As a Mom of a teen and tween, I appreciate people and places taking a stand against the bullying issue (because silence just doesn’t give a voice to the problem does it?…). RioCan (I know you know their malls and shopping centres) has began a RioCan #RedDotSafeSpot Bully-Free Zones campaign to use their voice to declare No Bullying Here which I think you should know about…
Parent Club Tips For No Bullying Here For Parents
- Discuss bullying with your kids (from school age to teen). What is a bully? What should you do if you are bullied? What should you do if you see someone else bullied?
- Be your child’s best advocate if you think they are being bullied. Ask questions. Talk to the school. Talk to professionals.
- Role model. Kids are always watching. Don’t be a grown up bully. Treat others with respect.
- Educate yourself on bullying. Types of bullying include: physical bullying, verbal bullying, cyber bullying, sexual bullying.
- Declare your home a bully-free zone.
RioCan #RedDotSafeSpot Bully-Free Zones
Degrassi and Leave Out Violence (LOVE) partner with RioCan in anti-bullying effort
RioCan recognizes that bullying is a big problem, so they are declaring their properties bully-free zones, indicated by Red Dot Safe Spot symbols throughout their malls and shopping centres.
RioCan malls are a vital part of the communities they are in, and by declaring them bully-free zones, they will become a safe hub in the neighbourhood.
Visit www.reddotsafespot.com which provides a national directory for bullying support in local communities across Canada.
Want to learn more? Visit #RedDotSafeSpot events – where you can get your photo taken with the Degrassi season 14 cast members and take home an autographed cast photo. Plus, participate in an interactive discussion addressing the issue of bullying with RioCan, LOVE and a bullying expert.
This is so important, bullying can ruin a child’s life and will to go on living. One of my daughters was bullied at school by classmates. I went to the school and talked to the teachers, who in turn talked to the ring-leader’s parents, who saw nothing wrong! In the end that girl was transferred to another class and my daughter blossomed again, gone were the stomach pains (which I had checked out just to make sure). To this day I don’t know why my daughter was bullied, she wasn’t over-weight, wasn’t too skinny, wasn’t an over-achiever nor an under-achiever. I guess a bully has to pick someone.
I’m sorry that happened to your daughter, and that it was finally resolved. It makes me so crazy when other adults, especially parents, don’t care!! >:(
We have always taught our kids to include everyone in play and not to isolate anyone. They all have a right to be a part of games, crafts, sports, etc. and singling out a child that may be different is never ok. My kids are now young adults and they have continued to follow these tips.
I think it is important that we talk to our kids about bullies. Not only to help them if they get bullied, but to also make sure that our kids don’t become bullies themselves. And making sure we are good role models is another important step.
I think it is wonderful that RioCan has created this. I was bullied as a child and it certainly was no fun and made my middle school years a nightmare.
I’d love to see something like that here in the states. Bullying is getting WAY out of hand.
I really love this idea. Bullying has gone from kids being mean to kids trying to tear each other down on a level that’s just plain evil.
I tried to raise my kids to be kind to everyone. I always told them if someone is being mean do not give them the satisfaction of seeing it upset you. Always let an adult know what is going on.
It is terrible that bullying has become so bad. It is important for kids to have somewhere safe to go and get help.
This is interesting. Addie has already been excluded- not bullied- and I hope that she doesn’t learn those behaviors, herself!
I think it’s really important that there are safe zones for kids. Even the internet can expose kids to bullying.
I discuss bullying with my 5 year old son and I love this: “Be your child’s best advocate if you think they are being bullied. Ask questions. Talk to the school. Talk to professionals”. I would never ignore my child being bullied. And if I saw another child being bullied I’d have to say something…and I have before (at the park).
Thanks so much for sharing this. Bullying has become such a major issue these days. It’s important to teach our kids these things.
We have made it very clear to our children that they have to stand up for themselves and others. If they see someone being picked on, they get involved. It is very important that they are strong kids who don’t back down.
We have always taught our children to only say nice things and to not exclude anyone! I hate how bad bullying has gotten in schools now.
RioCan is wonderful for creating this. No child should ever be bullied. It’s painful and sad 🙁
I was badly bullied in elementary school by a classmate and it did impact me in many negative ways growing up. I have a no tolerance policy for bullying and I encourage my kids regularly to also be intolerant of bullying.
We had a really big bullying issue on the bus last year. It was bad. The kiddo who used to love school now dreads the thought of it every morning. It makes me sad. Such an important topic we all need to help kids with. Bravo for this!
I love teaching by example and having open conversation. No bullies here!
I am glad they are talking about bullying in school. It is horrible and too early for the kids to deal with this kind of stuff
We started talking to our kids about bullying when they were very little. As a child who was bullied, my husband takes this so very seriously.