iDeaPlay Tablet – Fun & Educational Tablet for the Holidays!

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Jackie

I love my Kindle. I love my iPhone. I love my iPad. Sadly the kids all love them too, but my devices are not made to take the beating that kids tend to dole out and not only that they’re set up for me and not kids. It’s amazing the things that a kid can find on YouTube or just the internet alone when left to wander aimlessly around.

iDeaPlay

With all of the tablets out on the market there are only a few that are really focused on kids and their needs. When I was given the opportunity to take a look at this new tablet I jumped at the chance and I have to say that I was not disappointed at all.

Features

COPPA compliant – The iDeaPlay is programmed to abide by the U.S. government’s Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act. This ensures the safety and privacy of kids under 13 years old.
Educational – As a parent you can easily configure the content to help your kids learn in a fun and engaging way. They’ll never realize that they’re learning!
Durable – The table includes a sturdy case to help protect it against rough play and helps kids keep a better grip on it.
Famigo – This app creates a safer, fun mobile environment for your kids! It includes content from some of the most popular kids characters like Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, Jim Henson’s Sid the Science Kid, and more.
Apps – Kids and parents can safely download apps for free or for a cost from the iDeaPlay marketplace or by going to Amazon.
Separate viewing mode for younger users
Kids can build a wish list of apps that they want, but can’t make purchases.

Parental Controls

Gain full control over which apps and content your children can view.
Parents can set a time limit on kid’s play time.
Receive email notifications with lists of new, desired apps from your children.
Turn off Parental Controls and the iDeaPLAY becomes a simple 7 in. tablet.
Weekly email report of your kids activity

What is Included:

iDeaPLAY tablet
Orange Protective Bumper Cover
Rechargeable Battery
In-Ear Headphones
USB Cable
Power Adapter
Quick Start Guide
Preloaded with Doodle Jump, Shrek Forever, My First Zoo Kids ABC Alphabets, Color & Draw Math Bugaboo.

This tablet has tons of features that will keep your kids as well as you entertained for hours! I was able to easily download Netflix and a couple other apps that are my favorites as well ones that my tween daughter likes.

If you’re wondering…. Yes, I would definitely recommend this tablet if you are looking for one for your kid for Christmas.

Couple of things though. It did take me a few minutes to figure how to turn it on (then I realized it needed to be charged first) and weak battery about 3.5-4hrs of moderate usage. Like any new device though you just need to get used to it, how it works, and the interface.

I found it very easy to play the games that were included, search the store for more games for my kids, and get them installed.

Normally priced at $129 the iDeaPlay kids tablet will be on sale for only $99 on Black Friday at Amazon.com!! By entering the promo code ‘ideaplay’ at checkout, you will save $30 when purchasing the safest and most versatile Android kids tablet on the market!

Also, you can now personalize your iDeaPLAY tablet with new protective bumpers in blue, green, pink, or purple instead of the typical orange that it comes with. These are also on sale now at Amazon.com.

Check out the iDeaPlay website, and of course keep you with them on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I was given an iDeaPlay tablet to for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Never

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Jackie

This post has been swimming around in my head for a few days and I’m finally getting around to writing it. I’m not sure why it’s taken so long… I guess life and everything got in the way.

Anyway, here it goes.

When I was younger I would fight with my sister, do something wrong, irritate my mom, or whatever it is that kids do to get in trouble. My mom would yell, threaten, and eventually follow through with one of the threats. Worse yet… ground me (I hated being grounded). Chances are there were times that I actually deserved it regardless of the fact that I’m sure I was never at fault and it was always my sisters fault.

There were times though that nobody did anything wrong.

There were more times than not that I’d say to myself, ‘I will never do that when I’m a parent’ or ‘I won’t talk that way when I’m a parent’ or ‘I’ll never act like that when I have kids’.

Never say never.

As time goes by something has happened… something scary and something that I never thought would happen. I am turning into my mom and I’m finding myself doing all of those things that I always told myself that I would never do. I hate it. I hate ever single time it happens. The sad thing is that I don’t even realize that I’m doing it until after the fact and then I pause and want to literally kick myself.

