Soccer Bullies

Wow! I really thought the bullying would take a summer vacation, but it really never takes a break does it? The 13 year old goalie on my daughter's class 3 soccer team was taunted by her own teammates today for missing some goals. The goalie decided she wasn't going to be a target of their ridicule and left the team camp and went home.

Her parents are rightfully pissed. I'm pissed that this player was abused by her teammates. I'm also pissed that the entire team was punished for the actions of 3 girls. The three offending girls learn nothing from this common, mislead practice that teachers and coaches resort to on a regular basis. It only gives more power to the bullies. They love to see others suffer by their actions and the teachers only feed into it. It is a practice that must stop.

As I see it, there is no such thing as a goalie who stops 100% of the shots on goal. Not even in the pros! What's more, if the ball got by the goalie, that means that at least 3 other players let the ball get by them first. Soccer is a team sport and negative talk on the field should be banned and every team should have a Zero Tolerance policy on bullying.

Wiredsafety.org

This looks like a good website for parents to educate themselves on Internet safety. Check it out today.

Rise In Number Of Moms In The ER

I was having a glass of wine with a friend the other night who is an ER nurse at our local hospital. She happened to mention the alarming increase of moms ending up in the ER from the surrounding affluent area. I asked what was bringing them in. She said they are coming in high on their kid's Ritalin! I shrieked, "What????!!!!!" I was soooooo shocked to hear this!

My friend went on to say that these women are taking their kids' prescription drugs because it is easy to do and difficult to catch. The main reason they are taking Ritalin and Meth is TO GET MORE DONE. Whoa! My next question of course was, What are they thinking???!!!! Then came the realization. Oh my God! These high, affluent women are carpooling children to and from school, soccer, baseball games, and school field trips! Not only is this a very dangerous trend, it is down right STUPID!

Teens View Of The Internet

I'm cleaning up my Tivo because my husbands "Tour de France" is now deleting my favorite programs. In doing so, I am reviewing old episodes I saved on teens, parenting, bullying, teen suicide resulting from bullying, etc. Wow! It has been a very busy year in Bullyland!! And the year ain't over folks!

Anyway, I came across an interview with a panel of 4 teens who spoke very candidly with "The Today Show's" Meredith Vieira. In response to a question regarding their privacy on the Internet, the teens responded, "The Internet is like our own personal world. It's the one place where parents aren't usually involved in. They don't really control exactly what you do."

While the teens acknowledge the dangers of chatting with strangers on the Internet, 3 of the 4 teens admitted to chatting with people they did not know on-line. However, these teens maintain that mom and dad need to trust them.

It's not a matter of trusting our kids. Teenagers brains are not fully developed to make safe decisions. This is a proven fact. It is also a proven fact that predators are contacting children every day. It is, however, a matter of PROTECTION. It is a parent's job to keep our children safe no matter what. I don't see any reason why a teen cannot share their cyber world with their parents. The parents pay for it and it is a privilege to use the services, not a right.

Parents, please teach your children to be responsible on the Internet. Children are giving out thier names, phone numbers, addresses, and other personal information to cyber predators every single day. This can be stop with good old-fashioned parenting.

Weak Parents

Wow! So I'm watching "It's Me or the Dog" on TV and this family is eating dinner at the dinner table with their dog standing on the table eating off of the kids' plates! Disgusting! When the host of the show asked the parents why they allowed this behavior, the dad responeded, "Everybody knows I don't like it, but they don't do anything about it. So, I keep my mouth shut." What??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!! The mother broke down crying saying that she was raised always hearing her parents say "No" to everything and she did not want to be that kind of parent. !@#$%@!

Dogs and children need the same kind of upbrining. They need to know who is in control. That is a matter of safety and survival. They also need boundaries and guidance. "No" is a very important word. What will weak parents say when their child starts to sneak out at night? What will they say when their child want to smoke pot? What will they say when their child wants to inhale? What will they say when their child wants to experiment with drugs, alcohol, and sex????!!!! Parents have got to get a spine and get back in control of their families!

750 Million Teenage Girls Will Get Pregnant In 2009

Teenage pregnancy is on a serious rise. I am watching a taped program called "Family Secrets" on ABC's "Primetime". I was so stunned by the number that I had to comment on it. It stands to reason that teen pregnancies should be on a meteoric rise given the constant media blitz pushing sex on our teen aged children to sell music, alcohol, tobacco, clothing, you name it. They've even figured out how to get sex into shampoo commercials! Shame on American enterprises that target our children in this amoral manner!

Keep Michael Jackson's Kids Away From Joe Jackson!

I am sickened by the media coverage being given to Joe Jackson, but I guess it is serving its purpose to revisit his admitted abuse of his own super star son Michael. God forbid this bully should ever have access to these beautiful children! God forbid!

24 Million Children Grow Up Without Fathers In the U.S.

Wow! 24 million children grow up without a father in this country! That is shocking and tragic. I appreciate President Obama sharing his own plyte growing up in an effort to get more dads to wake up and smell the coffee and get back in the game of being a dad. Bravo!

"Secret Life" Contributes To Demoralization Of Our Youth

My young teens heard the overblown advertisements that blasted them at every commercial break, even though we have TIVO, for The Secret Life Of The American Teenager. Suspicious, I informed them that I would have to preview it and decide if it would be allowed to be shown in our home.

Alone one day, I sat down to watch program. Not only was the acting lousy, but every other word out of the actors mouths was "SEX, SEX, SEX". I was appalled at the laid back attitude of the girl who had just had a baby with one boy and was dating another teenage boy.

In my opinion, this show is amoral and not deserving on American viewership. ABC family network should be ashamed of themselves. Their programming does not promote family values, but only serves to tear our American society and families apart. I shudder to think what parents in other countries are thinking of us Americans after watching such rubbish.

Tell Your Kids Derrogatory Words Are Off Limits

There is no ad campaign more effective than good old fashioned parenting. Parents need to tell their children not to use words like "gay", "fag", "dike", "whore", etc. What child needs to use such words anyway???? For what purpose do they use such words, other than to humiliate and bully other children. Parents need to be on top of every aspect of their children's development. Teaching children to be nice should be a big part of their education.

Hilary Duff Ad Against Gay Bashing/Bullying

Laid up after minor but incapacitating surgery on my leg, I came across an ad by Hilary
Duff. There are two girls in a boutique. They are using the word "gay" to describe some one's style choices. Hillary puts them in their place and tells them to stop using the hateful word.

Good job! I hope the network continues to run the ad so that it actually gets seen and has a chance to make an impact.

Bully Parents On Baseball Diamond

I was shocked by a story my sister told me yesterday. Her son was in a competitive baseball tournament for 5 straight days. On the 5th day, the parents of the opposing team were loud, rude, and obnoxious. They even had bullhorns! These are 12 year old kids. Hello!

At one point, the coach told her son to pay no attention to "bullhorn boy." Clearly, the coach was fed up with the obnoxious and unsportsmanlike conduct of the opposing team. The response was that everyone in the bleachers blew their bullhorns!!! Unbelievable! Nice modelling parents! Way to go!