Bullying Antidote (eBook)

This big-picture look at bullying by community psychologist Dr. Louise Hart and her co-author, Kristen Caven (other books include The Winning Family and On the Wings of Self-Esteem), takes on the challenge of correcting the common and widespread parenting practices that contribute to today's bullying epidemic.
Drawing from psychological, medical, sociological, educational, and neurological research, they build a theory of bullying that spans across communities and generations, one that will ring a bell for most parents. The book teaches hundreds of specific, positive practices to turn the next generation of children into richly developed, healthy adolescents and adults who possess what the authors lightly label “ZORGOS,' the superpower that defeats bullying. The overall intent is not just to stop a single bullying incident, but to develop immunity in today's children to future bullying events. The Bullying Antidote shows how parents and community leaders, by becoming educated about the mechanics of power dynamics and prevention, can build bully-free, emotionally safe families, neighborhoods, and communities.
Some of the things parents will learn in this book:
1. Parenting styles that can either nurture or interrupt bullying behaviors
2. Three ways parents with good intentions unknowingly raise bullies
3. What bullying is and what it is not
4. What to do when your child is bullied, bullies, or witnesses bullying
5. How to build a child's core strengths and competencies
6. How assertive communication is non-violent communication
7. How nurture and structure balance family life and emotions
8. How to build your authority without being a dictator
9. Ten ways to build resilience
10. How to use technology positively at all ages
The authors provide an online resource for readers of this book. Search zorgos.wordpress for links, notes, a discussion guide and an author interview.

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As parents, we want our children to succeed. Not just academically, but personally. We hope they will make friends and feel secure in themselves and their environment when they are out on the playground or in the classroom. The reality is, though, that bullying has reached epidemic proportions in our nation's schools and communities. When it isn't addressed, it contributes to higher rates of depression, substance abuse, and suicide among youth. Many kids simply do not feel safe--and their teachers and parents have no idea what's going on. Some parents who know that their children are having difficulty do not know what to do: Are these kids just being kids? Should I tell someone?In this critical, life-saving book, Louise Hart, PhD, a leading educator in self-esteem development, gives parents the skills they need to prevent their children--whether 6 or 16--from being bullied. The antidote, she reveals, is to equip moms and dads with the tools to raise confident and resilient kids through positive parenting, including tips and a course of action for: boosting self-respect, self-care, and self-esteem in your childrenteaching your kids how to communicate effectively and assertivelydevising an action plan with your child in the event they are bulliedcreating a family culture where bullying behavior is not accepted