I often wonder is it part of our genetic makeup that we will inevitably turn into our parents. Maybe behaviors are just part of who we are like the color of our eyes, the exact shade of brown hair that one of our parents has, or how you can tell that people are siblings. I question it all the time.

I didn’t have the best childhood and there is quite a bit that I don’t remember. Most of that time was before I moved out of my moms house and in with my dad and stepmom. I never want to act the way she did or treat my kids in a similar manner and I have gone out of my way (obviously not enough) to not be that person and to be a good mom, to give my kids everything they need/want, and to always be there.

I’ve made it a point lately to really think before I speak, to be more open, and make sure that when I do and how I act is me and not the way my mom acted. I won’t lie… it’s not easy, but I am determined to do this and not continue to turn into her.

Please, don’t get me wrong. I do love my mom and wish that she where here to be a part of my life as well as her grandkids, but sometimes life doesn’t go the way we expect it.

My kids will always be important to me, they will always know that I love them, and that I will do whatever I can to support them in what they do. I don’t want the their memories of me to be of them upset with them, yelling at them, or anything like that.

Do you ever find yourself noticing traits or actions that your parents did when you were a kid? Did you ever say that you’d never do something once you became a parent?

It’s a little late but I’m linking up with Shell for her weekly linky… Pour Your Heart Out. Stop by her place and see what others are talking about this week.

How to Prepare for Becoming a Parent

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Jackie

I spent some quality time cleaning up my email and happened upon this email that had been forwarded to me and as I read through it again I laughed. It was hilarious and oh so true! And before deleting it I had the genius idea of sharing it with all of you.

So if you’re already a parent you’ll laugh as you nod your head and if you’re not a parent already take notes. This is how to prepare for becoming a parent in the simplest format.

Lesson 1

Go to the grocery store.
Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
Go home.
Pick up the paper.
Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about the following

Methods of discipline.
Lack of patience.
Appallingly low tolerance levels.
Allowing their children to run wild.

Suggest ways in which they might improve their child’s breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.
Enjoy it, because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

To discover how the nights will feel…
Walk around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.
At 10PM, put the bag down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
Set the alarm for 3AM.
As you can’t get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink.
Go to bed at 2:45AM.
Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
Sing songs in the dark until 4AM.
Get up. Make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years.
Look cheerful.

Lesson 4

Can you stand the mess children make? To find out…
Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
Stick your fingers in the flower bed. Then rub them on the clean walls.
Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this – 15 minutes.

Lesson 6

Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and a jar of paint, turn it into an alligator.
Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper. Using only Scotch tape and a piece of aluminum foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle.
Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty packet of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Lesson 7

Forget the BMW and buy a minivan. And don’t think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don’t look like that.
Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.
Leave it there.
Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat.
Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.
There. Perfect.

Lesson 8

Get ready to go out.
Wait outside the bathroom for half an hour.
Go out the front door.
Come in again.
Go out.
Come back in.
Go out again.
Walk down the front path.
Walk back up it.
Walk down it again.
Walk very slowly down the road for five minutes.
Stop, inspect minutely, and ask at least 6 questions about every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect along the way.
Retrace your steps.
Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbors come out and stare at you.
Give up and go back into the house.
You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

Lesson 9

Repeat everything at least (if not more than) five times.

Lesson 10

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is excellent).
If you intend to have more than one child, take more than one goat.
Buy your week’s groceries without letting the goats out of your sight.
Pay for everything the goats eat or destroy.
Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 11

Hollow out a melon.
Make a small hole in the side.
Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine-month old baby.

Lesson 12

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV for at least five years.

Lesson 13

Move to the tropics. Find or make a compost pile. Dig down about halfway and stick your nose in it. Do this 3-5 times a day for at least two years.

Lesson 14

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying “mommy” repeatedly.
(Important: no more than a four second delay between each “mommy”; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required).
Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years.
You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 15

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt-sleeve, or elbow while playing the “mommy” tape made from Lesson 14 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

There you have it. 15 easy lessons on how to prepare to become a parent.

