Back to school can mean a lot of different things to different people. Whether you are the parent sending your first child off to kindergarten or a student yourself going back to school after a few years off, there are a number of things to think about. Children and teenagers preparing to go back to school will probably feel a wide range of emotions from excitement, to anxiety, and fear. Starting new classes, meeting new people, getting to know new teachers, this can all be a bit overwhelming. What if your daughters best friend isn't in her class. What if the other kids don't like her. What if her teacher is mean. These are some of the most often voiced concerns with elemetary school aged children. A little pep talk about making new friends, seeing old friends before and after school and at recess, and the assurance that her teacher will surely be very nice, is often enough reassurance to get them through those first couple of weeks until they "get used to" their new school year.
However, as your child ages and has to make more drastic changes; going from elementary to middle school or middle school to high school. Facing bullies, dealing with multiple teachers, as well as developing their own self image and self esteem, can be an extremely trying time for teens and parents alike. One of the hard and fast parenting tips that is useful in virtually every situation is: talking to your children. But don't just "talk to them", listen to them. Often we find that when we are quiet and really listen to our children or teenagers, we gain a great understanding and appreciation for what they are dealing with. Not only are they dealing with drug addiction, alcohol abuse, teen suicides, and any number of other problems that have been around for ages, but they are dealing with a whole new world of problems like: cyber bullying.
What is cyber bullying? Cyber bullying can come in a number of forms: through email, text messaging, and social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. Cyber bullying statistics suggests many teens face some type of cyber bullying on an almost daily basis. Let's face it kids can be really mean and nasty, teenagers probably even more than most. The dynamics of cyber bullying can be even more damaging than just the normal lunch room physical bully that pushes your kid out of line or makes them walk down another hallway to get to class. Cyber bullying can be very psychologically devastating. Electronic messages can quickly go from a handful of students to an entire student body.
The first step we, as parents, can take is, again, talking to our kids. Help them understand that bullying in any form is not ok. Set rules about appropriate use of technology and follow through with those rules. Make sure that your child knows you will be monitoring all activity on their electronic devices. You may even consider a parent contract defining rules and consequences for use of all electronic equipment by your teens. Then, make sure your child or teen knows that you are a safe zone for them. That they can always talk to you about any problems they face, whether they were involved or just witnessed or heard about something that happened. Also, be very vigilant in watching for drastic changes in your child's behavior. Some anxiety and depression is normal in teens, but if your teen seems to have more teen stress than is normal or you notice drastic changes in eating, sleeping, or activity levels of your teens, you may want to seek professional counseling or other help. Never ignore these changes or dismiss them as "crazy teen behavior". Take the time to be involved. It really does make all the difference in the world.
