawn’s Way? It is a coming-of-age novel which shows how a high school freshman becomes the target of a bully and choses to navigate the stresses and pressure that comes with it. It is the second book in The Way Series, which focuses on the challenges that teens face. Here is a link for more information about Shawn’s Way and The Way Series.
Have a great week!
