When girls fight via text messages

Watch Video: When girls fight via text messages by Rosalind Wiseman , ...
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When girls fight via text messages

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Well a lot of parents are really, really concern and understandably so about the way their girls are using mobile phones to text each other and make each other to feel absolutely horrible, but I want to take a step back because truly when your child is in the middle school or when you believe that it’s appropriate to give your child a cell phone, this is a huge moment in your life where you have tremendous power over your child probably more than you’ll have again because they want the cell phone. You are the access to that cell phone. Before you give this to this child, you say, “Here are my rules for having it and if you violate its terms, I’m going to have to take it away until you earn my trust back.” Now in middle school because that’s usually when we give our kids cell phone unless you’re taking public transportation or you’re on a bus for really long time and maybe you need to use it earlier and get it earlier, but usually you’re getting it in middle school. When you get that and the you should of course reviewing your child’s text. Now, they should have a password that they can open the phone, right? You should have that password. You should share that password, so that you could open the phone and look and review what the kids are doing. If they violate it, then you need to take it away. If they’re receiving information that’s hostile and harassing, then of course you need to contact the parents and say, “Here is what happened. I want you to know about it.” Now do you expect the parents to say the perfect thing like, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe my child did that, and I'm so sorry.” She is going to come over to your house right now and apologize? No. You’re modelling how real life and online life come together and how you conduct yourself, and so that your child sees it and knows that you’re serious about following through on the rules that you’re believing.

Watch Video: When girls fight via text messages by Rosalind Wiseman , ...

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Rosalind Wiseman

Author & Educator

Rosalind Wiseman is an internationally recognized expert on children, teens, parenting, bullying, social justice, and ethical leadership. Rosalind is the author of Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Realities of Girl World, the groundbreaking, fully-revised edition of her bestselling book that was the basis for the movie Mean Girls. Her follow-up book, Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads, addresses the social hierarchies and conflicts among parents and is now being made into a major motion picture by New Line Cinema. In 2010, Rosalind published the  young adult novel Boys, Girls, & Other Hazardous Materials, which was recognized by the American Library Association as one of their Most Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults.  She is now writing a set of companion books for boys and their parents, scheduled for publication in the Fall of 2013. In addition, Rosalind has written the Owning Up Curriculum, a comprehensive social justice program for grades 6-12 which is in widespread use across the country.  She writes the monthly “Ask Rosalind” column in Family Circle magazine, and is regular contributor to several blogs and websites. Also, Rosalind is a spokesperson for LG’s Text-Education Council that aims to inform parents about responsible monitoring of teen cell phone usage. Each year Rosalind works with tens of thousands of students, educators, parents, counselors, coaches, and administrators to create communities based on the belief that each person has a responsibility to treat themselves and others with dignity. In 2011, she was one of the principal speakers at the White House Summit on Bullying.  Other audiences have included the American School Counselors Association, International Chiefs of Police, American Association of School Administrators, and countless schools throughout the U.S. and abroad. National media regularly depends on Rosalind as the expert on ethical leadership, media literacy, and bullying prevention.  She is a consultant for Cartoon Network’s Speak Up, Stop Bullying campaign. She is a frequent guest on the Today Show, Anderson Cooper 360 and Dateline.  She has been profiled in The New York Times, People, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, USA Today, Oprah, Nightline, CNN, Good Morning America, and National Public Radio affiliates throughout the country. Rosalind holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Occidental College. She lives in Washington D.C. with her husband and two sons.

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