Okay…. what has been left out? Share your tips in the comments!

Letters to my kids – Andrew

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Jackie

Did I throw you off by posting this on Monday instead of Friday? Or was it because I haven’t written a letter in a while and finally got around to writing another? Oh wait… have you not seen this series before?

Well, if you haven’t seen it before I’ll give you a bit of a recap. This is a little meme that I started a while ago where I’d write a letter to one of my kids about something, anything, or nothing at all. It could be something that I’ve always wanted to say but couldn’t find the words or to share how proud I am of something they just did, or how they’ve done something to frustrate me to no ends. The fun part is that anyone can join in and write a letter to their kid, sister, brother, niece, nephew, or grandkids. So if you’re not sure what to write about this week draft a little letter and link up at the bottom of this post!

Dear Andrew,

You’re #4. The only boy and the baby of the family. Now, this doesn’t mean that you get away with everything all of the time… okay, okay… you do once in a while but that’s about it.

What’s really bothering me is nothing to do with what you get away with and what you don’t. It’s more that I feel like I’ve let you down somehow. You see, when your sisters were little I was home with them a lot more than I am with you and was able to spend time with them teaching them letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and all the fun preschool things that we should be doing.

I feel like you’re behind but maybe I’m just comparing you to where they were and really that’s not fair. Boys and girls are totally different creatures and learn, grown, and develop at different rates. This I know… everyone knows that. Maybe you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be and I shouldn’t worry.

You really didn’t have much of an interest in reading with me (or anyone) until recently and even now one book is about all we get through unless it’s a rare night and we actually read more and you’ve picked out the books we’re reading (always Green Eggs & Ham). I wish that you understood how important reading is and that it can be so much fun… probably more fun than playing cars or tractors! Am I stretching it a bit there?

I feel that you should be able to say the alphabet and count to 10 or 20… and once in a while, when you really want to you will count for me. I want you to start school ahead of the game and be the star of the class. I want you to be the one helping other kids with their school work and to be the one that the teacher gives extra work to so you stay busy.

My guess… my hope is that you’re just too busy doing all the fun things that little boys like to do and all of a sudden you’ll catch on and surprise us all. I’m sure that you will because the things that you pick up on amaze me daily!

I just hope that I haven’t let you down by not being home with you more, Andrew. I hope that you know how much I love you and want the best for you always.

Love,

Mom

I’d love for you to join in on the fun!

A&F CEO Mike Jeffries hates fat girls… but he’s not alone

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Jackie

This may be a rant… just thought that I’d warn you ahead of time. Okay… it will be a rant but that’s okay because that’s what our own personal blogs are for, right?

There are things that grate at me, get under my skin, annoy me, or just flat out piss me off. And this week there were two things that have been bugging me and here’s the kicker… they’re both the same or related.

What is it?

The hate for “fat” people. There are a lot of people out there passing judgement on others who are not rail thin without knowing the person, their health history, or what caused them to get the way and what’s preventing them from losing the weight.

The first thing that happened was my daughter told me that the high school band director did not want her to be one of the majorettes for the marching band. Why? Because she is not a rail thin, 5’0 – 5’5″ girl who went along with what she was told all the time. The dance coaches from a local dance studio and her friends fought for her because she was the best, she worked the hardest, and deserved it more than the other girls. The girl the director wanted… well she wasn’t good, didn’t practice, and thought that she was entitled to the position…. Oh, and met his vision of the perfect majorette.

The second thing was Mike Jeffries statement about not marketing to the uncool, fat girls. WTF!! They don’t stock XL or XXL sizes in women’s clothing because they don’t want overweight women wearing their brand. BUT they do make XL and XXL for men because those teen guys might be beefy because they play football or are wrestlers.

In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he says. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either.

So, if I put a few things together I can come up with a conclusion of sorts. The cool kids in school play sports, are good looking, thin, the guys are muscular, the girls have that long, flowing hair, both are sexy as hell, and above all else they are NOT fat.

Now, the fat kids. Well they’re the losers that the popular kids make fun of.

