A popular nursery rhyme goes like this... "Sticks and stones may break my
bones, but words will never hurt me". Even though this rhyme is said to
inspire strength and resistance in children who are being bullied and
harassed, but the truth is, words do hurt... Badly!
One book on this topic that I can highly recommend is by James
Garbarino, Ph.D. and Ellen deLara, Ph.D., titled: "And Words Can
Hurt Forever" (link). I have met Mr. Garbarino personally and I
have a lot of respect and admiration for his research.
Not only does the book highlight the scaring effects of words (which
is related to emotional bullying) and the warning signs to look for, but
it also presents parent recommendations and pointers on how to protect
our adolescents from these effects. The book is very well researched but
it is important to note that it is based on the American population, so for
my local readers there are some parts that may not be applicable in
Kuwait or relatable. Bullying, however, is universal, and the dangers
are growing at an alarming rate due to children's exposure and access to
violence (among other social, economic and environmental factors).
is related to emotional bullying) and the warning signs to look for, but
it also presents parent recommendations and pointers on how to protect
our adolescents from these effects. The book is very well researched but
it is important to note that it is based on the American population, so for
my local readers there are some parts that may not be applicable in
Kuwait or relatable. Bullying, however, is universal, and the dangers
are growing at an alarming rate due to children's exposure and access to
violence (among other social, economic and environmental factors).
I have written about bullying several times in this blog, do feel free to review
the following posts:
I leave you with some words to live by...
NIce post. Culturally, I think Kuwaitis find it very difficult to say nothing. Social gatherings and even twitter is mostly different grades / shades of bullying.
ReplyDeleteNice - you removed the comment verification :)
ReplyDeleteAll we can do is try... with more socialization, perhaps we can educate, inform and discuss ways to change...
ReplyDeleteAnd yes! No more verifications;)