Help Doctor Bernard Show Bullies the 'Pawsitive' Action Way

You might have heard that having pets can be good for your health. Well, there's a new furry friend in town — and he wants to help your kids stay healthy, be safe, and develop good character habits.

Doctor Bernard, a character in medical scrubs, is the newest member of the K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital team. He and his pals Picatso and Hopscotch teach kids to be courteous and make the right choices.

Pain Beyond The Schoolyard
Bullied kids really can take a beating — in many ways. Studies show they are more likely to have sleep troubles, upset stomachs, depression, and anxiety. They also don't perform as well at school.

And these days, bullying has gone high-tech. About one in three kids has been bullied by peers on the Internet. Electronic bullying can mean sending cruel or threatening text or pictures via e-mail or instant messaging, or posting embarrassing information in chat rooms or on Web sites. A cyberbully might pretend to be someone else to make a peer look bad.

Cyberbullying, like its old-fashioned counterpart, feeds anxiety and depression. It can be even crueler than the old-fashioned variety. Bullies can't see their victims' reactions to tell when they've crossed the line from teasing to torment. And cyberbullying can occur anywhere and anytime, making targets feel vulnerable day and night.

Stop Bullies Before They Strike Again
If your child has regular run-ins with mean kids, these tips from Doctor Bernard can help you provide support:

• Remain calm and remind your child it's not his or her fault.



• Ask him or her to describe what happened.



• If bullying happens at school, contact the teacher and provide as many specifics about the incident as possible.

Kids who are cyberbullied may hesitate to tell their parents because they're afraid to lose their online privileges. Here's how to keep your youngsters from becoming targets or bullies:

• Determine when and where your children can use the Internet and cell phones.



• Keep the computer in a room where you can monitor your kids' use.



• Send any materials a cyberbully has posted to his or her parents.



• For teens, set rules so you can view their interactive Internet site visits on pages like Facebook.



• Call the police if a cyberbully threatens violence.

In addition, discuss these rules with your kids:

• Don't send messages online that you wouldn't say in person.



• Avoid responding to hurtful messages. Block the sender, remove friendship links, and tell a trusted adult.



• If kids see someone being cyberbullied, they should tell the bully to stop, help the victim, or inform an adult.

Boost Self-Esteem To Banish Bullying
Doctor Bernard may show up at your children's school soon with his message about good health, including nutrition, safety, fitness, and courteous behavior. His motto to kids is "Treat yourself right!" He knows that a positive self-image helps counter the causes and effects of bullying.

To improve your children's confidence and teach them to treat themselves — and others — right, try this advice:

• Encourage them to get involved in sports, hobbies, and other activities.



• Celebrate their successes.



• Pay attention if your child uses a lot of self-defeating statements. Negativity can signal low self-esteem. But reciting positive statements, such as "I can do anything that I set my mind to," may brighten one's outlook. In one study, students increased their self-esteem by saying 15 affirmations three times a day for two weeks.



• Avoid criticizing children too much.

When you do criticize, attack actions, not people. Saying "I get upset when you don't get out of bed on time" is better than "You're lazy."