These stereotypes piss me off! They do nothing to help kids with how they feel about themselves at all. What they do is help kids feel out of place and that if they’re not the picture perfect all-American kid they’re not going to fit in, have friends, be popular, or go somewhere in life. No moral boosting here… nope, just dragging the kids down.

It’s hard enough as it is to be a teen, but when you have companies and the media telling you what you should look like, how you should dress, and a that size 0 thin is what you should be life becomes a lot more difficult.

Abercrombie & Fitch has made it very clear in what they’ve said, their ads, the people that they hire, and the sizes of their clothing that they’re targeting a very specific demographic. One that usually gets their spending money from their parents by the way… I wonder if they have given thought to the fact that some parents will refuse to buy clothes for their “cool” kids from the A&F stores because of the statements they’ve made? My guess is that they didn’t and if they did they simply don’t care.

I know that I won’t be buying anything from them.

I think that Mr. Jeffries as well as my daughter’s band director need to take hard look at the world around them and realize that the average size is not a 0, or a 1, 3, or a freakin’ 5. I’m here to tell you that it’s probably closer to a 10 /12 or hell even a 14.

My daughter is an amazing person. She is smart, beautiful, talented, and you know what…. she’s in the “cool” kids group. I couldn’t be more proud of her and all that she has achieved and learned and the one thing that I know for sure is that she will do anything that she sets her mind to.

My fat, size 12 self won’t be caught inside an A&F store… or Hollister for that matter since they’re owned by the same company. I will however roll myself into H&M and American Eagle because they see that we all can’t be waifs and have larger sizes.

Letters to my Kids – Dear Lauren

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Jackie

Welcome back to the third installment of Letters to my Kids! I hope that you’re enjoying the series and are thinking of joining me… it’s easy… just write a letter to a special kid in your life and link up bi-weekly.

Dear Lauren,

Oh… Lauren, what can I say? Well, usually not much because you rarely ever stop talking so I can have a turn! You were one of those kids who didn’t have a first word… instead you had a first sentence and ever since then you haven’t stopped talking. Of course you know all this and it’s been a running joke for as long as I can remember that you didn’t have a first word… a sentence instead.

I remember when I was little that I didn’t know what adults found to talk about all the time. They were always talking and I just sat there and said nothing because there was nothing worth saying in my mind. You on the other hand always have something to say and you do it with flair and detail.

Every story that you tell, every situation from school you share, or event you were at you explain to us in complete detail. So much detail that it’s just as good as being there if not better. Yes, I’ll admit that it can get annoying after a while but that’s who you are, Talkative Lauren, and I don’t know what we’d do if you were any different.

But you’re so much more than a talkative little girl. You’re smart, open, honest, loving, and no matter what you would do anything for your siblings and friends. You have such a large heart and always make room for anyone who comes into your life and that is such a wonderful trait to have. I hope that life and the people that you come across always treat you with love and respect so that you don’t lose that love & openness for everyone. I hope that you never become jaded by the acts of a few and forget that are so many more lovely people out there in the world that would love to have a friend like you.

Remember that you hold a special place in my heart and always will no matter what.

I love you,

Mom

Tips for traveling with a baby

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Jackie

Hi! Well, I made it through Animal Kingdom and today I’m off to Disney Hollywood Studios!

Today I have the amazingly talented Erica here and she is sharing some of her tips for traveling with a baby. I’ll admit that I never traveled with my kids as babies until I had Andrew and it’s no easy task that’s for sure.

Thank you Erica for guest posting today while I’m off enjoying my vacation!

This is the time of the year most of us start dreaming of vacation. And, if you are like me – a working parent with 2 kids – vacation cannot come soon enough.

For us, tips for traveling with a baby include one thing: Know where every hospital and / or emergency room is.

This story is how I came to that learn that gem.

Our 7 hour-ish car ride to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, began with an overnight stop in Chincoteague, Virginia.

We were bored with the downtown within 5 minutes enjoyed the small town quaintness of Chincoteague. I scarfed down many blue crabs while getting my hands covered in Old Bay Seasoning We had a lovely dinner at the local crab shack. And managed so see some of the famed ponies enjoying the natural beauty of the island. Oh, and we had the crap bitten out of our legs by mosquitoes, which, of course, is expected in Chincoteague.

