by janetedgette | Dec 6, 2019 | Bullying, Family life, Mental health, Parent-Child communication, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting, Parenting young children, Self-esteem
People love Mr. Fred Rogers and the recent movie, It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, elegantly illustrated his abundance of empathy, generosity, emotional intelligence, and grace. Yes, he was kind, but there was something more that drew children toward him and...
by janetedgette | Jan 15, 2019 | Boy behavior, Boys, Boys and sports, Bullying, Home Page, Kids who are afraid to play sports, Kids who don't like sports, Masculinity, Nonathletic boys, Parenting
For too long this familiar adage — “boys will be boys” — has served as nothing more than a thin disguise for poor behavior that boys and men should have long outgrown or never developed in the first place. Countless acts of cruelty, bullying, teasing, assault,...
by janetedgette | Oct 10, 2017 | Bullying
Bullying and cruelty have a long pedigree in American history when it comes to our culture of humor and entertainment. The “Smack-O-Jack” game that my brother and I invented and tormented each other with decades ago was surely born of the countless hours we spent...
by janetedgette | Mar 7, 2017 | Boys, Boys and sports, Bullying, Coaching kids and teens, Kids who are afraid to play sports, Kids who don't like sports, Male athletics, Masculinity, Nonathletic boys, Parent-Child communication, Parenting, Self-esteem, Sportsmanship
You are teaching him… that you respect him, even if you don’t understand his choices. that you will listen closely to what he says and take it at face value. that it pays to speak up. that he doesn’t have to disguise his real feelings in order to gain or...
by janetedgette | Nov 8, 2016 | Boys and sports, Bullying, Masculinity, Nonathletic boys
On a spectacular spring day several years ago, my nine-year-old son, Jake, and I stepped into an elevator following a routine dentist’s appointment, headed for home. Jake, by the way, is one of those boys who doesn’t like sports, isn’t any good at them, and avoids...
by janetedgette | Oct 17, 2016 | Boy behavior, Boys, Boys and sports, Bullying, Masculinity, Nonathletic boys
Our discussions with kids about bullying typically cover such topics as what they can do, who they should tell, or why kids bully in the first place. But where does that leave the kid who feels the only way to keep himself safe is to bully other kids? Does he have...
