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With so many horror stories in the news about the tragic events that stem from bullying, many are wondering what else could be done to prevent problems earlier. Bullying can take many forms, and while many school districts are making great progress towards prevention there is still a long way to go.

With the internet, bullies now have a digital wall to hide behind. That wall may even potentially make the bullying worse that it ever was before, studies done (and that are still being done) have shown that email can push people to be crueler than they would face to face. In addition, the victim isn’t just facing ridicule among their immediate peers, but an entire network.

While the progress is great, and it’s a sign that steps are being taken in the right direction preventing bullying is a difficult task. Much of prevention can lie in what makes a bully, and finding the cause to maybe assure that kids who may show the signs don’t progress into bullying others. There is no clear cut, one size fits all answer to why some kids become the aggressor. The reasons can be anything from home problems to ‘just being mean’.

Prevention however, can take on other forms. Parents can help by talking to their children, and even if they aren’t directly being bullied you can encourage them to stick up for those that are by either telling  a teacher, or another adult about it.

By working with kids, administration, and each other bullying can be lessened and stopped.

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Especially when it comes to today’s unsure economics, most families are looking really hard into ways to save some money month to month.  While things are rough there are some thing almost anyone can cut back on to save some extra money. 

Most of the time when people think of cutting back they thing of a long hard time in coping with the loss of typical comforts they may have gotten used to.  That older way of thinking doesn’t have to apply today, by far. 

Cable: You can cut out your cable bill and replace it with the below.  Considering the average cable bill is about fifty dollars, it’s something that can save you some serious money (especially as time goes on).

Hulu.com offers a ton of shows and videos to keep almost any movie and television buff entertained.  It’s also completely free.  Another great alterative for the younger set is both Nick Jr’s website and Disney’s website.  Both of which have full episodes of popular shows and a ton of games.

If at all possible, you can also cut out your landline telephone.  Switching over to a cell phone plan full time.  While immediately it does sound more expensive, there are cell phone plans that have unlimited minutes and some pre-paid plans that offer the same for a bit less money.  Alternatively, Skype and Google voice can also be an option depending on your needs.

With money as tight as it is lately, it leads to some interesting outside the box thinking.  Have you found a website or a tip that can help save some money? 

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Like many modern moms, I have all those little social networks as my stops online.  It’s primarily due to them that I can stay in touch with friends and family that otherwise I would have lost contact with a long time ago. 

Besides, let’s face it- social networking can be incredibly fun. 

Also like a lot of other moms, I have quite a few mom friends online too.  Most of them are a lot more talkative about their children that I am, as I tend to take the private route.  With many of those friends, you wouldn’t even have to be right there to know what’s going on at any given time with them, their children, and every other little detail.

Unfortunately, this same openness has also seemingly erased any real acknowledgement of things that may be left not online.  While at some point most people have secretly laughed at some of the digital faux-paux online, many of the same people who wouldn’t dream of doing ‘something like that’ could still putting themselves at risk.  Maybe even in ways they aren’t thinking of.

The case of a mom who recently found her child at the center of a Craigslist adoption scam recently found this out the hard way.  While yes, her child was home and not going to be kidnapped- the entire incident left her understandably shaken. 

When it comes to our children, everything is exciting.  In a world of firsts it can be hard to not over-share all those firsts, and besides (and especially for parents) they are exciting.  With digital cameras you can take a ton of photos and post them all in a matter of seconds, and really with our cell phones- it really doesn’t take much to update everyone on all those same things.s

A simple ‘first’ update with a photo can have some lasting problems for children, especially in their later years.   Kids can be cruel, and if your blog or status updates are uncovered by a bully, that really won’t bode well for your child.

Also considering the sheer amount of people online, and how many people may be on your ‘friends’ list, many that you may not really know- there’s always the chance that someone with some not so great intentions may stumble upon those photos.

The easiest way to protect yourself is really to keep private.  Be it by not sharing too much, or just remembering to to update privacy settings on your social networks.

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Reading is a fantastic way to learn and an even better way to spend time with each other.  Reading pushes along child child development is many, many ways.  It’s also a great brain booster, and the benefits on creative thinking and imagination are really unparalleled.

Many libraries across the country have implemented a fabulous online version, it’s packed with so many titles in popular formats, from the standard eBooks to the growing audio books.

To get access, you just need your library card!  Really, that’s it and you get full access (for free) to thousands of titles.

This is an incredibly cool and useful service, it can save many readers a great amount of time and hassle, and provide great tools for busy families. 

To find out if your local library provides access,grab your library card and either go to your libraries website, or go to http://overdrive.com/ and find out!

While this may be one of those things that many already know about, I just happened upon this website recently.  It’s already proven to be a fabulous service, especially for the avid reader that I am.  This service is basically the same as a brick and mortar library, only in digital form.

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A study by Kaiser Family Foundation shows that today’s kids are spending more time connected to various types of media than many of their parents do at work.  Between 1999 to 2009 the study followed a group of kids aged from 8-18 in their media habits.

The only thing that the kids aren’t using much are printed publications.

With the huge surge in cell phones, iPods, and laptops there’s a ton out there to choose from.

The kids from the study also show a rather impressive ability to digest all this information as well:

Today, 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes (7:38) to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week).  And because they spend so much of that time ‘media multitasking’ (using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes (10:45) worth of media content into those 7½ hours.

(Source)

Being dubbed as Generation M² they are showing a huge lean towards a connected lifestyle and media choices. While it’s nothing too unfamiliar with many of today’s parents either, this generation is really the first to grow up with all the toys and technology.

So, they will be studied- more than likely a bit more as well.  Although, in a surprising move the tones of the studies are changing drastically.  Where they were negative, they are becoming much more positive.  They are finding good things, even with the over sharing of today’s generation- there still is a huge and positive part of all of it.

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