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I believe I received this shirt on Father’s Day in 2015. As you can tell by the wear and tear, it’s one of my favorite shirts. I don’t remember exactly what I said when my family handed it to me, but it was probably something like, “that’s right!” Yeah teaching children to be inquisitive is important, but not more important than doing what I say when I say it! I even ran into an older gentleman who read my shirt and said, “Hey, I would do what you say too.”

When I began this podcast, I never imagined that I would meet real live superheroes. Kirk Smalley is the President of StandForTheSilent.org. This nonprofit organization was started in 2010 by a group of high school students in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma after they heard the story of Kirk’s son, Ty who committed suicide after standing up to bullies in his school. Stand for the Silent has chapters in 40 states and 18 different countries. Kirk’s organization has spoken with 4,911 schools and over 3.5 million children in order to help prevent bullying.

Technology is integral to a child’s life. They will see it everywhere from birth and will inevitably grow up using it. It can be extremely educational, help build skills, and be a creative outlet. It can also be dangerous — predators, hackers, and other threats use technology to hurt others. We’ll teach you how to protect your children from the wide variety of threats out there, including the over-usage of technology itself.

Self-confidence is key in a human being’s professional, social, and family life, and the good news for parents of young children is that it is easy to build! Unlike self-esteem, which is more inward facing and which relates to our own sense of self and how we interact with others, self-confidence is outward-facing. It can be achieved through knowledge and practice. Essentially, the more your child does something, the more confident they become in their ability to do it well.

Oxford Languages defines trust as a “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” Trust is the foundation upon which all healthy relationships are built. It is a key enabler for parents, teachers, and mentors to bridge the communication gap and give our children a voice. With time, a trusting relationship instills confidence, opens the lines of communication, and creates a safe place for our children.

The mental health of students is a topic not often discussed or addressed in the school setting, particularly when related to bullying, and can be detrimental to the students’ overall experience.

Bullying affects many Americans, and it’s important to end this cycle of suffering by showing community support for victims. The CDC highlights that bullying is a widespread concern that impacts even the youngest age group in communities. In fact, about one in five high school students have reported being bullied in academic institutions.

Friendships are formed whenever kids and teens come together in school, however, there’s also a very big chance of being made fun of, called names, discriminated against, and even physically bullied. According to data released by the National Center for Educational Statistics in 2019, one in every 5 students reported being bullied.

For many years, bullying occurred at school and the park and was often a face-to-face encounter. In today’s technological world, face-to-face bullying is still common, but cyberbullying is another threat. Cyberbullies attack their victims via text messages and social media, and both types are devastating.

Cyberbullying, the use of electronic devices to harass, shame, incite and humiliate, is imposing a devastating impact on today’s youth. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, between 2007 and 2019, the percentage of youth experiencing cyberbullying rose from 18% to 37%.

Stacy Hawkins, a 30-year-old mother of three, recently told The Wall Street Journal that her 12-year old girl and 13-year-old boy have a remarkable relationship: They parent each other.

Hawkins, in a conversation with reporter Charlie Wells, said “nothing is off limits … from why one sibling shouldn’t watch a certain movie on Netflix to how the other should organize his bedroom. When arguments get out of hand, the parents take what they call the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ approach: Both children get punished, even if just one was trying to control.”

Kirk Smalley, of Perkins, Oklahoma, is president of Stand for the Silent, an anti-bullying organization that has reached more than 3.2 million children through talks at 4,276 schools across the United States. In his talks, Smalley retells the devastating story of the day his son, Ty, took his life after years of being bullied. Since then, telling children they can make a difference has been his full-time job — his schedule shows more than 275 days on the road annually.

Does your child’s school allow cellphones? You may be surprised that policies can vary even within districts and that those policies may contradict your own rules for cellphone use during school.