When I tell people that I’m a parenting coach who specializes in anti-bullying education, people ask “what does an anti-bullying coach do??” and “Oh, that’s a thing now?”

Yes, LOL! It’s a thing. I’ve been doing this work for five years so far and I LOVE IT! 

I decided to help parents in their journey because parenting hasn’t been so easy for me and I know that I’m not alone. Like many parents, I have had moments when I needed to ask questions but I felt that I couldn’t go to a friend or family member for an honest, unbiased answer or criticism of my kids or my husband and I’s parenting skills. 

There’s still a lot of stigma in society about parents reaching out for help. It doesn’t make sense to me because we get help for everything else in life, so, why would parenting be any different? 

There are also lots of advantages to going to a parenting coach. 

Coaches are people who give feedback without judgment, they don’t have personal knowledge of your life that can get in the way of...

Since many schools throughout the nation are returning to online learning, more kids will be tempted to navigate to their social media sites. 

And, let's be honest, they're already spending more time than any parent would want online, right? 

So, let’s talk about SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTE.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve already read or heard me talk about delaying the use of smart devices for kids until you can no longer hold back. 

You’ve also read or heard me talk about things to consider agreeing on with your kids when YOU DO give them access to devices and the internet. 

Now, let’s review a few details about online etiquette:

1️⃣  Never share or repost information that you have not confirmed. You can avoid arguments with friends and family if you follow this suggestion.

2️⃣  NEVER share or post mean comments, images, or videos about someone (even if they are notorious for being a bully)

3️⃣  Refrain from using ALL CAPS. Using all caps is a form of shouting onl...

A lady recently asked me if I could help her find a lawyer to help her niece with a bullying situation at school. 

You see, her niece was physically bullied and has been at home this week due to fear of lack of safety because the school hasn’t responded to the bullying report at all!

So, I don’t blame this high school child. If a school has allowed over two weeks to pass and not one person has responded, then I too wouldn’t go back to school without knowing they would do their best to keep me safe. 

Did you know that legally, the number one mission for all schools in the U.S. is to keep kids safe while on campus?

Yup.

Providing academic education comes second. 

So, back to this lady’s question. She wanted to know what type of lawyer should she look for and how would she be able to find a good one?

Fortunately, I’ve done my homework regarding this question and had the privilege of interviewing some lawyers who have defended children against bullying and other types of injuries or...

Ever watch the movie "Mean Girls?" The main bully, Regina was always referred to as the popular girl at school, right?

Do you recall who and how her friends behaved around her versus when they were alone with the people they tormented?

Well, they are a really good example of different types of bullies. You see, while you might think that it doesn't matter what type of bullying behaviors they exhibit, they actually do matter.

Why?

Because how they bully people can tell you a lot about how to approach their attacks and how to help them stop hurting you or others.

So, let's get started, shall we?

The first type of bully happens to be "the popular kid" (the popular bully).

Typically, the popular bully has created his/her image due to the aggressive, controlling, and manipulative methods to be perceived as dominant. Sometimes they justify their actions because they claim to be the no B.S. type of person. 

Peers tolerate this type of behavior because they have the "if you can't beat them, join them"...

Would you put your child in a bubble if you could? It’s something all parents have thought of at one point or another, right?

Honestly, I’m not one of those parents who would put their kids in a bubble. I understand the need for them to go through some life lessons, but to a certain point. 

One of the things that I have focused on is showing kids empathy because as we have all witnesses, people without empathy are more likely to intentionally hurt others. 

Then, there’s the importance of learning to deal with one’s own emotions. When children do not know how to release what they’re feeling, eventually those emotions come out in certain ways. 

Sometimes pain and frustration come out in the form of anger. When this happens to children, even they don’t often understand why they’re feeling.

At times, their emotions are taken out in the form of anger, mischief, or bullying. No parent wants to find out that their kid is the one causing others so much pain.

If you google the word “bully...

I recently overheard a conversation going on right next to me between two people. They were discussing the outrageous amount of money that rich people throw away every day on the non-sense type of stuff.

One of them said that if they could only have a few million dollars, all of their problems would go away.

That comment really caught my attention. It made me wonder how many kids believe that money solves all problems or that money can create complete happiness.

I thought about that because that conversation reminded me that I was a kid who believed that money solved all problems. I believed it because that's what I would hear adults say.

But when I became a teenager I learned that those beliefs were merely myths. Overhearing that conversation and thinking back to what I used to believe about people with monetary wealth made me reflect on what “rich” people’s hardships might look like.

I thought a bit about what it must feel like to wake up each day knowing that if something were...

I’m embarrassed to share that I didn’t really know what Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Day was about until I was an adult. Honestly, I’m not sure why. 

Maybe it is because my head was absent from school most of the years growing up. I was more worried about the challenges going on at home and learning the English language than giving 100 percent of my attention to what teachers were saying. 

I was in survival mode. 

But when I did find out the true meaning of this day, I began implementing its meaning not just on MLK Day, but year-round. 

What I mean by that is this day is a federal holiday to honor Dr. King for his dedication to fighting for the civil rights of minorities. Since he was a man who dedicated himself to uplifting communities, people honor him by doing good deeds and by taking action to help improve societies. 

Millions of people volunteer in their communities in his honor. They also donate to charities and hold events to promote equality. 

Sure, we can’t hold even...

Have you ever had a huge aha moment as an adult about something that you went through as a kid? You might have thought it was nothing, but as you reflected on it, you realized it was the cause of something a lot bigger?

This happened to me a few years ago. My family has always made fun of me for having been that teen that slept ALL THE TIME! 

THE BACK STORY

My father had finally left us right after I had turned 14. It was a wonderful feeling to no longer wake up to him physically abusing my mother or walking into the house from school to see she’d been beaten again. 

Everyone recalls one particular summer when I was 15-years-old when we lived in government housing after my father left.

My mom had to make ends meet and she had gotten so lucky to have received a government home for us because the waiting list was very long. 

Since she had six kids, they made her case a special priority. I will never forget that change in our lives. She would stay in her bedroom a lot. She would ...

Former Foster Youth Shares Personal Journey From Pain to Power

Imagine being so scared to go to a school that you hide in the library so that you can be invisible.

Imagine being called names such as “blackie” and “ugly”, while walking to class by a group of your peers. Imagine what your life would be like if you are jumped, hit, chased and chronically teased at school, and no one comes to your rescue

Sadly, thousands of children in the Inland Empire, especially foster youth, are afraid to go to school because they are violently and verbally attacked.

I was one of those children. A quiet, shy kid who felt unloved and unworthy due to the trauma I faced, I was often the target of unwanted harassment. I wore the same clothes or hand-me-downs that were either too big or too small for me.

My hair was unkempt because no one invested money to care for my hair. My clothing, dark skin, and coarse hair made me a target for daily bullying for a decade that nearly cost me my life. 

It d...