The next morning we planned to wake up early for a beach stroll before beginning the second leg of our journey down to the Outer Banks.

Then my daughter fell face down off the hotel bed. Face down.

We. Were. Terrified|Horrified|Panicking.

She. Was. Crying|Screaming|Bleeding|Throbbing.

She had to go to the hospital. I called down to the receptionist.

“Um, hi, my daughter just fell off the bed and we need to go to an emergency room.”

“Well, the closest hospital is an hour away.”

An hour? Where the heck were we anyway??? Oh yeah, Chincoteague.

Why didn’t someone share with us tips for traveling with a baby and let us know we needed to stay within 15 minutes of a hospital??

Our daughter was finally calmed down, and we packed the car to go to Nassawadax, which, by the way, looks exactly like you would picture a town called Nassawadax, Virginia to look like. Chicken farms and boarded up gas stations.

She checked out fine… of course. Any change in behavior, we should come back.

She had a shiner, and some rug burns, but other than that… she was good to go.

Until 2 am… See, when she woke up at 2 am screaming and inconsolable, our first thought was, “Change in behavior! Concussion! Back to the hospital!”

So back we went. This time, to Nags Head Hospital, which was a bit more thorough. The doctor asked us a question that caught us off guard…

“Have you given her Tylenol for pain? She might have a headache.”

“Um, no. No one told us that was something we should do… hmmm…Can we have our Parenting Award of the Year now too?”

We got our discharge instructions and I, in my typical fast-northern talkative fashion asked the nurse who was letting us go…

“So, is there a 24-hour pharmacy, or someplace we can get Tylenol?”

“Well,” in a slower southern drawl…”Nothing’s open on the island 24 hours… ‘cept Harris Teeter.”

Um… great, thanks… yeah, the 24-hour grocery store will probably have what we need. Awesome. Can we go now?

We were also told it’s good luck for your child to fall off the bed before she is a year old. I guess this happens often enough for a wives’ tale about it.

So, it was an awesome start to the vacation…

SO… what has your kid done to make you scare the heck out of you? What toddler moment sent you to the ER?? What tips for traveling with a baby would YOU include?

Erica Voll is a freelance writer, blogger, and social media consultant. She writes a parenting blog, No Sleep ’til College, and is co-founder of Girls’ Lunch Out. Erica rarely sleeps.

Check out Erica’s favorite blog posts at No Sleep ’til College:

The Post In Which I Judge Other Moms

Hold Your Baby

My Toddler is an Awful Photographer

Another meme…. Letters to my Kids

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Jackie

I had this great idea out of the blue yesterday and before I went ahead and implemented it I posed the question to Facebook. Yes… Facebook. You would have done the same thing too, right? I needed to make sure that it wasn’t off the wall or something like that and what I found out was that it’s a pretty good idea.

Another meme. I know.. it’s just what the blog world needs… another meme. But I wanted to write a series of posts called Letters to my Kids and I thought that maybe some of my friends would like to join in on the fun.

The majority of us have kids, want kids, have nieces nephews, or are even grandparents and we all have things that we want to say to our kids or wish that we could. Often the trouble is that we don’t know how to say it best or maybe our kids are to young to understand what we’re saying. I know that this is the case with me.

Teens are hard to talk to and toddlers are even more so. Honestly, neither one of them really listen or often care what we’re saying to them half the time and as writers there is so much more that we could say in a letter. There is so much good, some bad, many hopes, dreams, and expressions of love…anger…and so much more.

I would love it if you shared your letters every other Friday with me in this new meme. I think that it’ll be a lot of fun and there is much to be learned along the way about ourselves, our kids, and life in general.

I’ll post the button and the code over there on the right in the side bar and have the linky open at 6am when the first post goes live next week. I can’t wait to read your letters!

You’re joining me… aren’t you?

Shopping… for little boys clothes

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Jackie

I’m the mom of three girls and have always had such an easy time finding cute things for them to wear no matter what season it was. Now I have a two year old little boy and finding anything cute and unique for him is a challenge! Seriously… I spent a week looking for something for him to wear to a wedding and all I wanted was a nice pair of dress pants and a cute shirt. Oh.. and shoes… geesh… all I could find was chunky looking old man velcro shoes! Not at all what I wanted. Now his sister was super simple. We walked into the store looked around for a couple minutes and found so many choices that we both liked. Easy peasy!

Eventually I did find something for him to wear and he looked pretty damn cute too. Just look at him in that suit! He’ll be wearing that for all family gatherings this year.

So where do you find stuff for your little boys? Me? Well I started searching the web and stumbled upon children’s clothing from Polarn O. Pyret . Like this reversible button up shirt for instance. I really like button up shirts and grab them when ever I can find them but a reversible one… now that is smart!

Which is perfect paired up with jeans or these… I love chinos for toddlers! Or corduroys… they’re simply adorable.

For the most part he ends up in jeans and a shirt… but not character shirts if I can help it! I’d also like clothes that repel the dirt because he always seems to come home from daycare covered in it or paint.

Oh… and if you know of a place I can find bow ties for little kids please let me know! I’m pretty sure that suit he’s wearing would be so much more fun with a little bow tie.

So aside from the regular places (Target, Children’s Place, etc) where are the best places for little boy clothes and shoes?

To Young….

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Jackie

Today (Tuesday) I learned that another young life has been lost… A boy who was in 10th grade at my daughter’s school took his own life. Why? According to my daughter it was probably because of bullying. What really got me was that she said everyone is bullied at some point!! My first thought was what the hell!?!? Why? Why do school not do more? Why are kids so damn mean to each other? Don’t parents teach anything anymore?

I’m at a total loss.

Since my daughter has been in high school there has been a death each year. Freshman year another kid took his life because of bullying, last year a boy just never woke up, and then the one on Monday. Three young lives cut short. Three sons lost. Three families left grieving.

My daughter is upset. She knew this boy… she walked by him every day at school and talked once in a while to him. Today she told me that he reminded her of her little cousin because he had these big brown eyes and really long, dark lashes. She too is lost.

Of course the school has counselors and what not to help the kids deal with this situation as they do all the time. But what about the kids who are getting bullied? Who is there to help them? What about the kids who are bullying others? Who is there to tell them to knock it off or help them?

There are so many thoughts running through my head. Why didn’t he say something? Maybe he did and nothing was done or not done in a timely manner. Are the kids who are bullying just teasing and goofing around like kids tend to do and those on the receiving end just more sensitive then others? Why didn’t someone stand up for him? Maybe they did… maybe it didn’t make a difference. I have no answers for the hundreds of questions I that are swimming around inside my head.

The only think that I do know for sure is that he was to young. He was to young to die… I’m sure that he was a bright kid and and a great future ahead of him. I know that he has left behind a grieving family and friends. All of who have more questions then I do… and so many of them start with why.

I now worry that my kids are being bullied. I worry that they’re bullying other kids.

So how do we stop this? Can we stop it?

We won’t know until we try.

Talk to your kids. Get them to speak up when they see someone bullying another person. Tell them it’s okay to do it too, because sometimes there is fear of retribution or being called a tattle tale. They may be saving a life… the life of a friend.

Keep an eye on your kids for the signs of them being bullied. Yes, there are signs. Be involved with your children and with the school(s) that they attend.

I think that we need to teach our kids to be more open minded and accepting of other kids who may seem different from them. We need to teach them to befriend everyone and to set an example for other kids in their social circles. We need to teach them tolerance. We need to teach them kindness and love. We need to teach them fairness and that it’s okay to be different without fear of being bullied.

As parents we need to be there because ultimately we are the ones who set an example for our kids and teach them.

Have you had to deal with bullying yet regardless if your child was the bully or the one being bullied?

Today I’m linking up with Shell for PYHO because I had to share this. Sorry for the rambling, grammer, and spelling issues… I just wrote today.

With Just a Bit of Magic

Tag Archives: kids